Economic Rationality And Soviet Politics: Or Was Stalin Really Necessary?
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
A landmark work in Soviet economic history and political analysis, Economic Rationality and Soviet Politics: Or Was Stalin Really Necessary? presents a rigorous and thought-provoking examination of the relationship between economic decision-making and political power in the USSR. Alec Nove argues with characteristic precision that the brutal industrialization drive of the Stalinist era was not an inevitable product of Marxist ideology or historical necessity, but rather the result of specific, contestable political choices. With a tone that is scholarly yet accessible, the collection of essays uncovers the internal logic—and profound irrationalities—of Soviet economic planning, challenging both Western liberal critics and orthodox Marxist apologists alike. Nove illustrates how the coercive machinery of the Soviet state was deeply intertwined with its economic imperatives, making a compelling case that alternatives existed and that human agency, not historical determinism, shaped the USSR's catastrophic path. This essential text remains a cornerstone of Cold War-era political economy, indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the structural contradictions at the heart of the Soviet experiment.
Author: Alec Nove
Format: Hardback
Genre: Politics & law
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
A landmark work in Soviet economic history and political analysis, Economic Rationality and Soviet Politics: Or Was Stalin Really Necessary? presents a rigorous and thought-provoking examination of the relationship between economic decision-making and political power in the USSR. Alec Nove argues with characteristic precision that the brutal industrialization drive of the Stalinist era was not an inevitable product of Marxist ideology or historical necessity, but rather the result of specific, contestable political choices. With a tone that is scholarly yet accessible, the collection of essays uncovers the internal logic—and profound irrationalities—of Soviet economic planning, challenging both Western liberal critics and orthodox Marxist apologists alike. Nove illustrates how the coercive machinery of the Soviet state was deeply intertwined with its economic imperatives, making a compelling case that alternatives existed and that human agency, not historical determinism, shaped the USSR's catastrophic path. This essential text remains a cornerstone of Cold War-era political economy, indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the structural contradictions at the heart of the Soviet experiment.