The Question of Questions: Was the Soviet Union Worth Saving?
Author(s)
Dawisha, Karen
Abstract
Karen Dawisha suggests that Cohen’s argument is based on a minimalist definition of the requirements for the survival of the “Soviet Union” and that it ignores what she asserts is its most fundamental feature, the essential internalized and structural violence that was at the heart of the Soviet system. She therefore disagrees with Cohen, arguing that at the end of the day, Gorbachev’s brilliance and capabilities were restricted by the fact that he was the leader of a country almost totally lacking in political, economic, or social capital.
