Russia's Stillborn Democracy?: From Gorbachev to Yeltsin

Russia's Stillborn Democracy?: From Gorbachev to Yeltsin
ISBN-10
0199240418
ISBN-13
9780199240418
Category
History
Pages
280
Language
English
Published
2000-03-23
Publisher
Oxford University Press on Demand
Authors
Graeme Gill, Graeme J. Gill, Roger D. Markwick

Description

The decade and a half since Gorbachev came to power has been a tumultuous time for Russia. It has seen the expectations raised by perestroika dashed, the collapse of the Soviet superpower, and the emergence of a new Russian state claiming to base itself on democratic, market principles. It has seen a political system shattered by a president turning tanks against the parliament, and then that president configuring the new political structure to give himself overwhelming power. Theseupheavals took place against a backdrop of social dislocations as the Russian people were ravaged by the effects of economic shock therapy.This book explains how these momentous changes came about, and in particular why political elites were able to fashion the new political system largely independent of the wishes of the populace at large. It was this relationship between powerful elites and weak civil society forces which has led to Russian democracy under Yeltsin being still born.

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