ABSTRACT
One of the prime concerns of the Soviet leadership always has been to assure that economic development proceeds smoothly throughout the Soviet Union. The economic goals of each of the union republics are spelled out in detail in the five-year plans, and the responsibility for supervising these plans falls on the Party leadership of each republic, as well as on the all-union and union republic ministries charged with the management of the economy. The main thrust of Gorbachev’s entire economic program has been to increase the accountability of economic enterprises for fulfilling their responsibilities in the economic plan. Public protests over economic decisions that are seen as antithetical to the interests of a specific national community are likely to increase in intensity and to spread throughout the Soviet Union.
