PREFACE The first edition of this work, which appeared in 1971, was well received, and I have sought to improve it by adding a number of new or enlarged sections. My aim has been to provide a reasonably thor- ough but relatively brief general exposition and discussion of Soviet politics. I have attempted to provide an essentially eclectic approach to the subject, emphasizing institutional structures, functional analysis, the nature of the Soviet leadership, the principal components of Soviet political life, and the definition of the major problems con- fronting the Soviet polity. I have also sought to convey something of its ethos and have endeavored to deal with the question of the Soviet political culture. An effort has been made to enable the reader to relate the Soviet polity to other political systems--especially in Chapter 12, where six relevant systemic models are analyzed and compared. Where possible and relevant I have attempted to treat the Soviet polity in terms of problems and issues that are comparable to those confronted by other political systems. However, I have eschewed the ix
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