From Vertical to Horizontal Inequality: The Case of the Soviet Union

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Whatever superficial similarities there may be between the systems of inequality in Western and socialist societies, the causes of inequality are rooted in divergent social structures and are entirely distinct. The Soviet Union and some other socialist countries are characterized by the ascendance of professional politicians who attempt to transform the decision-making process into a public service, independent of class and other interests. A precondition for the survival of professionalized politics is the successful neutralization of the power of traditional classes and interest groups. Effective control of the competing sources of power is achieved by the systematic introduction of regulated inequality, transforming the society from a “class hierarchy” into a “ladder hierarchy.” A planned hierarchy, bureaucratically imposed on every community, group, and aggregate, facilitates control over the clients and transforms potential interest groups in Soviet society into horizontal structures. As a result, Soviet society cannot be said to stratify vertically in the way that “class hierarchies” do, but is more accurately described as stratifying horizontally.

This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit: