Suchergebnisse

AS SCHOLARS ANALYZE THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET COMMUNIST SYSTEM, THEY MUST EXPLAIN HOW A POLITICAL SYSTEM THAT HAD EVERY APPEARANCE OF POTENCY IN 1985 BECAME INCREASINGLY INEFFECTIVE AND FINALLY DISINTEGRATED BY LATE 1991. TO DO SO, THEY MUST FOCUS ON THE NATURE OF POWER IN THE OLD SYSTEM AND ON THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION. FOR THE LATTER, THE COMPARATIVE LITERATURE ON TRANSITIONS TO DEMOCRACY IS HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY ITS THESIS THAT REGIME CHANGE IS A PROCESS THAT DEVELOPS ITS OWN DYNAMIC IN WHICH THE INTENT OF LEADING ACTORS DIFFERS FROM THE RESULTS. IN ADDITION, THE TWO MOST TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS USED IN SOVIET STUDIES--NAMELY, TOTALITARIANISM AND POLITICAL CULTURE--ARE MORE EXPLANATORY THAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Original Title Page -- Original Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Author's Note -- Preface -- Part One: Doctrine vis-à-vis Realpolitik -- 1. Soviet Doctrine Concerning the Arab World -- Continuity and Change in Consolidating and Shaping Soviet Doctrine Up to the Early 1950s -- Methods and Vehicles for Carrying Out the Soviet Doctrine -- The Soviet Union and the Local Egyptian Communist Elements -- 2. The Egyptian Communist Movement and its Role in the Internal Political Arena Up to 1955 -- The Emergence of a Communist Party in Egypt -- Some Ideological Dimensions in the Communist Design Concerning the Egyptian National Struggle -- Communist Political Activity and its Influence, 1947-55 -- 3. The Relationship Between Communism and Islam -- Communism and Islam -- The Various Approaches to the Issue as Introduced by Egyptian and Arab Intellectuals -- Part Two: The Beginning of the Soviet Involvement in Egyptian Affairs: The Dynamics of Penetration, 1947-55 -- 4. The USSR's First Steps in the Egyptian and Middle-Eastern Arena -- Soviet Support for the Arabs -- The Soviet Position Concerning the Palestine Issue, 1947-48 -- 5. The Soviet Response to Western Attempts to Form a Middle East Defence Organization, 1947-52 -- The Crystallization of the US Containment Policy and its Extension to the Middle East -- Continuity and Change in Soviet-Egyptian Relations After the Palestine War -- The Policy of the Wafd Government Towards the East-West Conflict, 1950-52 -- 6. Soviet-Egyptian Relations Under Nasir, 1952-55 -- Soviet Response to the July 1952 Coup D'état -- Stalin's Successors' Policy Towards Egypt -- Nasir's Neutralism and the Baghdad-Pact -- Nasir and the Non-Alignment Camp -- 7. Egyptian Arms Deals with the Soviet Bloc and Their Implications -- Negotiations for Arms, 1954-55.

The 1980s have become and are likely to remain a new "time of troubles" for the Soviet Union. Principal among these troubles is a faltering economy. The average rate of annual growth for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (1981-86) is likely to be just over 2 per cent, half the rate achieved a decade ago; and die productivity of both labor and capital in industry during the first three years of the present Plan actually declined. Although investment in machinery production has increased by more than 20 per cent—a key element of a strategy designed to accelerate the modernization of an aged industrial plant—the growth in production of new machinery remains at a postwar low. Increased investment in agriculture has also produced disappointing results, and food shortages in cities are likely to recur in '85. The Soviet leadership must be equally troubled by the fact that, despite rising consumer expectations, growth in per capita consumption during the first three years of the present Plan has averaged a mere 1 per cent—a sharp contrast to the 4-5 per cent realized during the 1970s.

The golden era of the study of folklore in the Soviet Union was the first decade after the Revolution, when the party and government, occupied with more urgent tasks, let the literary scholars and folklorists do their work relatively undisturbed. In 1925 the so-called "magna charta libertatis" for Soviet writers was issued by the Central Committee of the party, which permitted "free competition of various groups and currents." As a result, the 1920s turned out to be rich and fruitful in literary scholarship, including folkloristics. In the study of folklore, different trends could freely coexist and thrive side by side. The most important of them were the historical school, Formalism, and the so-called Finnish school. The historical school continued the traditions of its leader Vsevolod Miller, whose first concern had been to find reflections of concrete historical reality in Russian byliny (epic songs). Thus the tendencies of the historical school are found in the commentaries to some bylina collections in 1918 and 1919, and also appeared strongly in the works of the brothers Boris and Iurii Sokolov, both of them disciples of Miller.

Gerhard Wettig ; Zsfassung in dt. Sprache u.d.T.: Die Sowjetunion und die Vereinigung Deutschlands ; Volltext // Exemplar mit der Signatur: München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- 4 Z 68.247-1990,34/44

Political factions in Afghanistan; plight of refugees; attrition in the Soviet troops; outlook for the future.

Africa is no longer a silent continent but, rather, a continent of great expectations. In the 1960's, participation of the new African states in the solution of internat'l problems, large & small, is a fact of internat'l life. It has been the policy of the USSR, throughout the period of the emergence of independent states in Africa, to support, esp in the UN, anticolonial struggles & decolonization proposals & resolutions. The USSR, aware of the discrepancies between former colonial countries & their ex-possessions re trade, indust'al development, educ, & Med care, is pursuing a policy toward Africa calculated to assist the African countries in attacking & ending backwardness. This policy supports nationalization of the properties of foreign monopolies, development of local industry, creation & strengthening of a state-owned sector of the economy, & radical agri'al reforms. The USSR is convinced that practical measures must be taken to mitigate the damaging effects of worldmarket price-&-demand fluctuations on African economies. These measures include equal trade agreements, low-interest credits, guaranteed market, supplying necessary equipment, & training local African personnel. The USSR feels that the African nations' position of positive neutralism fully corresponds to African needs & interests, & permits freedom of choice in SE development. AA.

How India will adjust its Soviet-oriented foreign and defense policies now that the Soviet Union has dissolved.

Gorbachev's radical shift in policies and the dismantling of the 'iron curtain' have profoundly affected American views of the Soviet Union. Investigates changing attitudes toward the Soviet 'threat' and the state of US--Soviet relations. These changing perceptions are reflected in an overall image improvement. (SJK)