Abstract

Starting from a description of different paths of statecraft in Western Europe, the paper portrays the problems lived by the Soviet Dictatorship on the eve of the Bre¸nev era. In particular, the paper highlights the increasing role of technicians and the gradual creation of a public sphere in Russia, with the subsequent weakening of the Communist Party and Marxism-Leninism, both leading to the advent of a pragmatic leadership devoted to keeping the power and affording challenges coming from Western powers and China