Socialism Betrayed Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Jul 6, 2026

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Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union examines political trends, the role of the second economy, and the shifting conditions from the mid-1980s through the 1989–1991 crisis that culminated in the Soviet collapse. The work follows a sequence of turning points, from 1985–86 and 1987–88 to the final breakdown, then draws conclusions and implications. An epilogue critiques existing explanations, complemented by endnotes and an index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages340

Reading Time14 h 17 min

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Two Trends in Soviet Politics

The Second Economy

Promise and Foreboding, 1985-86

Turning Point, 1987-88

Crisis and Collapse, 1989-91

Conclusions and Implications

Epilogue – A Critique of Explanations of the Soviet Collapse

Endnotes

Index

Also by Roger Keeran The Communist Party and the Auto Workers Unions Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union ROGER KEERAN AND THOMAS KENNY iUniverse, Inc. New York Bloomington Socialism Betrayed Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union Copyright © 2010 by Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenny All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: iUniverse 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 [www.iuniverse.com](www.iuniverse.com)[ ](www.iuniverse.com)1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677) Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. ISBN: 978-1-4502-4171-7 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4502-4172-4 (ebook) Printed in the United States of America [iUniverse rev. date:](iUniverse rev. date:) 10/06/2010 Contents Preface ix 1. Introduction 1 2. Two Trends in Soviet Politics 15 3. The Second Economy 61 4. Promise and Foreboding, 1985-86 87 5. Turning Point, 1987-88 131 6. Crisis and Collapse, 1989-91 169 7. Conclusions and Implications 225 Epilogue–A Critique of Explanations ofthe Soviet Collapse 257 Endnotes 277 Index 317 Preface to the Second Edition Socialism Betrayed was ﬁrst published by International Publishers in 2004, for which we would like to extend our appreciation to International’s Director, Betty Smith. That the ﬁrst edition sold out was largely due to the favorable reviews and publicity the book garnered in the United States by reviewer Mark Almberg of the People’s Weekly World and in Britain by the Morning Star, Ireland by the Socialist Voice, Canada by the People’s Voice and The Spark, Australia by The Guardian and Australian Marxist Review, and Germany by Marxistische Blaetter. We thank the editors and reviewers of these periodicals. Though reviewers largely ignored the book in the United States, the book did gain critical notice in Political Affairs, Science & Society, and Nature, Society and Thought. Since critical notice is better than no notice, we would like to thank those reviewers as well. Since 2004, Socialism Betrayed has been translated into several languages. We would like to take the opportunity of the second English edition to thank those who in various ways aidedits publication abroad. Irina Malenko and Blagovesta Doncheva, have been great friends and enthusiastic and tireless advocates of the book, and their efforts were primarily responsible for the book’s publication in Bulgarian and Russian. We cannot thank them enough. We are also grateful to Dr. Ivan Ivanov for the Russian translation and Algoritm Press for the Russian edition. The Persian edition of the book was due to Mohammad Mehryar and Feridon Darafshi, who took the book from the U. S. to Iran and introduced it to oneof the heroes of the struggle for Iranian freedom, Mohammad Ali Amooii (sometimes spelled Amoui), who liked the book well enough to translate it himself. We owe deep debt of gratitude to all three men. In Greece, part of the book appeared in KOMEP, the journal of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) edited by Eleni Bellou. She and her colleagues Kyrillos Papastavrou, Vasilis Opsimou, Babis Angourakis and Nikos Seratakis arranged for the authors to attend in December 2007 an international conference in Athens on the causes of the Soviet demise. This conference acquainted others with the book, including Francisco Melo, editor o

FAQs

What major topics does the book cover about the Soviet collapse?

It analyzes two trends in Soviet politics, the second economy, and the evolution of conditions across 1985–86, 1987–88, and the 1989–91 crisis that led to collapse.

How does the book structure its argument over time?

The table of contents organizes chapters chronologically, moving from earlier political trends to mid-1980s developments, then highlighting key turning points before treating the final crisis period.

What is the purpose of the epilogue?

The epilogue provides a critique of explanations for the Soviet collapse, assessing competing interpretations alongside the book’s own conclusions.

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Skyler