Internal Contradictions versus External Pressures in the Transformation of the Former Soviet Economy

Argues that the collapse of socialism in the former Soviet Union as well as the collapse of that state resulted from a complex interaction of both internal and external factors. Internally the systemic transformation is significantly impeded by the hysteretic memory of the old system and its functioning. External pressures influence the pace and the scope of this transformation, conditioning Western assistance to the reform process by the demands for rapid convergence to the path of the resolute marketization. The evolution of the internal and external circumstances has brought about the current crisis in the former Soviet Union and raised the critical question of tactical and strategic goals.