Canadian Slavonic Papers

Sowjetunion 1978-79: Ereignisse, Probleme, PerspektivenReview by: Theofil I. KisCanadian Slavonic Papers / Revue Canadienne des Slavistes, Vol. 22, No. 4 (December 1980), pp.552-553Published by: Canadian Association of SlavistsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40870551 .

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552 I Canadian Slavonic Papers

of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk could scarcely be excelled in Draconian severity." Debo shows how Lenin used its terms, as well as the even harsher economic terms of the supple- mentary treaties, to help secure his regime's survival, a result that few thought possible in early 1918.

Debo's main conclusions about Soviet foreign policy are: it was determined by Lenin from the start, even during the period when Trotsky was foreign commissar; its objectives were "to buy peace from Germany, outmanoeuver the Allies, and consolidate power in Russia;" and it was a realistic response to the failure of the revolution to spread as antici- pated, the military weakness of the Bolsheviks, and the exhaustion of the Russian peas- antry. His conclusions about Lenin as a policy-maker are all congratulatory. He was "observant, flexible and opportunistic," never missing a chance to advance his cause. He was a strategist and tactician of genius who, judged by Marxist criteria and goals, was strikingly successful. Finally, he was a master of Realpolitik with an extraordinary capacity, rooted in the practice of making and revising his judgements on the basis of hard data as they became available, for adjusting his policies to rapidly changing circum- stances.

Revolution and Survival is an insightful work based on solid scholarship, and deserves careful reading by specialists and generalists alike.

[Loren Calder, Wilfrid Laurier University]

Sowjetunion 1978-79: Ereignisse, Probleme, Perspektiven. Munich: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1979. 329 pp. DM 26.- (paper).

The source book under review is a German equivalent to the Yearbooks on International Communist A/fairs edited by Richard F. Staar and published by Hoover Institution Press. This is the fifth in a series published at regular intervals since 1973 by the Bundesinstitut für ostwissenschaftliche und internationale Studien in Cologne. In its organizational scheme and methodology the present volume basically follows its predecessors.

A major asset of this book is the judiciously balanced distribution of its material, which is well selected and arranged by subject matter. The coverage is remarkably com- prehensive and provides an updated panorama of the development of Soviet politics. The articles present general surveys, inventories and compendia systematizing basic informa- tion, and invite the reader toward more extensive research.

What is the nature of the Soviet system in the '70s? What has been the nature of change in the USSR in domestic politics since 1977? And what does this process of change portend for future developments? The contributors also pose the question, how likely is it that the aged Soviet leaders will develop their future strategies and succeed in implement- ing them more effectively? The articles even attempt to predict possible future develop- ments, although with an obviously limited measure of certainty.

The articles in the collection might properly be described as condensed monographs. This is true both in terms of issues covered and of investigative depth. For the most part, Soviet sources were used. Most of the twenty-seven contributions - written by acknowl- edged experts- are solid pieces of scholarship and succeed in being informative and concise at the same time.

A total of nine contributions cover domestic items, such as domestic political activi-

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Book Reviews | 553

ties 1977-79, the resolution of succession problems (H. Brahm), the function and effec- tiveness of ideology (H. Dahm), propaganda and political attitudes of the Soviet citizen (Th. Kussmann), the new 1977 Soviet constitution (two separate articles, by E. Schneider and G. Brunner), the UN Convention on human rights and Soviet law(O. Luchterhandt), communications media and control in the Soviet system (A. v. Borcke), the non-Russian nationalities as a force for change in Soviet society (G. Simon), and the socio-political relevance of the dissident movement (P. Hübner).

A series of six articles debate the economic issues: economic development and economic policies 1977-79 (H.-H. Höhmann, H. Machowski, G. Seidenstecher), pro- ductivity and economic growth in the Soviet economy (H. Clement), consumption and economic growth (H. Vogel), armaments and economic growth (E. Schinke), and external trade and commerce as factors of economic growth (H. Machowski).

Finally, nine contributions deal with the foreign policy of the Soviet Union: tenden- cies and perspectives (W. Berner), foreign trade and commerce and foreign policy (H. Bräker), the East European policy of the Soviet Union (Chr. Meier and F. Oldenburg), USSR-German relations (F. Oldenburg), Soviet policy toward the United States (W. Berner and Chr. Meier), "Eurocommunists" and Soviet policy toward Western Europe (H. Timmerman), Soviet interest in the Khyber and Bab el-Mandeb (G. Linde), the Con- ference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) at Belgrade (G. Wetting), and the Mediterranean policy of the Soviet Union (W. Berner).

An adequate review of each contribution to this valuable collection would require more space than is available. Suffice it to say that these essays represent a notable achieve- ment and testify to the skill and expertise of the researchers and editors. The collection is an authoritative reference source and more than a survey of recent developments. It will benefit all those concerned with Soviet studies and with comparative and international politics, as well as those involved in the formation, execution, or analysis of policies toward the Soviet Union.

[Theofil I. Kis, University of Ottawa]

Knigi otrazhenii. INNOKENTII ANNENSKII. Moscow: "Nauka," 1979. 679 pp. R6,75.

"Individualizaron to the point of the fantastic" is how Innokentii Annenskii described the style of his Knigi otrazhenii (1906 and 1909), essays on Russian and foreign literature which are masterpieces of artistic criticism. Through a subjective identification with the author's hidden intention, Annenskii "reflects" or recreates the work of art in his own vivid, poetic prose. The reader glimpses ideal truth in a doubly reflected form, and must in turn actively pursue it: "Understanding is modernization." In practice, Annenskii's criti- cism is more accessible than this theory would suggest, though it assumes absolute famili- arity with the works under discussion. Annenskii's critical "I" is of course not biographi- cal, but represents the consciousness of an entire generation. His writings on contempor- ary literature are a revelation of common anxieties; self-disgust surely explains his attacks on Chekhov, for example. Psychologically a child of the age, Annenskii manages to avoid many of its follies only by a desperately maintained posture of doubt, a kind of tragic idealism without a definite ideal.

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