ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the part ideology plays in the Soviet political system. Perestroika, the restructuring of all areas of Soviet life, cannot be carried through successfully without a sound ideological justification. The extent to which one is held down by the bond of ideology varies greatly, and for that reason it is possible to adjust ideology according to practical political requirements, for the Soviet political system cannot, in the long run, survive intact with a fundamental contradiction between practical policies and ideology. Ideology is being used to legitimize the Soviet political system to the end that the citizen accepts the system. Ideology sets up an indispensable framework and provides the necessary vocabulary for dealing with conflicts, because otherwise, public dissens could spring up easily and put the system's basis at risk. Between 1981 and 1984, Soviet philosophical magazines were discussing the possibility of antagonistic contradictions within socialism. Using this category of contradictions, the Polish crisis of 1980/1982 was analyzed anew.
