INTERNAL CONTRADICTIONS VERSUS EXTERNAL PRESSURES IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE FORMER SOVIET-ECONOMY

Argues that the collapse of socialism in the former Soviet Union as we ll as the collapse of that state resulted from a complex interaction o f both internal and external factors. Internally the systemic transfor mation is significantly impeded by the hysteretic memory of the old sy stem and its functioning. External pressures influence the pace and th e scope of this transformation, conditioning Western assistance to the reform process by the demands for rapid convergence to the path of th e resolute marketization. The evolution of the internal and external c ircumstances has brought about the current crisis in the former Soviet Union and raised the critical question of tactical and strategic goal s.