Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0389/03899.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 18KB | 314 lines

$Unique_ID{COW03899}
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$Title{Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Front Matter}
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$Author{Thomas D. Roberts}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{soviet
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area
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$Date{1972}
$Log{}
Country:     Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Book:        Soviet Union, A Country Study
Author:      Thomas D. Roberts
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1972

Front Matter

Foreword

     This volume is one of a series of handbooks prepared by Foreign Area
Studies (FAS) of The American University, designed to be useful to military
and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the
social, economic, political, and military institutions and practices of
various countries. The emphasis is on objective description of the nation's
present society and the kinds of possible or probable changes that might be
expected in the future. The handbook seeks to present as full and as balanced
an integrated exposition as limitations on space and research time permit. It
was compiled from information available in openly published material. An
extensive bibliography is provided to permit recourse to other published
sources for more detailed information. There has been no attempt to express
any specific point of view or to make policy recommendations. The contents of
the handbook represent the work of the authors and FAS and do not represent
the official view of the United States government.

     An effort has been made to make the handbook as comprehensive as
possible. It can be expected, however, that the material, interpretations, and
conclusions are subject to modification in the light of new information and
developments. Such corrections, additions, and suggestions for factual,
interpretive, or other change as readers may have will be welcomed for use in
future revisions. Comments may be addressed to:

The Director
Foreign Area Studies
The American University
5010 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016

Preface

     On November 7, 1967, the Soviet Union celebrated the fiftieth anniversary
of the revolution that brought it into existence. From its inception, this
relatively new state has proclaimed its allegiance to an official ideology-a
particular style of socialism known as Marxism-Leninism-that it claims will
eventually, and inevitably, spread to all countries of the world. The
processes of continuity and change that transformed the former Russian Empire
into the Soviet Union and fostered the development of that nation into a
military and industrial power have prompted this study of its political,
economic, and social life. This handbook by Foreign Area Studies of The
American University has the objective of presenting an overview of the various
aspects of Soviet society as they have developed under Communist Party
leadership.

     The Area Handbook for the Soviet Union is designed to explain the
Soviet system. The effort in writing the handbook has been toward objectivity;
it does not bring forth unique ideas or new analyses, nor is it exhaustive in
any area. Because of a penchant for secrecy on the part of its leaders, the
Soviet state has been described as an enigma; nevertheless, a major world
power cannot exist in a vacuum. Investigations and analyses by scholars,
correspondents, diplomats, and others have been possible and from these,
voluminous materials have been published. The amount of published material
itself presents a staggering problem for analysts, and the fact that so much
material is written from preconceived ideas compounds the problem.

     In writing this handbook, the authors have consciously attempted to set
aside their own preconceptions in order to better present a picture of the
Soviet Union as it was at the beginning of the 1970s. In essence, this
handbook is an attempt to explore and expose the pertinent aspects of the
system that will lead to a better understanding of internal and international
Soviet affairs.

     Sources used were mostly secondary, although Soviet sources, particularly
newspapers, periodicals, and documents were extensively analyzed. In the
selection of source materials and in the writing of the handbook, there were
constant dangers of omission or of overstatement that could have caused
imbalances in presentation. Aware of these inherent dangers, the authors
have attempted to set down, often in the absence of much needed authentic
Soviet evidence, a balanced overview of the Soviet Union in 1970.

     This handbook is an introduction to a very complex society and is
intended primarily for the layman who desires to familiarize himself with
Soviet economic, political, and social life. The advanced student of Soviet
affairs and the so-called Kremlinologist will find little here that has not
been exposed in much greater detail by specialists in a variety of
disciplines. It is hoped that this volume will provide in convenient form a
basis of general knowledge for the average reader who desires such or a solid
foundation for one who intends to increase his knowledge of the country
through specialized study.

     Grateful acknowledgment is made to Thomas D. Roberts, who served
initially as Team Chairman; to David M. Evans, who wrote Chapter 18, Science
and Technology; to Fran N. Gjupanovich, who wrote Chapter 22, The Legal
System; and to Rodney E. Steele, who wrote Chapter 36, Fiscal and Monetary
System.

     Transliteration generally follows the rules of the Romanization Guide of
the United States Board on Geographic Names; however, names of places and
and persons that have acquired a familiar spelling in the West are given in
familiar spelling, for example, Moscow and Georgia, Trotsky and Podgorny.
Acronyms such as USSR, RSFSR, and CPSU, which also have become familiar, are
used frequently and are fully explained in the Glossary. Russian acronyms are
used where necessary and are explained in the text and in the Glossary.
Territorial designations-kray, oblast, rayon-are used and explained rather
than using imprecise English equivalent terms.

Country Summary

     1. COUNTRY: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (short title: the Soviet
Union). From ninth century until 1922, known as Russia. Composed of
fifteen union republics.

     2. GOVERNMENT: Constitution of 1936 provides for a federal union of
constituent republics and popular elections. Bicameral legislature meets
briefly twice a year. In practice, Communist Party is above the government
and controls elections. Party leaders occupy positions of authority in both
Party and government, providing an interlocking of authority at all levels.
Ultimate power rests in the Political Bureau (Politburo) and Secretariat
of the Party's Central Committee.

     3. SIZE AND LOCATION: Area, 8.65 million square miles, the largest
country in the world. Extends 6,000 miles from the Baltic Sea in the west to
the Bering Strait in the east and almost 3,000 miles from the Pamirs in the
south to the Arctic Ocean in the north. Bordered on the north by the Arctic
Ocean; on the east by the Pacific Ocean; on the south by North Korea,
Communist China, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and the Black Sea; and
on the west by Rumania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Baltic Sea,
Finland, and Norway.

     4. TOPOGRAPHY: A vast plain broken by low mountains and hills extends
from the western borders about half-way across the country to the Yenisey
River in the east and to the high mountains in the southern and eastern parts
of Soviet Central Asia. The area extending eastward from the Yenisey River to
the Pacific Ocean consists of hilly plateaus and mountains intersected by many
rivers, most of which flow in a northerly direction. The southern rim of the
mountains extending westward from the upper Yenisey to the Black Sea includes
all or part of the Pamirs and the Sayan, Altai, Tien Shan, and Caucasus
ranges.

     5. CLIMATE: Predominantly cold and continental with long winters and hot,
dry