This work explores how Soviet analysts interpret American domestic politics and social movements by examining their answers to such questions as: "Who rules America?" "How do these rulers stay in power?" and "How do the major classes interact in the American social and political arenas?" Mills demonstrates that, despite growing Soviet understanding of the American political system and their increasing interpretive emphasis on elites rather than classes, Soviet analysis continues to be constrained by an intricate "mindset" that resists modification. An intimate look at Soviet political thinking, this study also considers recent changes, and the prospects for the evolution of a more refined framework under
perestroika
.