Perestroika and glasnost are not only influencing the economic and social structure of Soviet society, but also have led to a revision of the authorized history of the USSR as Soviet historians struggle to create a national history based on fact instead of dogma. The Soviet history profession itself is also undergoing a major self-examination, as reformist elements battle Stalinist elements. Premier Gorbachev has called for new, more honest studies of the Soviet national past, especially of the several "blank spots" that exist in Stalinist history. Textbooks are the principal means for perpetuating an approved history. In the USSR, school history textbooks are written to conform to the history syllabus designed by the State Committee for Public Education. Gorbachev and his fellow reformers need a new national history, but not one that criticizes the role of the Party or undermines their own authority. It remains to be seen if the critical ferment within the history profession can be controlled by the State, and what new version of Soviet history will be produced. (PPB)