The Dynamics of Soviet Society

"To the end of determination of the practical purpose of these studies, Rostow explores their findings in relation to answers to such questions as (1) What determines the policies of the Soviet state? (2) What are the prospects for change. (3) What dangers for the West are implicit in the new regime? He has attempted to incorporate in a workable framework the various social studies, to establish the link between evaluation and action. The violent swings in American public opinion make some stable groundwork to thinking important. He concludes that the story of Soviet society is not only a lesson in the potentials of totalitarianism but in limitations of the maximum exercise in the face of nature and the resistance of man. The material falls into three main divisions:-the evolution of Soviet rule; the consideration of the impact on key institutions, groups, individuals; the operational behaviour of leaders and the possible evolution of society. He recognizes the speculative nature of any conclusions, and presents the areas of doubt and ignorance...A study which presumes a philosophical approach to the subject, and that demands more capacity for abstract assessments than this reader affords."-Kirkus Reviews