The inside story of the political collpase of the Soviet Union is far better understood than the course of economic and social disintegration. In order to capture the story, the editors compiled a list of questions which they addressed to former top Soviet officials and economic and other policy advisors (both Soviet and foreign) who were privy not only to data on the functioning of the Soviet economy but also to the internal policy debate during the 1980s. This volume assembles the Informants' analyses of key issues and the turning points, and weaves them into a compelling history of systemic collapse. Among the topics investigated are: economic policies in the 1980s; the standard of living: the reliability of Soviet statistics; Gosplan's projections for the economy to the year 2000; was the arms race starving the civilian economy? the role of ideology in supporting the functioning of an economic system; the party's participating in economic management; the influence of foreign advisors; the struggle over a transition program; the functioning and collapse of the supply system, the CMEA, and the foreign trade system.

Michael Ellman, Vladimir Kontorovich

Chapter 1 About the Study, Michael Ellman, Vladimir Kontorovich; Chapter 2 What We Learn from the Insiders, Michael Ellman, Vladimir Kontorovich; Chapter 3 The USSR in the Mid-1980s: Structural Factors; Chapter 4 The USSR in the Mid-1980s: Rulers' Perceptions; Chapter 5 Early Attempts at Change, 1983-1987; Chapter 6 'Radical' Economic Reform, 1987-1989; Chapter 7 Political Reform, 1988-1991; Chapter 8 Attempts at Market Reform, 1989-1991; Chapter 9 Reforms on the Sectoral and Enterprise Levels; Chapter 10 From Reform to the Eve of Revolution;