ABSTRACT
The classic question of political sociology is concerned with the relations between the evolution of the social structure (the guiding principles for the allocation of scarce and valued resources; the identity, permeability, strength and wealth of beneficiary and deprived groups) and the political formula (the process of coercion, compromise and legitimacy which functions in a global collectivity). It is generally assumed that a causal relationship, functional or systemic, exists between the social constellation of interests and the authority's moral order. The ideal static model of the relationship between social structure and political stability can thus be outlined, at least in the socialist republics of our study. Peripheral middle classes take state power and install a politico-economic formula based on the redistribution of wealth and political control of the economy. Agrarian reform, planning and expansion in the public sector, industrialisation and social spending are its main ingredients.
