Principal architect of the Brezhnev-era 'developed socialism' doctrine
In January 1986, he sent Gorbachev a letter warning that the perestroika he had launched 'faces inevitable failure.' Days later he was dismissed as editor of Kommunist.
A Soviet social philosopher and theorist who served as editor-in-chief of Kommunist, the CPSU's chief theoretical journal, from 1976 to 1986. He was the principal systematizer of 'developed socialism,' the official ideology of the Brezhnev era, arguing that the USSR had reached a mature stage of socialism requiring prolonged consolidation rather than a rapid leap to communism. His orthodox Marxism set him against reformist thinkers such as Anatoliy Butenko and Alexander Tsipko, and he became an early target when Gorbachev launched perestroika. In January 1986 he sent Gorbachev a letter predicting the reforms would fail, and was immediately dismissed from Kommunist; he spent his later decades at Moscow State University and led the revival of Stalin's collected works.
Career Timeline
- 1955Graduated from Moscow State University, Faculty of Philosophy
- 1955–1958Bryansk Oblast Komsomol committee
- 1958–1959Instructor, Armavir Pedagogical Institute
- 1961–1964Lecturer, MSU Faculty of Philosophy
- 1966–1974Consultant to deputy head, CC CPSU Propaganda and Agitation Dept.
- 1974–1976First deputy editor-in-chief, Pravda
- 1976–1986Editor-in-chief, Kommunist
- 1976–1986Full member, CPSU Central Committee
- 1979–1987Deputy, Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Tajik SSR)
- 1986–2015Professor and senior researcher, MSU Faculty of Philosophy