Mechanisms of Power in the Soviet Union

Three well-published Danish scholars in Russian and East European studies organized an international conference held in Copenhagen in 1998, and have edited 12 of the papers by scholars from Russia, Europe, the US, and Australia. The overlying theme is that the centralized power of the Communist Party, replacing that of the Czars, was the mechanism holding together the Soviet Union. Individual papers examine the Fall of the Soviet Union, Stalin, the Secret apparatus, the Moscow headquarters of the Comintern, the intelligence services, and the policy of extraordinary measures. Papers on foreign policy cover the Winter War, the Soviet Embassy in Denmark, Korea, and the Warsaw Pact. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)