128
PARTISAN REVIEW
The improvements made in the system of government have
transformed a bloody personal tyranny into the administrative
dictatorship of an oligarchy. But this transformation has not
changed the basis of the system . . .
It is among the virtues of this volume that it offers both sweep–
ing generalizations (well-grounded in data) about Soviet political in–
stitutions and practices and specific details about the workings of the
system. Of particular value are the discussions of the Party, the prob–
lem of succession, the function of elections and popular "participa–
tion," the success and failure of political socialization, the dimen–
sions of dissent, the rise of religious and nationalistic feelings - all of
which add up to a carefully drawn and persuasive balance sheet of
the strengths and weaknesses of the system.
It
is a remarkable book
because of the author's ability to grasp and articulate the contradic–
tory facets of Soviet society. Thus, for instance, on the one hand:
. .. 8 million people in all are permanently charged with super–
vising and instructing Soviet society. In this network of con–
vergent training systems and activities, all of which spread the
same ideas and values, the life of the ordinary citizen ... leaves
little room for personal reflection and the search for other sources
of information.
At the same time:
In a survey carried out in the early seventies in a Leningrad fac–
tory 75% of the workers questioned about what motivated their
attendance at political training sessions answered that they at–
tended meetings because they were forced to . . . .
Young people in particular". . . seem to brush aside everything
that has to do with politics," and their occupational aspirations signif–
icantly diverge from the prescriptions of the authorities . Data from
readership surveys also attest to the apolitical disposition of the ma–
jority of Soviet people.
Although social mobilization replaced coercion, the authorities
will not accept "associations established outside their control." Social
mobilization, or what I prefer to call pseudo-participation, is de–
signed to occupy "the totality of social space in order to leave room
for no possibility of mobilization or organization foreign to it."
While much has been made among some Western Sovietologists
