About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

38 Probs. Communism 34 (1989)
Power to the Soviets

handle is hein.journals/probscmu38 and id is 38 raw text is: Power to the Soviets? Jeffrey W. Hahn AS general secretary, MikhaiL Gorbachev was quick to propose a major restructuring (perestroyka) of the Soviet system. At the April 1985 plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), and then at the 27th CPSU Congress in early 1986, he tabled a dazzing program of reforms ranging from civil rights and glasnost to the anti-alcoholsm campaign and economic self-sufficiency for enter- prises. Like the early Bo sheviks, Gorbachev seemed so certain of the rectitude of his views that he expected no resistance. Yet by the beginning of 1988, it had be- come clear to him that although a number of measures had already been adopted, the reconstruction of Soviet society was falling far short of his goals. And after the economic reforms had been approved, it became evident that their successful imp ementation depended on the introduction of a program of political reforms as well. The Genera Secretary addressed these matters in a speech to the Centra Committee on February 18, 1988, in which he expressed impatience with the pace of re- form, attacked those in state and party administration who refused to accept change, and called for accelera- tion of the 'process of democratization. He also ex- plicitly caled for politica reform: Comrades! Our economic reforms, the development of the processes of democracy, the renewal of the spiri- Jeffrey W. Hahn is Professor of Political cience at Villanova University and in the spring of 1987 was a Fulbright Exchange Scholar on the Juridical Faculty of Moscow State University. Among his many writings on Soviet domestic politics is Soviet Grassroots: Citi- zen Participaton in Local Soviet Government (1988). The author wishes to thank the International Research Exchanges Board and the Carnegie Corporation for funding of travel to the Soviet Union in July 1988 and February 1989 respectively., tual-moral sphere, that is, everything connected with the concept of revolutionary restructuring-all are links of a single chain. They are closely interrelated and in- terdependent, and it is necessary that if you begin to re- structure one of them, then you must continue with the others. . Therefore, it is fully nafural, and, I would say, logical to turn to the necessary restructuring of our polit- ical system. Looking ahead to the 19th Party Conference in June 1988, Gorbachev defined political reform as that gath- ering's top priority, and sIng ed out the soviets for par- ticular attention: Above all, discussion should proceed about how to raise the role of the soviets as the core of he political system of our society, as its governmental embodi- ment. It is precisely here, in the formation and the functioning of the soviets, that we must first realize the demnocra tic principles of socialism.' The soviets might have seemed an unlikely focus of political reform. Although, in theory, deputies elected to these legislative councis by all Sov et citizens choose the members of the executive and administrative de- partments and hold them accountable, in reai ty it is the administrators who have dominated the deputies. Over the years, the authority of the deputies has been largely reduced to ritualistic ratification of decis ions that have already been prepared in advance by members of the state and party apparatuses. Virtuall yal decisions are taken unanimously, and what little participation by dep- uties does take place is carefully choreographed by the organizational-instructional department of the local so- 'The Report of CC CPSU General Secretary M. S ( Revolutionary Perfestroyka.The Ideoiogy of Renewa. TsK KPSS. 18 tev 1988 (Materis of the CPSU Centr Plenum, Feb. 18 1988, Moscow, Politizdat, 1988. pp rn0 34

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most