Description
Book SynopsisPresents a fresh view of Russian political change in the Gorbachev and early post-Soviet periods not by examining perestroika and glasnost in and of themselves, but by investigating the autonomous political organizations that responded to liberalization. This book proposes a novel and theoretical way to study Russian politics.
Trade Review"An intelligent, subtle, first-hand account of the years after Gorbachev opened the door with perestroika."--Foreign Affairs "An original and provocative study...Drawing on his scrupulous analysis of group-formation in a number of Russian cities,...Fish reevaluates received views about the Soviet system."--Robert Shannan Peckham, New Statesman & Society "A detailed, on-the-spot investigation of the new political parties and movements that sprang up between Gorbachev's initiation of semi-free elections in 1989 and the August 1991 coup... It conveys a fascinating picture, however, of the fumbling and bumbling by would-be democratic leaders when the window of opportunity opened."--Robert V. Daniels, The New Leader "The book is an important contribution to our understanding of the disorganized hyperactivity of political organizations in Russia."--Choice "A smart book that speaks to the concerns not only of area specialists but to students of democratic transition around the world."--Philip G. Roeder, Political Science Quarterly
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIWestern Scholarship and the New Russian Revolution3IIThe Transformation of Politics: A Historical Overview30IIIInvestigating the Phenomenon: A Framework for Analysis52IVBuilding Independent Political Society80VThe Struggle in the Provinces: A Tale of Four Cities137VIDemocracy from Scratch200Epilogue231Notes237Bibliography273Index289
