Gorbachev and the Collapse of the Soviet Communist Party: The Historical and Theoretical Background

The West is caught up in the dramatic changes taking place in the former Soviet Union, and is eager to help the process of democratization. This work cautions that what is taking place in the former Soviet Union is not democratization as the West knows it but, rather, a form of socialism different from Marxism-Leninism theoretically based on the teachings of an Italian Marxist (now deceased) Antonio Gramsci. The work claims that the same Party elite who controlled the Soviet Union now control the republics. The authors advise that, before granting financial credits to any of the republics, the West should first come to a clear understanding of the political and economic processes now taking place.