New Books Network Mark Harrison, "Secret Leviathan: Secrecy and State Capacity under Soviet Communism" (Stanford UP, 2023)
Jan 31, 2026
Mark Harrison, retired economic historian and author, unpacks Soviet secrecy and its effects. He traces the system’s pillars and Stalin’s role. He explains how secrecy sapped government capacity, warped everyday life and international bargaining, and why it persisted. He also compares Soviet reflexive secrecy with modern authoritarian information strategies.
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Four Pillars Of Soviet Secrecy
- The Soviet secrecy system rested on state ownership, censorship, conspirative party norms, and KGB-run secret departments in every organization.
- These four pillars made information control nearly absolute and prevented the kinds of public leaks common in open societies.
Stalin's Role In Institutionalizing Secrecy
- Stalin personally shaped the conspirative norms and institutionalized secretive practices from 1919 onward.
- He centralized membership control and codified rules that bound party members to a strict 'need to know' culture.
Reflexive Nature Of Soviet Secrecy
- Both the US and USSR had classified information, but Soviet secrecy was reflexive and itself secret.
- Soviet rules multiplied secrecy because even references to secret documents and receipts became secret themselves.
