ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the main framework for analyzing the events. It discusses a neo-Marxian framework which provides useful tools for understanding the underlying causes of the collapse. The chapter presents an eclectic framework based on Marxian traditions. It develops the Marxian framework to develop the author's own synthesis of Marx and non-Marxist theorists. The chapter shows that the Party-state apparatus fulfills the usual Marxian criteria for a ruling class. It suggests that actors can have institutional interests which dissuade people from taking action. The chapter explains, though, that among the exploited groups, institutional interests can encourage some groups to become dissidents, and to restrain others from participating in collective action. It describes that Manicas' interpretation of base-superstructure relationship provides a fruitful framework for analyzing the interplay between the economy and political decision-making in the countries. The chapter examines a possible interpretation of Marx with the insights of certain neo-Marxists in an effort to establish the author's analytical framework.
