Politics in Russia

by Remington, Thomas F.

• ISBN13: 9780205586028
• ISBN10: 0205586023
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Highly regarded for its comprehensive coverage, up-to-date scholarship, and comparative framework,Politics in Russiais an authoritative overview of Russiars"s contemporary political system and its recent evolution. Leading area specialist Thomas Remington focuses on four areas of change-state structure, regime change, economic transformation, and identity-to offer a context for analyzing the transition from the Soviet to the post-Soviet era. Consistently emphasizing the intersection of politics and economics and the tension between authoritarian and democratic trends, this text helps students explore the complexities and ambiguities of Russian politics today.

Author Biography

Thomas F. Remington is Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Emory University.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
State and Regime in Russia	p. 1
Current Policy Challenges	p. 3
Four Domains of Change	p. 12
State Structure: From Soviet Union to Russian Federation	p. 12
Regime Change	p. 14
Economic Transformation	p. 18
The Question of Identity: Imperial Russia-USSR-Russian Federation	p. 20
Choices and Changes in Russian Politics	p. 22
Plan of the Book	p. 23
The Soviet System and Its Demise	p. 28
Historical Legacies	p. 29
The Tsarist Regime	p. 29
The Soviet Regime before Gorbachev	p. 31
Gorbachev Comes to Power	p. 43
Political Institutions of the Transition Period: Demise of the USSR	p. 46
Russia's Constitutional Order	p. 53
The Russian Republic in the Transition Period	p. 53
1990-1993: Deepening Constitutional Conflict	p. 54
The 1993 Constitution and the Presidency	p. 57
The Government	p. 62
The Parliament	p. 64
Executive-Legislative Relations	p. 68
The Federal Dimension	p. 71
Political Participation and Recruitment	p. 84
Political Participation and Social Capital	p. 84
The Importance of Social Capital	p. 85
The Problem of "Dual Russia"	p. 87
Participation and Recruitment under the Soviet Regime	p. 91
Channels of Mass Participation	p. 91
Participation and Recruitment in the Old Regime: Interlocking Directorates	p. 95
Participation and Recruitment in the Old Regime: Conclusions	p. 97
Surge and Ebb in Political Participation	p. 98
The Mobilization of Discontent	p. 98
Electoral Participation	p. 100
Elite Adaptation and Replacement	p. 107
Political Recruitment, Old and New	p. 107
Ideology and Political Culture	p. 119
The Concept of Political Culture	p. 123
Russian Political Culture in the Post-Soviet Period	p. 126
Soviet Political Socialization	p. 129
Support for Democratic Values	p. 133
Influences on Russian Political Culture in the Soviet Period	p. 136
Generational Change	p. 137
Political Socialization in Contemporary Russia	p. 138
Cultural Diversity within Russia	p. 140
Interest Groups and Political Parties	p. 146
Interest Articulation: Statism vs. Pluralism	p. 146
Socialism and Bureaucratic Politics	p. 148
Democrats, "Reds," and "Browns"	p. 149
Toward Pluralism	p. 150
New Sectors of Interest	p. 163
Interest Aggregation and the Party System: Return to a One-Party Regime?	p. 167
Party Families	p. 170
Parties and Elections	p. 175
Party Strategies and the Social Bases of Party Support	p. 181
The Future of the Party System	p. 183
State and Market in Russia's Economic Transition	p. 189
The Dual Transition	p. 189
Stabilization	p. 192
Evaluating Stabilization	p. 195
Privatization	p. 197
Social Conditions	p. 208
Putin's Dual Agenda	p. 211
Politics and Law	p. 216
Democratization and the Rule of Law	p. 216
Judicial Reform	p. 219
Law Enforcement	p. 220
The Judiciary	p. 225
The Constitutional Court	p. 229
Reforms in the Law Codes	p. 234
Obstacles to the Rule of Law	p. 235
Bureaucratic Rule Making	p. 235
Terrorism and National Security	p. 237
Organized Crime and Corruption	p. 238
Conclusion	p. 241
Russia as Regional Superpower	p. 248
A Liberal Empire?	p. 249
The CIS and Its Descendants	p. 252
The Russia-Belarus Union	p. 254
The Eurasian Economic Community	p. 255
The Collective Security Treaty Organization	p. 255
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization	p. 256
Obstacles to Regional Hegemony	p. 256
Russia and the International Community	p. 263
Index	p. 267
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