Ideology and the collapse of the Soviet system : a critical history of Soviet ideological discourse

The author of this study analyzes the nature and historical evolution of Soviet ideology between 1917 and 1985 to demonstrate the structural importance of Soviet ideological discourse and the uncertain place that it allocated to the Communist Party in the Soviet political system.

On the basis of this analysis, the author provides a fresh interpretation of Gorbachev's political reforms.

He describes the ideological dynamic that underwrote the development of perestroika, how Gorbachev's ideas on democratization sent contradictory messages to the Communist Party and how this stimulated opposition to perestroika from party cadres and Soviet society.