Description
Book SynopsisOver the past few years, many of the former Communist-rule countries of Central and Eastern Europe have taken a steady path toward becoming more or less normal capitalist countries - with Poland and Hungary cases in point.
Russia, on the other hand, has experienced extreme difficulties in its attempted transition to capitalism and democracy. The pursuit of Western-endorsed policies of privatization, liberalization and fiscal austerity have brought Russia growing crime and corruption, a distorted economy and a trend toward authoritarian government.
In their 1996 book - Revolution from Above - David Kotz and Fred Weir shed light on the underlying reasons for the 1991 demise of the Soviet Union and the severe economic and political problems of the immediate post-Soviet period in Russia.
In this new book, the authors bring the story up-to-date, showing how continuing misguided policies have entrenched a group of super-rich o
Table of Contents
1. Introduction Part 1: The Soviet System 2. Socialism and the Soviet System 3. Growth, Stagnation, and the Origins of Perestroika Part 2: Perestroika and the Demise of the Soviet System 4. Glasnost and the Intelligentsia 5. Economic Reform 6. Democratization 7. The Party-state Elite and the Pro-capitalist Coalition 8. The Struggle for Power Part 3: The Socioeconomic and Political Evolution of Post-Soviet Russia 9. The Neoliberal Transition Strategy 10. The Emergence of a Quasi-capitalist System in Russia 11. A New Authoritarian Political System 12. Lessons from the Demise of the Soviet System
