Marxist-Leninist ideology and Soviet policy

Abstract

their way to stress the importance of the official Marxist-Leninist ideology. In doing so, they have not only emphasized that it is a program of action according to which Soviet policy should be guided, but they have also indicated their belief in it as a scientifically correct view of historical reality, particularly of social processes. This renewed emphasis on ideology by the Soviets makes it worth our study, for if they in fact take it as seriously as they claim, then it necessarily becomes an important factor in any of our analyses of Soviet policy. Yet in spite of their stress on Marxist-Leninist ideology, these same Soviet leaders have often adopted policies which seem to be at variance with the ideology. These leaders have sometimes even revised certain parts of the ideology, once thought to be an unrevisable dogma, in order to make it fit in with particular policies which they wished to adopt. Not surprisingly, this interplay between ideology and Soviet policy has received a great deal of attention in the West. Many analyses have been published, and a wide variety of interpretations has been given to that portion of the factual data to which we have access in the West. In these analyses, the central questions have been: "Are the frequent references to ideology by the Soviet leaders merely a fraudulent sham, or are they genuine?" "Is Soviet policy dictated largely by ideological considerations or is Realpolitik a much more important factor?" This article will not seek to answer these questions directly, but rather to set forth a schema which may prove useful in analysing the r?le of ideology with respect to policy.x