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ones, Heller and Nekrich become almost obsessed with the image of
Western capitalism "selling the rope" to the Soviets. "The capitalist
world has continued to bind itself to the socialist one by innumerable
economic links," the authors postulate, and, correspondingly, the
West is now so interested in the solvency of the Soviet bloc that "the
interests of 'real socialism' become those of the West ." In this way,
the West "becomes a pillar of internal stability of the socialist world,"
conclude Heller and Nekrich. However, the authors fail to provide
any statistics on East-West trade, probably because the share of ex–
ports to the Soviet bloc - some two percent of the total volume of
Western trade-might be embarrassing to their argument. Their
credo that the West supports the stability of the Soviet regime by
seIling grain and machinery and buying oil, gas and gold may be
easily reversed. Ironically, some Soviet economists now reproach
Brezhnev's administration for squandering windfall profits from
foreign trade when the terms were very favorable to U.S.S .R . , and
argue that excessive reliance on Western imports delayed necessary
economic reforms and weakened the Soviet state .
Gorbachev's attempts to reform the U.S.S.R. are too recent to
be analyzed in
Utopia in Power.
But Heller and Nekrich do not
believe that the Soviet system can reform itself. They expect no more
than tactical maneuvering from any Soviet leadership, designed to
gain time before another expansionist attack. The totalitarian para–
digm does not allow for change: the authors share the conviction of
Hannah Arendt and other students of totalitarianism that
it
may
undergo temporary relaxation and execute tactical retreats but,
unable to abandon the pursuit of total control and domination, it re–
mains immune to radical transformation.
Whatever criticisms may be levelled against
Utopia in Power,
Heller and Nekrich should be congratulated for this immensely
stimulating book.
It
is absolutely essential reading for anybody
seriously interested in Soviet history and, indeed, contemporary
history in general. Sadly, Soviet readers who most need
Utopia in
Power
have no access to it.
Glasnost
or not, Soviet authorities keep
confiscating copies of
Utopia in Power,
all editions in
all
languages,
whether brought into the Soviet Union by tourists or sent by mail .
This book would discredit the army of professional liars, and for this
reason alone the party apparatus strongly opposes its publication. It
may appear that
perestroika
has finally reached Soviet historiography.
For example, editors of major history journals have been replaced,
