Ideology and Political Theory : A Study with Special Reference to the Disintegration of the Soviet Union

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Abstract. 1. Evolution of the concept. 2. Impact of ideology on the theorising politics. 3. The Soviet ideology: origin evolution and formulations. 4. Ideological socialist bloc: emergence role and configuration. 5. Break-up of the Soviet Union: rationale and consequences. 6. Conclusion: an end or new beginning. Bibliography. Appendix. Index.

"This book primarily seeks to analyse the role that ideology in general has played in the development of human consciousness to move incessantly towards making human society free from all inner contradictions thus imparting not only permanence to its perpetuation but also ensuring maximum human happiness to the people. Each ideology claimed to be perfect in offering solution of the problems that the generations faced keeping in mind the limitations in which each was formulated. There hardly had been any philosopher who could wield so much influence as Karl Marx did among the largest masses of the people all over the world. There was a time when it appeared that Marxism had come to stay but the history which has been a cruel master reacted in a different way uprooting the ideology from the country which was regarded as the Rome of Communism.

It is not an attempt to trace the history of disintegration of the Soviet Union which was no doubt the culmination of the process which has started much earlier. It is essentially a survey of events that led to the dissolution of communism which ultimately broke the backbone of communist system. The breakdown of the system has been the result of the failure of the communist ideology to bring about, as it predicted, a new way of thinking among the mass mind of the Soviet people who were made to accept this ideology as a creed. There are numerous theories being set forth to promote different answers to this query. One of them suggests that communism has been a long and painful transition from capitalism to capitalism." (jacket)