In this book, however, he sets out to evaluate some main trends of Soviet Marxism – which he by no means identifies with socialism – in terms of an ‘immanent critique’. Starting from the theoretical premises of Soviet Marxism, he develops their ideological and sociological consequences, and then re-examines the premises in the light of these consequences. The critique thus employs the conceptual instruments of its object – namely Marxism in Soviet society and its historical direction.