ABSTRACT

First Published in 1986.  The papers in this volume were originally delivered at a series of seminars held at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London, between January and May 1984. The inspiration for the scheme was the Soviet succession struggle of 1982 but further reflection indicated that the problem of elderly leaderships, and the apparent absence of legitimate succession mechanisms, applied to nearly all communist systems.

chapter 1|13 pages

The Soviet Union

chapter 3|24 pages

Poland

chapter 5|18 pages

Czechoslovakia

chapter 6|15 pages

Hungary

chapter 7|22 pages

Romania

chapter 8|21 pages

Bulgaria

chapter 9|17 pages

Albania *

chapter 10|20 pages

Yugoslavia

chapter 11|22 pages

China