In this text, Dr. Hammer presents an analytical model of the Soviet political system and its process of political decisionmaking, based on the theory of "bureaucratic pluralism." He interprets the Soviet regime as a product of three different influences: the Tsarist tradition of nondemocratic rule, the revolutionary movement that overthrew Tsarism, and the Stalinism of 1924-1953. Since the death of Stalin, the Soviet regime has slowly evolved from a personal dictatorship into an oligarchical system. According to the author, this transformation has permitted the great Soviet bureaucracies,...