Reddit reviews Brezhnev Reconsidered (Studies in Russian and East European History and Society)
We found 1 Reddit comments about Brezhnev Reconsidered (Studies in Russian and East European History and Society). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Most literature I'm familiar with on global poverty shows that it is decreasing in relative and (over the last 30 years) absolute terms. If you have issues with income based methods, I'd suggest looking at the global literacy and infant mortality rates. As countries replicate the inclusive insititions (and hence, economic successes) of countries like South Korea this is likely to continue.
Regarding the reliability of Soviet statistics the easiest example is the 1937 census. This was the first census since 1926, and therefore the first that would follow the mass famines and purges of the early 1930s. When they accurately showed the population much lower than suited Stalin the statisticians were shot/gulaged. The 1939 census-makers got it right, and just reported that the predictions had been met exactly.
But referring to the Brezhnev years (1964-1982), or what Gorbachev called the "Era of Stagnation", there's a text called Brezhnev Reconsidered which is fantastic. (I'm afraid I'm having trouble finding more than the first chapter online, but there's always the Era of Stagnation wiki page.) That covers the economic difficulties of the period you've outlined as 'high-growth'.
By pointing out that their technological advances were constrained within certain sectors, I'm saying that the Bolsheviks built a state that was centralized enough to throw people at certain areas like Ancient Egypt did the pyramids. The most enduring innovation of the Soviet Union is the AK-47, designed, ironically by someone who'd rather have designed lawnmowers. Innovation happened not because of self-motivation, but because of central planning.
The relative power of the state vs its constituents is rather beside the point. The ability to vote, to choose your employer, to not be sold, to hold property even if you were black, or a woman, or a prisoner, are all liberties that weren't allowed back around 1850. Countries have implemented strong safety nets and universal access to healthcare and education.