Secret Leviathan

This audiobook offers the first comprehensive history of Soviet secrecy in English, exploring its profound impact on the state's capacity from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to the Soviet Union's collapse. Author Roger Marcus Harrison presents a detailed analysis, combining quantitative and qualitative evidence from formerly secret archives to highlight the secrecy/capacity tradeoff that defined Soviet governance. The narrative reveals how the mechanisms of secrecy not only sustained the regime but also undermined the effectiveness of government officials and eroded public trust, addressing significant gaps in our understanding of authoritarian states.