University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The collapse of the Soviet Union: A study of demokratizatsiia

Clark, Terry Dee

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23563

Description

Title
The collapse of the Soviet Union: A study of demokratizatsiia
Author(s)
Clark, Terry Dee
Issue Date
1992
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Kanet, Roger E.
Department of Study
  • History, European
  • Political Science, General
Discipline
  • History, European
  • Political Science, General
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • History, European
  • Political Science, General
Language
eng
Abstract
This thesis proposes a framework for understanding the mechanism used by the ruling elites of the Soviet Union for nearly seventy years to control social involvement in politics and assure the leading role of the Communist Party in the system. The questions to which the model addresses itself are: what was the structure of interaction between state and society in the Soviet Union, how did the state seek to harmonize spontaneous social activity with state goals to attempt to ensure a stable social order, and under what conditions was this not possible. The argument of the thesis is that the mechanism for elite control broke down during the latter years of perestroika, culminating with the August 1991 coup and following which a fundamentally new type of regime was introduced in several of the successor states of the former Soviet Union. The underlying cause for the collapse of the regime was loss of legitimacy coupled with elite fragmentation, making it impossible for forceful reimposition of the old order. The final chapter briefly considers topics for future research with an emphasis on the Slavic and Baltic states.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23563
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1992 Clark, Terry Dee

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Political Science