About the book: 1991 / The book is one of those extremely rare books that, having appeared, immediately enter the treasury of political thought. It is needed today, due to its relevance and its exceptional advantages. Its author himself was a nomenclature official, and later, after escaping to the West, he described what was going on in the Central Committee and in other government bodies: who was entitled to what privileges, who rode what, how they were appointed and how they were removed from office. First of all, the book is clearly and logically structured. She takes the reader step by step through different parts of the Soviet system without losing sight of the system as a whole. So consistently, by itself, a complete picture emerges. The initial thesis of M. S. Voslensky is this: the revolution has already created within the party a monopolistic privileged layer of Soviet society. In the course of a further process, which consisted of a number of phases, this layer strengthened and legitimized its position. He not only cut himself off from society, from the people, and from the whole world; even within himself a hierarchy of ranks and social barriers was erected: this is the nomenklatura.