USSR in Crisis [Paperback]

In virtually all sectors of the economy, evidence of stagnation, waste, and mismanagement proliferates. The convergence of these problems is no historical accident. As Marshall Goldman. a leading analyst of the Soviet economy, demonstrates, the Russians continue to adhere to a planning model set forth by Stalin in the 1920s. The chances of a turnaround, therefore, hinge on reform of the systemreform that the Soviet leaders fear might trigger unpredictable and uncontrollable forces that have been pent up for sixty-five years.[In a well-written survey. . .Marshall Goldman reviews the main causes for the stagnation and decline of the Soviet economic system. What course are the Soviet leaders likely to adopt to tackle their problems? And what is the political impact of the economic difficulties likely to be?The Soviet Union in the post-Brezhnev era confronts an economic disaster on a vast scale.