The Soviet Union in Transition (The Question is Open to Discussion)

Abstract

The fate of a country like the Soviet Union concerns not only its leaders and its population. Whatever happens to the Soviet system, the directions which that nation follows will affect the whole world. Therefore, an understanding of the Soviet regime, its limitations and potentials, and the options available to that country, would give the rest of the world the intellectual weapon necessary to meet challenges presented by Soviet development. The stakes may be very high; if the full productive capacity of the Soviet Union were developed, the Japanese economic miracle and the serious problems it has created for the United States might fade into relative insignificance.

Pre‐Soviet, Soviet and post‐Soviet models of economic growth and development

“…Be that as it may, in the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia was moving in the same direction as many advanced countries of the world: to democratic mixed capitalism . The latter can be characterized as:… a social formation in which all forms of the capitalist mode of production (state, corporate, individual and family) are present actually as well as legally and which combines a multiparty (both legally and actually) political system and indicative planning (primarily at the macroeconomic level) (Raiklin, 1988, p. 7). …”

“…… a social formation in which all forms of the capitalist mode of production (state, corporate, individual and family) are present actually as well as legally and which combines a multiparty (both legally and actually) political system and indicative planning (primarily at the macroeconomic level) (Raiklin, 1988, p. 7).…”

“…The author makes this argument in several of his published works. The reader is urged to read at least three of them where the following is discussed: (1) Raiklin (1988), the Soviet problems; on pp. 12‐23, the menu of available solutions; (2) Raiklin (1993), the four pillars of the Stalinist model and their weakening; on pp.…”