Public policy as an interpretive model of the history of the USSR

The paper introduces a new interpretative approach to the Soviet period of the Russian history through the application of the idea of public policy. A comparison of theoretical and practical constructions of the Soviet system through the analysis of different concepts of public policy is made. The idea of the authorities and general population's opposition in Soviet Russia is replaced by the idea of mutual cooperation. Some elements of public policy in the Soviet system can be viewed as a version of mobilization strategies. Totalitarian and revisionist models based on studies of Stalinism fail to work efficiently when they are used to analyze the following stages of Soviet history. The idea of public policy (sphere) can offer a new approach towards the Soviet past. The concept rests upon the idea of significant role of experts' community as an independent actor; the importance of mass media as a mediator establishing communication between the power and the society; and the participation of the society in the political process. From the first years of its existence the Soviet regime announced its democratic nature and the important role of people's involvement in governing the country. Public sphere was not a simulation all the time, even though it was indeed so in many cases. The Soviet regime did not use force and constraint only. So even though coercion played a significant role, the authorities also tried to establish the relationship with the society that would be mutually beneficial for both the regime and people.