Original scientific paper
The Rise and the Fall of the New Class
Ivan Kuvačić
; Odsjek za sociologiju, Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Abstract
A major reason for the collapse of the Soviet system was obviously its rapidly increasing economic stagnation in the mids of capitalist world. A major source of this stagnation, furthermore, was to be found in the political sphere as the consequence of the endemic deficiencies of the communists’ one-party monopoly of power. The authority and privileges of the old Bolsevik class rested in its monopoly of power and administrative positions. Today, that class has lost not only its power and legitimacy but also the formal respectability it once enjoyed. This does not mean, however, that it has lost all of its positions, social functions and even privileges. For the remaining members of the class, then, the questions are: What kind of new political and economic opportunities are available within emerging post-communist societies? Who will and will not adapt to a new set of rules, rhetoric, and operating rationales? How will their adaptations affect the system in which they operate?
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
154916
URI
Publication date:
30.6.1993.
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