Leites Nathan. A Study of Bolshevism

Free Press, 1953. — 639 p.Prologue: The Politburo and the WestPolitics is a war
Push to the limit
It pays to be rude
The controlled neighbor policy
There are no neutrals
Revolution by army
Do not yield to provocation
Avoid adventures
Know when to stop
Ward off penetration
Resist from the start
Retreat before superior force
War by negotiationVisionsThe Range and Limits of PredictionThe denial of accidents
The denial of freedom of conduct
Unpredictable aspects of the future
Transforming opportunities into realitiesOrientation on the Past and Towards the FutureGuidance from Party history
The aversion to the pastEnds and MeansThe implicitness of Bolshevik ethics
Maximizing the power of the Party
The present as a means only
The irrelevance of personal morality
The irrelevance of appearing “revolutionary”
The irrelevance of truth
The danger of worshipping means
Utilizing everything
Personal salvation by dedication to the PartyActionPrecision and RealismThe correctness of the Party line
The danger of carelessness
The danger of vagueness
The danger of breaking with reality
The Party’s monopoly of foresightThe Control of FeelingsVarieties of control over feelings
The danger of the intrusion of feelings into the line
The danger of sensitivity
The danger of excitement
The danger of emotional incontinenceThrough to ActionThe danger of stopping short of action
The danger of merely yearning
The danger of merely talking
The danger of procrastinationPersistence and FlexibilityThe danger of instability
The danger of betrayal
The danger of swings in mood and activity
The danger of doctrinairismTo the Limits of Strength and SkillThe danger of inactivity
The danger of inefficiency
The danger of incorrectnessConcentrationThe main link
The next stepTechniquesThe MonolithThe perfection of the Party
Tiie danger of insufficient organization
The danger of breaking discipline
The primacy of leadershipSeparation and ContactThe danger of blurred boundaries
The danger of being penetrated
The danger of isolationIndependenceThe danger of dependence
The utilization of the unreliable
The toleration of being hated
The danger of being controlled
The danger of being provokedDeceptionThe danger of being deceived
The defense against being deceived
How far can the enemy be deceived?ViolenceThe requirement of violence
The high cost of Communism
How effective is violence?PropagandaThe danger of being unintelligible
The danger of being abstract
The danger of spreading the enemy’s beliefs
The dangers of lagging behind and running aheadSituationsEnemiesThe Party and the bourgeoisie contrasted with the petty bourgeoisie
The world against the Party
Utilizing and sharpening conflicts between enemiesThe Fear of AnnihilationA war of annihilation
The incessant danger of attack
The uncertainty of survival before victoryResistance and AssaultThe danger of yielding
Who — whom?
The principle of pursuit
Principiis obsta
Enemies cannot be persuaded
The profits of pressureRetreatThe expectation of setbacks
Facing setbacks
The danger of distress about setbacks
Retreat to avoid annihilation
Retreat to avoid futile loss
Tiie legitimacy of retreat
From retreat to advance
The danger of a vicious circle of retreatsAdvanceThrough struggle only
Pushing to the limits
Intermissions in advancing
The danger of excessive advance
The danger of insufficient advanceAgreementsThe legitimacy of agreements
Conditions of agreement
Quid pro quo
From agreement to overt conflictEpilogueFrom Lenin to MalenkovNotes

Index of Names
Index of Quotations