| The
Editor/Translators Forward |
vii
|
|
Chapter
One: The State and Peoples of the USSR in the Great Patriotic
War (1941-1945)
|
The
USSR in the Prewar Years. The Non-Aggression Pact between
the Soviet Union and Germany. 23 August 1939. 1 September
1939. The Soviet-Finnish War (November 1939 to March 1940).
The USSR and the Baltic states. Soviet-German relations on
the eve of the war.
|
3
|
The
Beginning of the Great Patriotic War. On the eve of the
war. The beginning of the war. The forces and plans of the
sides. The failure of the Red Army in the summer and fall
of 1941. The Battle of Moscow.
|
7
|
The
German Offensive of 1942 and the Prerequisites for the Turning
Point. The situation at the front and the plans of the
two sides. The German offensive in the summer of 1942 and
the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. The German occupation
regime. The underground partisans' movement. The formation
of the anti-Hitler coalition. The results of the war's first
stage.
|
11
|
The
Soviet Rear in the Great Patriotic War. Soviet society
in the first period of the war. The social and economic prerequisites
for the turning point. Education and science in the war years.
Cultural figures and the front. The church in the war years.
|
16
|
The
Turning Point in the Great Patriotic War. The Battle
for the Caucasus. The beginning of liberation. The Battle
along the Kursk Salient. The Teheran Conference. The results
of the second period of the war.
|
19
|
The
Peoples of the USSR in the Struggle against German Fascism.
The multinational Soviet people on the war fronts. The
economy of the union republics during the war years. The national
movement in the war years. The nationalities policy.
|
23
|
The
USSR in the Final Stage of the Great Patriotic War. The
strategic situation at the beginning of 1944. The Ten Blows
of Stalin. The Crimean (Yalta) Conference. Europe's liberation
of Fascism. The Potsdam Conference. The USSR's entry into
the war with Japan. The results of the Second World War.
|
26
|
| Conclusions
and Observations |
30
|
| Bibliography |
31
|
| Chapter
Two: The USSR in the Early Postwar Years (1945-1953) |
The
Foreign Policy of the USSR and the Beginning of the Cold War.
The USSR in the postwar world. The beginning of the Cold War.
The formation of the Socialist Camp. The Party and the Communist
movement. The Korean War.
|
33
|
The
Socioeconomic Development of the USSR between 1945 and 1953.
The economic consequences of the war. The debate on the economy.
The IV Five-Year Plan. The postwar village. The development
of the Motherland's science and technology. The everyday life
of a Soviet citizen.
|
37
|
The
Political Development of the USSR, 1945-1953. The war's
influence on political attitudes. Changes in the political
system. The tightening of the political regime. Church and
state
|
42
|
The
Nationalities Policy. The peoples of the USSR in the struggle
for the country's restoration. The influence of the war on
the growth of national selfconsciousness. The nationalist
movements. Tightening the nationalities policy.
|
46
|
The
Intellectual Life of Soviet Society. The struggle against
"western influence" in culture. Literature. Theater
and film. Music. Education. Academic debates.
|
49
|
| Conclusions
and Observations |
53
|
| Bibliography |
54
|
Chapter
Three: The Construction of the Economic
Foundations of an Industrial Society in the USSR (1953-1964) |
Changes
in the Political System, 1953-1964. The struggle for power
after Stalin's death. The Rehabilitation at the XX Party Congress.
The Third Program of the Communist Party (CPSU, KPSS). The
concept of a state for all the people. The Constitutional
Project. The October Coup.
|
55
|
Changes
in the Socioeconomic System, 1953-1964. Malenkov's economic
program. Khrushchev's agricultural policy. Industrial development.
The scientific-technological revolution in the USSR. Social
policy.
|
60
|
The
Evolution of the Nationalities Policy. The destalinization
of society and revival of the national movements. The rehabilitation
of the repressed nationalities. The expansion of the union
and autonomous republics' rights. The completion of the formation
of the national elites. The flowering of the multinational
culture.
|
65
|
The
Intellectual Life of the Country from the Mid-50s to Early
60s. The beginning of the thaw (ottepel') in intellectual
life. The Arts. The renewal of the system of ideological control.
Church and state. Education.
|
68
|
The
Foreign Policy of the USSR, 1953-1964. From confrontation
to peaceful coexistence. The beginning of the dialogue with
the West. The beginning of the crisis in the world socialist
system. The USSR and the Countries of the Third World. The
results of the foreign policy of the 50s and beginning of
the 60s.
|
72
|
| Conclusions
and Observations |
76
|
| Bibliography |
77
|
Chapter
Four: The USSR from 1964-1982. The Crisis in the
Social, Economic, and Political Systems |
The
Political Development of the USSR. The growth of conservatism.
L.I. Brezhnev. The growing role of the military-industrial
complex. The concept of developed socialism. The USSR's 1977
Constitution.
|
79
|
The
Socioeconomic Development of the USSR from the Mid-60s to
the Mid-80s. The debate on the economy in the first half
of the 1960s. The agricultural reform of 1965. Kosygin's reform
of industry. The achievements of Soviet science and technology.
The special features of the social policy. The daily life
of a Soviet person.
|
83
|
The
Intellectual Life of Soviet Society from the 1960s to early
1980s. The crisis in the official ideology. The dissidents'
movement. The intensification of the struggle with "bourgeois"
culture. Opposition to the development of art. The educational
system.
|
87
|
The
Nationalities Policy and the National Movements. The successes
of the Soviet federation. "The New Historical Community."
The rise of antagonism between the center and republics. The
national movements. The evolution of the nationalities policy.
|
91
|
The
Foreign Policy of the USSR from the mid-60s to the mid-80s.
The international situation in the mid-60s. Relations with
the West. The Helsinki Accords. Regional conflicts. The war
in Afghanistan. The USSR and the crisis in world socialism.
The CPSU and world Communist movement.
|
95
|
| Conclusions
and Observations |
99
|
| Bibliography |
100
|
| Chapter
Five: The Reform of the Soviet System (1985-1991) |
The
Prerequisites for and Beginning of Perestroika. The prerequisites
for the basic reforms. Iu.V. Andropov. The beginning of change.
M.S. Gorbachev. The acceleration of the socioeconomic development
of the country. The campaign against alcoholism. The New Edition
of the Party Program.
|
101
|
Economic
Reforms: From the Command Economy to the Market System.
Economic development in 1985-1986. The economic reform of
1987. The social aspects of the reform. The preparation of
the plans for the transition to the market. The causes of
the reforms' failure.
|
104
|
The
Changes in Intellectual Life. The policy of Glasnost'.
The
reexamination of the historical past. The beginning of the
rehabilitations. The inconsistent development of the arts.
The role of the mass communications media in the "revolution
of minds."
|
109
|
Reform
of the Soviet Political System. The Cadre Revolution.
The political reform of 1988. The birth of the multiparty
system. The state and church.
|
113
|
The
Nationalities Policy and Relations with the Nationalities.
The Fall of the USSR. The democratization of society and the
nationalities issue. The conflicts between the nationalities
and the formation of the mass national movements. The elections
of 1990 in the union republics. The preparation of a new union
treaty. August 1991 and its consequences. The fall of the
USSR.
|
119
|
Foreign
Policy. The "New Political Thinking." Soviet-American
relations: The beginning of nuclear disarmament. The fall
of the socialist system. Relations with Third World countries.
The results and consequences of the New Thinking.
|
122
|
| Conclusions
and Observations |
126
|
| Bibliography |
127
|
| Chapter
Six: The New Russia |
Sources
of Russia's New Statehood. The crisis and beginning of
the Soviet system's collapse. The democratic elections of
the People's Deputies of the RSFSR. Russia's Declaration of
State Sovereignty. The first President of Russia. The August
Crisis. The fall of the USSR.
|
129
|
Political
Development after the Soviet Union. The social and political
situation in the country after the fall of the USSR. The preparation
of the new constitution. The political crisis of 1993. The
Russian Constitution of 1993. Politics in the second half
of the 1990s. The center and the regions. The Chechen War.
President V.V. Putin. Political reforms, 200-2005.
|
133
|
Economic
reforms. The economic policy of E.T. Gaidar. Economic
policy between 1993 and 1998. The consequences of the economic
reforms. The economic and social sphere of the country at
the beginning of the 21st century.
|
139
|
The
Intellectual Life of Russian Society. The character of
the changes in intellectual life. Literature. Cinematography.
Music. Theater. Graphic art. Mass communications media. Religion
and the church.
|
142
|
The
Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation. Changes in the
geopolitical position of Russia and the formation of a new
foreign policy. Russia and the West. Russia and the East.
Russia and the CIS. New threats and the correction of the
foreign policy at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
|
147
|
| Bibliography |
150
|
| Chapter
Seven: Conclusion |
153
|
| List
of Primary Sources for Study and Comment |
155
|
About
this book
Danilov, Aleksandr Anatolevich (1954–)