Provides information about history, geography, population, religions, arts, science, daily life, sports and recreation, as well as the political, social, economic and military structure.

INCLUDES INDEX.

Territory and peoples -- The physical environment -- Population -- History -- Origins -- Muscovite Russia -- Imperial Russia -- The path to revolution -- The Soviet era -- Religion -- The Christian religion -- Other religions -- Art and architecture -- Early arts and architecture -- Folk art -- Sacred art -- Architecture: medieval times to the present -- Art since the Eighteenth century -- Language and literature -- History of the language -- Early literature -- Eighteenth-century Russian literature -- Russian literature 1800-1917 -- Post-revolutionary Russian literature -- Music, theatre, dance and film -- Music and musicians -- Theatre -- Dance -- Film -- The sciences -- Survey -- The organization of Soviet science -- Research -- The Soviet political system -- Marxism-Leninism -- The Communist party of the Soviet Union -- The youth organizations -- Federalism and the nationalities question -- The ministerial system -- The constitution and the legal and penal system -- Diverging beliefs and values -- The economy -- The economy in a time perspective -- Production -- The service sector -- Planning and financial control -- Foreign economic relations -- Soviet society -- Social structure -- Social institutions and mores -- Social control -- Deviance -- Health and welfare -- Education, enlightenment and propaganda -- Sports and recreation -- Military power and policy -- The armed forces -- Strategic arms -- Annex: statistical estimates -- The world role -- Muscovy and Imperial Russia -- The detached territories between the world wars -- The rise of Soviet power.