The Soviet Union Under Gorbachev

257 Pages·1987·22.415 MB·English

by  Martin McCauley (eds.)

The Soviet
Union Under
Gorbachev
EDITED BY
MARTIN MCCAULEY
STUDIES IN RUSSIA AND
EAST EUROPE
STUDIES IN RUSSIA AND EAST EUROPE
jormerly Studies in Russian and East European History
Chainnan of the Editorial Board: M. A. Branch, Director, School of
Slavonic and East European Studies.
This series includes books on general, political, historieal, economic,
social and cultural themes relating to Russia and East Europe written or
edited by members ofthe School ofSlavonic and East European Studies
in the University of London, or by authors working in association with
the School. Titles already published are listed below. Further titIes are in
preparation.
Phyllis Auty and Richard Clogg (editors)
BRITISH POLICY TOW ARDS WARTIME RESIST ANCE IN
YUGOSLAVIA AND GREECE
Elisabeth Barker
BRITISH POLICY IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE IN THE SECOND
WORLDWAR
Richard Clogg (editor)
THE MOVEMENT FOR GREEK INDEPENDENCE, 1770-1821:
A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS
Olga Crisp
STUDIES IN THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY BEFORE 1914
D. G. Kirby (editor)
FlNLAND AND RUSSIA, 1808-1920: DOCUMENTS
Martin McCauley
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SOVIET STATE,
1917-1921: DOCUMENTS (editor)
KHRUSHCHEV AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET
AGRICULT URE
COMMUNIST POWER IN EUROPE: 1944-1949 (editor)
MARXISM-LENINISM IN THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC: THE SOCIALIST UNITY PARTY (SED)
THE GERM AN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC SINCE 1945
KHRUSHCHEV AND KHRUSHCHEVISM (editor)
THE SOVIET UNION UNDER GORBACHEV (editor)
Martin McCauley and Stephen Carter (editors)
LEADERSHIP AND SUCCESSION IN THE SOVIET UNION,
EASTERN EUROPE AND CHINA
Evan Mawdsley
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE BAL TIC FLEET
J. J. Tomiak (editor)
WESTERN PERSPECTIVES ON SOVIET EDUCAT ION IN THE
1980s
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THE SOVIET UNION
UNDER GORBACHEV
Editedby
Martin McCauley
Senior Lecturer in Soviet and East European Studies
School 0/ Slavonic and East European Studies
University 0/ London
M
MACMILLAN
© School of Slavonic and East European Studies
University ofLondon 1987
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
The Soviet Union under Gorbachev.-
(Studies in Russia and East Europe)
I. Soviet Union
I. McCauley, Martin 11. University of
London, School of Slavonic and East
European Studies III. Series
947.085'4 DKI7
ISBN 978-0-333-43912-8 ISBN 978-1-349-18648-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-18648-8
Contents
List 0/ Tab/es vii
Pre/ace ix
Notes on the Contributors XI
Introduction
Martin McCauley
Gorbachevas Leader 9
Martin McCau/ey
2 State and Ideology 38
Rona/d J. Hili
3 Law and Reform 59
W. E. Butler
4 Nationalities 73
Bohdan Nahay/o
5 The Economy 97
Philip Hanson
6 Agriculture 118
Karl-Eugen Wädekin
7 Foreign Trade 135
A/an H. Smith
8 Labour, Motivation and Productivity 156
David Lane
9 Eastern Europe 171
Michael Shafir
10 Defence and Security 192
Condoleezza Rice
11 Foreign Policy 210
Margot Light
Bibliography 231
Index 242
For Harold Martin McCauley
List ofTables
1.1 Central Party Organs (Central Committee and Revision
Commission): Size ofMembership 20
1.2 Turnover ofMembership (Central Committee and
Revision Commission) 22
1.3 Representation of Functional Groups in Central Party
Organs at the XXVI and XXVII Party Congresses 23
1.4 The Present Party Leadership (July 1986) 28
5.1 Soviet Economic Growth since 1965 100
5.2 Soviet Economic Performance in 1985 and 1981-5: Main
Official Indicators 101
5.3 Soviet Industrial Sector in 1985: Selected Individual
Product-group Oata 102
5.4 The Soviet Eleventh and Twelfth Five-Year Plans: Some
Aggregate Figures 103
5.5 The Soviet Twelfth Five-Year Plan: National Income
Utilised, Accumulation and Consumption 104
5.6 The Soviet Twelfth Five-Year Plan: Selected Production
Targets 105
6.1 Gross Agricultural Production 119
6.2 Percentage Shares ofGrain, Feed Crops and Clean
Fallow 1970-84 122
6.3 Irrigated and Orained Land 1971-90 124
6.4 The Non-Black-Earth Zone 1970-84 125
7.1 Soviet Energy Exports by Value 1972-4 139
7.2 Soviet Oil and Natural-Gas Production and Trade 1972-
83 140
7.3 Soviet Terms ofTrade with Eastern Europe (1974 = 100) 143
7.4 Soviet Trade with the Industrialised West in 1984 and
1985: Quarterly Oata 153
7.5 Soviet Assets and Liabilities with Banks Reporting to the
Bank for International Settlements 153
9.1 00 you believe that Gorbachev's leadership will be good
or bad for the Soviet Union? 177
9.2 00 you believe that Gorbachev's leadership will be good
or bad for your country? 178
VII
Preface
The chapters in this volume were originally delivered at a conference
held on 20 and 21 March 1986 at the School of Slavonic and East
European Studies, University of London. The overall aim was to
examine critically Gorbachev's first year in office. This was approached
from three angles: Gorbachev's legacy: just how serious· were the
problems bequeathed to hirn by the late Brezhnev, Andropov and
Chernenko eras?; an analysis of progress during the first year, paying
particular attention to the debates about policy options in the press and
scholarly journals; and what are the prospects for success? Will it be a
ca se of continuity and little fundamental change or does the Gorbachev
accession mean that the revitalisation of the Soviet Union is under way?
Special thanks are due to those who presented papers at the
conference, but also to those who contributed from the floor to make it
such arewarding and stimulating experience. The Gorbachev era has
already given rise to enormous interest about the evolution ofthe Soviet
Union and the challenge this poses the outside world.
Warrnest thanks are also due to Professor M. A. Branch, Director of
the School, and his administrative staff, especially Philip Robinson and
Mara Hasenstrauch, and to Vera Burger, Alastair Brison and Hugh
Christey. A special vote of thanks is due to Margot Light for her
assistance with the Bibliography and Index.
Finally gratitude is due to the Ford and Nuffield Foundations,
without whose generous financial support the conference could not have
taken place.
MARTIN McCAULEY
ix
Notes on the Contributors
w.
E. Butler is Professor of Comparative Law in the University of
London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Socialist Legal
Systems, University College London.
Philip Hanson is Reader in Soviet Economics, University of Birmin
gham, and the author of many articles and books, including Trade and
Techn%gy in Soviet-Western Re/ations.
Ronald J. Hili is Professor ofPolitical Science at Trinity College, Dublin.
Among his recent publications is The Soviet Union: Po/itics, Eeonomies
and Society.
David Lane is Professor of Sociology in the University of Birmingham
and the author of many studies, including State and Po/ities in the
USSR.
Margot Light is Lecturer in Soviet Studies and International Relations,
University of Surrey. She is the editor (with A. J. R. Groom) of
International Relations: A Handbook 0/ Current Theoryand the author
of The Soviet Theory 0/ International Polities.
Martin McCauley is Senior Lecturer in Soviet and East European
Studies at the School ofSlavonic and East European Studies, University
of London. Among his recent publications is Khrushehev and Khrush
chevism. which he edited.
Bohdan Nahaylo is on the staff of Radio Liberty, Munich.
Condoleezza Rice is Assistant Director of the Center for International
Security and Arms Control, Stanford University, California.
Michael Shafir is Deputy Director of Audience and Opinion Research,
East European Area, at Radio Free Europe, Munich. Among his
publications is Romania: Po/ities, Eeonomies and Society. Political
Stagnation and Simulated Change.
XI