ABSTRACT
First published in 1979, Political Economy and Soviet Socialism is an integrated selection of papers written over the past 12 years of Russian history, which offers a unique insight into some important and controversial issues. Professor Nove discusses the ideas of some of the leaders of the Russian revolution (Lenin, Trotsky and Bukharin), the political economy of socialism and the problems of the contemporary USSR. The author addresses the role of traditional Russian ideas in shaping the Soviet Union’s social structure and the conceptual problems involved in defining its ruling stratum - whether or not it is a class. He also considers the criteria by which it is reasonable to judge Soviet reality, the performance and prospects of agriculture in communist-ruled Europe, the ability of the Eastern bloc to tackle problems of inflation and the obstacles to economic reform. Looking at the important and original developments of economic thought in the USSR and Eastern Europe, Professor Nove dissects the ideas of the ‘new leftists’ concerning the role of market forces under a feasible socialism. These papers offer essential reading for students of politics, economics and comparative social structure.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |60 pages
History of Russia
chapter |23 pages
History, Hierarchy and Nationalities:
chapter |18 pages
Russia as an Emergent Country
chapter |17 pages
A Note on Trotsky and the ‘Left' Opposition, 1929-31
part |92 pages
Political Economy
chapter |18 pages
Lenin as Economist
chapter |19 pages
Some Observations on Bukharin and His Ideas
chapter |12 pages
Planners' Preferences, Priorities and Reforms
chapter |21 pages
‘Market Socialism' and Its Critics
chapter |20 pages
Some Developments in East European Economic Thought
part |39 pages
Contemporary Economic Problems
chapter |11 pages
The Politics of Economic Reform
chapter |12 pages
Can Eastern Europe Feed Itself?
chapter |14 pages
Inflation in Communist Countries
part |47 pages
Soviet Studies