‘AINSIDE THE Wa CGAL CMON ON xe a RS OLR LR aOR SOR OLR Ree KOMUES Can Lm e tee ARR aL he spectacle refiects the power. Bathed in white light, Moscow's Red Square at night is one of the most impressive symbols of strength in the world—as large and brooding as the land itself The flat, stark lines of the Kremlin’s forbidding and protective wall dominate Le- nin’s tomb and the glorious domes of St. Basil's Cathedral. The Soviet Union, an empire whose expanse dwarfs the one ruled by ancient Rome, now confronts a pivotal decade in its history. Before long, an en- tirely new generation of lead- ers must replace that of Pres- ident Leonid Brezhnev and his aging associates on the Po- litburo. There is, meanwhile, growing tension between East and West. with the world’s two superpowers increasingly seen to be in confrontation. The military strength of the Soviet Union is clearly the equal of the U'S.’s; the Krem- lin is seeking to project its in- fluence in Africa, Asia and the Middle East; with rising anger and suspicion, the So- viet Union and the US. as- sail each other on a dozen geo- graphic and economic fronts. Never before has it been so important for Americans to be knowledgeable about the Soviet Union, to understand what it has become. In this special issue, TIME examines the “other” superpower, ex- ploring the diversity of its so- ciety and the vigor of its peo ples, the deep sources of its strength and the roots of its persistent weaknesses