Revolution From Above: The Demise of the Soviet System

Revolution from Abovegives a new interpretation of the disintegration of the USSR. It challenges the widespread belief that the demise of the old regime was caused by the collapse of the Soviet economy, accompanied by public demand that socialism should be abandoned. It argues that the ruling party-state elite of the USSR itself moved to dismantle the Soviet system. Coverage encompasses the beginnings of the Soviet political system in 1917 to the move towards capitalism in the 1990s and the surprise resurgence of Communist support in 1995. Research includes interviews with over fifty people influential in the old and new regimes, giving unique information on the Soviet collapse. This book will be invaluable to students of the economy, politics and history of the former Soviet Union.