| Description |
The political behavior of the Soviet Union and its leaders has, in recent years, defied many long-held assumptions about that system and its capacity for change. It is now critical that Sovietologists examine not only the character of the information they receive, but also the methods used to evaluate that information. These methods consist of theories which filter information and, over time, tend to paint a certain picture of the Soviet Union. I would argue that some existing theories provide inadequate explanations for recent events. Many theories begin from assumptions about the nature of the Soviet system. Such theories may not allow for modification to account for information which is incompatible with the theory's general premises, but tend instead to make the information fit the model. In this way specialists are able to maintain the appearance of continuity in a theory, but at the expense of a full and coherent interpretation of all pertinent information. |
