The Soviet economy: what transition to what market

Abstract

Caught between maintaining the status of the Soviet Union as a superpower and the exigencies of modernisation, the events of the past six years have left the USSR in a state of political disintegration, economic chaos and social upheaval · This paper, arguing that the reforms initiated by Gorbachev can be meaningfully judged only on the basis of what they professed to achieve in Soviet life, examines the extent to which his leadership can be held responsible for this crisis.