An economic theory of the Soviet system

Abstract

The sudden collapse of the Soviet regime is one of the most enigmatic historical events explored in the social sciences. In this paper, we propose a macrodynamic theory of the Soviet economy that provides theoretical foundations for understanding its collapse. Our model features three actors: workers (the people) who can revolt, natchalnik (the supervisor of firms) who controls a defense-industry firm, and the apparatchik (a member of the communist party and administration) who both extracts production for personal uses and acts as a central planner. We analyze the conditions for the Soviet regime’s sustainability or collapse. Our theory identifies three channels leading to the collapse: internal contradictions within the elite, conflicts between the workforce and the administrative-command structure, and corruption among the elite.