Secret Leviathan: Secrecy and State Capacity Under Soviet Communism

by Mark Harrison

Book Overview

The Soviet Union was one of the most secretive states that ever existed. Defended by a complex apparatus of rules and checks administered by the secret police, the Soviet state had seemingly unprecedented capabilities based on its near monopoly of productive capital, monolithic authority, and secretive decision making. But behind the scenes, Soviet secrecy was double-edged: it raised transaction costs, incentivized indecision, compromised the effectiveness...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1503628892
• ISBN13: 9781503628892
• Release Date: June 2023
• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 9.1" x 6.3"