ABSTRACT
Political dissenters, opposition activists, and independent public groups in several East European countries are on the front line of the struggle against monopolistic Communist Party rule. They may also be on the verge of a renewed offensive, by amplifying the pressures on Soviet bloc regimes to implement substantive domestic reforms in the post-Brezhnev era. Some nascent pluralism could emerge through a combination of Party-directed reforms "from above" and sustained public resilience "from below." It seems apparent, however, that East bloc regimes aim to place effective limits on any independent social actors, by maintaining comprehensive controls over the populace while neutralizing or co-opting selected critics into Party-supervised institutions and activities. The escalation of social tensions fuelled by serious economic imbalances may have revolutionary implications if the system is unable to satisfy, contain, divert, or constructively channel public pressures for major change.
