Study Of The Brezhnev Period Of Soviet Social And Political Class

This dissertation is a comprehensive study using the methods of political-sociology and history. According to the theory and methods of political-sociology, this dissertation divides the Soviet society during Brezhnev's reign into six main social-political strata and analyzes comprehensively the political view and activities of each of them. These six strata are the highest-ranking leaders, the privileged stratum, the intellectual stratum, the "dissidents", ethnic elite, and workers and farmers.The highest-ranking leaders locate in the center of the high-centralized political and economic system of the Soviet Union, the members of which had not stabilized until the mid-1970s. Within the stratum of the highest-ranking leaders, the centralization of state power on one person, the process of policy-making, and the select of the high-ranking leaders reflected the political view and activities of the highest-ranking leaders. The highest-ranking leaders, politically characterized by conservativeness and rigidity, could not treat properly the problems in the political society of the Soviet Union and should be responsible for the stalemate in the 1970s. The struggles for power, centralization of power on one person, obstacles to reform, and old-age politics among this highest stratum influenced deeply the political life of the Soviet Union. And they were also the implicit historical cause of the drastic change of the Soviet Union.The privileged stratum was a special social-political stratum coming into being in the society of the Soviet Union during Brezhnev's reign. This dissertation analyzes the system of its forming, types of privileges, the features and the influence of this stratum on the society of the Soviet Union. The rise of this stratum was the outcome of the constant corruption within the Administration of the Soviet Union. It played a very negative role in the social-political life of the Soviet Union. The following openly deviation of the stratum from socialism in the Soviet Union was a logical aftermath of their political thoughts and activities.The stratum of intellectuals was a stratum approved by the Soviet Union. However, this dissertation defines and analyzes it from the viewpoint of political-sociology. This dissertation inquires into the increase of common intellectuals, their political view and influence and draws a conclusion that this was a psychologically contradictory and wavering social-political stratum, which was not content with the administration of the Soviet Union on the one hand, and expected to keep the society in stability and to maintain and develop socialism through reform.The "dissidents" was a special social-political stratum split from the intellectuals and also one of the important social-political strata in the society the Soviet Union during Brezhnev's reign. The activities of the "dissidents" formed the dissident movement, which was also an important political phenomenon during Brezhnev's reign. This dissertation analyzes the cause and procedure of the dissident movement, the basic political stand of the "dissidents", and points out the influence of the thought and activities of the "dissidents" .The stratum of ethnic elite was an important social stratum, and it could be regarded as a special stratum deriving from the intellectuals and cadres. This dissertation discusses mainly the expansion of the ethnic elite and their attitude and stand towards the interest of their alliance and ethnic, and explains why the ethnic interest came out on top under some circumstances.The workers and farmers were the two classes approved by the Soviet Union. According the definition of this dissertation, they had similar social-political features and belonged to the same social-political stratum. Their life was improved during Brezhnev's reign, but they were politically indifferent and inactive. This dissertation analyzes the causes of their indifferent and inactivity and further exposes the causes of their later attitude towards the extinction of the Communist Party and the collapse...