Technology and society: ideological implications of information and computer technologies in the Soviet Union

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6268330

Weigle, M A

This study examines the impact of technology on the USSR's social system from the perspective of Soviet ideological development. The analysis of information and computer technologies within this framework de-emphasizes both modernization theories and those that assume unchallenged Communist Party control over technological development. Previous studies have examined the level of Soviet technological achievements and the gap between this level and those in the West, many referring to ideological boundaries of Soviet technological development without, however, systematically analyzing the resulting implications for the Soviet ideology of Marxism-Leninism. This study develops a framework for analyzing the impact of new technologies in the USSR in the fields of technology, ideology, and the scientific and technological revolution. On the basis of this framework, examination turns to the relevant Soviet theoretical and technical literature and debates among Soviety elites, concluding that the introduction of information and computer technologies and the organization of computer networks has exacerbated tensions in Soviety Marxism-Leninism.

• Research Organization: Notre Dame Univ., IN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6268330
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
290500* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Research
Development
Demonstration
& Commercialization
ASIA
COMPUTERS
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
SOCIAL IMPACT
TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS
USSR