Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao.

This review focuses on Joseph Torigian's book *Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao*, which examines leadership succession conflicts in the Soviet Union and China following the deaths of Stalin and Mao. The book argues that personal ties and prestige, rather than institutional rules or ideology, primarily shaped these elite power struggles within the Leninist party-states, with coercive institutions like the military actively involved. Drawing on extensive archival research and parallel historical narratives, the book analyzes key episodes such as Khrushchev's rise and Deng Xiaoping's consolidation of power. It raises important questions about the variability of power struggles in authoritarian regimes and their implications for contemporary Russia and China, making it a significant resource for scholars of authoritarian politics and communist history.