The Communist Economic Challenge. by David Ingram; The Soviet Economy Since Stalin. byHarry SchwartzReview by: Holland HunterSlavic Review, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Dec., 1966), pp. 708-709Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2492844 .

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708 SLAVIC REVIEW

deals with COMECON, the Eastern European counterpart of the European Com- mon Market, from its inception in 1949 to i963. This volume is a part of the bibliographical series published by the Library of the Institut fur Weltwirtschaft at the University of Kiel, West Germany.

In the field of social sciences very few libraries can match the excellence of Kiel's holdings and the coverage of its cataloguing system. Under the so-called "Kiel system" the material is classified according to author, subject, and region. Govern- ment documents are arranged separately. These catalogues contain not only books but also articles and even book reviews of every important social science periodical published anywhere in the world. Dr. Teich's bibliography reflects the wealth of material and information on COMECON in this library. It contains a listing of 2,032 books, articles, reports, communiques, and even some doctoral dissertations from Eastern Germany. A total of 299 periodicals were used to cover all aspects of COMECON. Listed, according to the year of publication, are such items as bibli- ographies of COMECON, theories of economic cooperation of the socialist countries, profitability of the socialist division of labor, problems of equalization of the differences in economic development, legal aspects of COMECON, statistics, scien- tific and technical cooperation, prices, balance-of-payments problems, exchange rates, industry studies, and transportation matters. The bibliography also contains a listing of periodicals used and an author index. The precision with which the listings have been arranged bears testimony to the strength of this work. However, some overlap is inevitable and does occasionally occur.

Dr. Teich's product is truly impressive. It does not have the scope of some of the bibliographies produced by teams of specialists, but at the present time, failing the long promised, official COMECON bibliography, it is the most complete, re- liable, and up-to-date guide in the field.

Lehigh University NICHOLAS BALABKINS

DAVID INGRAM, The Communist Economic Challenge. New York and Wash- ington: Praeger, i965. Pages i68.

HARRY SCHWARTZ, The Soviet Economy Since Stalin. Philadelphia and New York: Lippincott, 1965. Pages 256. $5.oo.

Exaggeration cries out for correction. Communist claims in the late 195os, especially as voiced by N. S. Khrushchev, have led the British author of The Communist Economic Challenge to undertake a broad compact survey of the evidence through 1963. He finds, not surprisingly, that Communist economic growth has been less rapid than officially claimed and that since the late 1950s it has slowed down. His survey covers the Soviet economy in some detail and includes brief chapters on Eastern Europe and China. Their comparative standing in the world is examined, along with their efforts at trade and aid. The author also gives some attention to Soviet defense and space expenditures. His evidence is drawn from official Soviet data, in part, but mainly from the careful work of reputable British and American scholars.

As a calm and well-written study, touching selectively on the main weaknesses and strengths of Communist economies, this book should prove useful for a wide audience of nonspecialists. Communist economic trends since 1963 have certainly not made the book obsolete; they have in fact acted to strengthen the author's judgments.

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REVIEWS 709

The work by Harry Schwartz demonstrates that, for lively current economic and political history, it is hard to beat a well-trained economist turned reporter. The Soviet Economy Since Stalin is a detailed, dramatic review of all the major economic campaigns conducted by the ebullient Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, together with a shrewd analysis of the factors that eventually led to his downfall. After a very brief review of the period 1924-52, it presents a vivid account of the economic de- velopments from 1953 tO 1964. CIA press releases provide a foil for analyses of the forces at work. Vivid quotes from Soviet speeches convey the flavor of the times. Well-selected tables and organization charts supply institutional details. The seven chapters focus on the domestic economy but also cover foreign economic relations and an analysis of future prospects.

Many teachers will find the book useful for class assignments, and many scholars in other aspects of Slavic affairs will find it a highly readable guide to recent Soviet economic history. While it could not describe the institutional changes of the last two years, it makes them understandable and provides some basis for evaluating their chances of success. The book admirably fulfills its purposes.

Haverford College HOLLAND HUNTER

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

CHAIR OF RUSSIAN

Applications are invited for a Chair of Russian. This will carry with it the headship of the Department of Russian Language and Literature in the Faculty of Arts. Russian history and comparative Slavonic philology are also studied in this Department. There is close collaboration between the Department and the independent Centre for Russian and East European Studies.

Salary in the range ?3570?4990, with F.S.S.U. benefits.

Further particulars may be obtained from the Registrar, Uni- versity of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, Birmingham 15, United Kingdom, to whom applications (12 copies from U.K. applicants, 2 from overseas applicants) should be sent by January 14, 1967.

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