社會主義 體制의 變化와 權威의 위기 -고르바초프 執權下의 蘇聯， 1985~1991

Abstract

In the course of perestroika, the Soviet Union has experienced the breakdown of the existing socialist regime. The once all-powerful Communist Party has been stripped of its " leading role" in Soviet society. Further still, Gorbachev as the Soviet leader could only watch his powers evaporate while state institutions ceased to function. The abortive coup of August 1991 showed that the Soviet Union has been gripped by a crisis of political authority. Focussing on the pre-coup efforts of the center to deal with various socioeconomic and political strains upon the regime, this essay examines the collapse of the socialist regime in terms of authority crisis and the ensuing legitimacy vacuum. It argues that the crisis is due more to the diffuse factors that have been placing strains on the regime over a long period than to the ability of the political leadership to deal with these contingencies.