First published 2000
Stephen White examines the Soviet ruling class across seven decades of Communist power. His study tracks nearly two thousand individuals who held positions on the Party's Central Committee between 1917 and 1991. White draws from archival materials that became accessible only after communism fell, combined with direct interviews of former Central Committee members. The author creates a collective portrait of the people who shaped Soviet policy from the Bolshevik revolution through Gorbachev's final years. This comprehensive analysis reveals how the Communist elite evolved, who gained power, and how leadership structures changed over time. The book offers readers an inside view of the Soviet power structure based on previously unavailable evidence and firsthand accounts from those who wielded influence at the highest levels of government.
Genres: history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, russia, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-analysis, insider-perspective
Setting: Soviet Union, Russia
Period: 1917-1991
348 pages · Hardcover · Oxford University Press