The Soviet Economy in the 1980s

Résumé du livre

The Soviet economy faces in this decade the most fundamental peacetime problems it has known since the beginnings of the command system in the 1920s. What are the possible implications for Soviet military spending and foreign policy? Will economic constraints oblige the Soviet leadership to reduce its spending on the military sector, or at any rate to moderate the growth rate of arms spending? Will the Soviet leaders feel able to sustain the increasing costs of their foreign policies, especially in Eastern Europe? Will they face such difficulty that they will resort to draconian measures at home and adventure abroad as a means of maintaining the rule? Western analysts are virtually unanimous on the Soviet's economic difficulties but disagree among themselves about the implications. In this paper the reader will find some essential background information on the issues involved.