This article surveys existing concepts of Soviet dissent and opposition and clarifies their implications for the definition of the Soviet political system. It defines the Soviet political system to comprise elite, regime, and community sectors; specifies the political roles composing each sector; and considers intersectoral relationships as the structure of the Soviet political system. Three major structural changes, defined in terms of such interrelationships and specified in terms of the actual policies themselves, subsume the policies introduced during the Khrushchev period. These policies (and the structural changes they signify) are continually related to their effects on various modalities of Soviet dissent, thereby showing how particular structural changes gave rise to particular dissident issues within particular political sectors. Its key predictions for the post-Brezhnev era were borne out by events. There are 67 explanatory and bibliographical notes incorporating sources and studies in English and French, as well as two Tables.

Robert M. Cutler, “Soviet Dissent under Khrushchev: An Analytical Study,”Comparative Politics, 13, no. 1 (October 1980): 15–35.

Outline:

• [ Introductory Remarks ]

1. The Analytical Framework
   • Soviet Dissent and Opposition
   • Political Sectors
2. The Transformations in Soviet Political Structure under Khrushchev
   • Decrease in Coercion
   • Enforcement of Conformity
   • Differentiation of Roles
3. Conclusion
   • Political Analysis of Soviet Dissent
   • Soviet Dissent and Political Analysis
4. Prospect: Soviet Politics and the Future of Soviet Dissent

[ page 15 ]

It is well known that many political reforms were introduced in the U.S.S.R. between 1953 and 1964. It is sometimes forgotten that Soviet dissent antedates the Brezhnev–Kosygin era and in fact burst forth after Stalin’s death. To explain in a systematic fashion the dynamic of reform and dissent under Khrushchev is the goal of this article.