Description
Book SynopsisUsing polling data, news stories, government reports, and interviews, Nadia M. Diuk shows how the next generation of leaders in shaping three of the most important countries in the former Soviet Union.
Trade ReviewUsing new polling data, Nadia Diuk traces youth attitudes towards politics in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan, and shows how they have been shaped in ways very different from one another by their past experiences. The Next Generation will be critical to anyone seeking to understand political change in the former Soviet Union. -- Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History and the Last Man
A timely and important contribution regarding the complex relationship between democracy and the politically-awakened youth of the key newly independent states of the former Soviet space. -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, "Compelling, readable, and very moving!"
One of the most striking features of recent democratic revolutions in post-communist countries (and globally) has been the leading role of youth and youth movements in challenging authoritarian rule. But what happens after the revolution? In this innovative and timely study, Nadia Diuk draws on extensive interviews and public opinion surveys to paint a fascinating political portrait of the first post-Soviet generation in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. This is a vital work for understanding the nature and limits of political change in these societies. -- Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Diuk (vice president, National Endowment of Democracy) analyzes the political attitudes of youth (18-35 year olds) in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan, based on surveys conducted in 2003 and 2010. In Soviet times, youth activities were channeled into official organizations. In post-Soviet society, they are untethered, despite some efforts by the Russian state to create Komsomol-like organizations. Diuk argues that youth have better skills and work ethics than their parents have but still expect the state to provide a safety net. They do not necessarily hold democratic values--not even in Ukraine, where they played a prominent role in the 2004 Orange Revolution. They are alienated from politics, with low levels of trust in the media, parties, and NGOs. The highest level of support for democracy (as an ideal) is in Azerbaijan, which is the least democratic of the three. The 40-page appendix includes the main survey results: Diuk does not construct a statistical model. One of the few books on an important topic. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Youth—the Next Generation The First Free Generation Struggles for Power Portrait of a Generation News, Leisure, and Lifestyle Chapter 2: The History of Youth “Toward a Shining Future” Youth in a Time of Transition Glasnost, Perestroika, and the Komsomol Youth and the Oligarchs Youth on the Threshold Leaders and Lidery Education and National Identity Chapter 3: Ukraine; Land of Paradoxes Youth as an Agent of Change? Land of Paradoxes The Revolution on Granite Reconsolidation of the Elite State Sponsored Youth Gongadze: Prologue to the Orange Revolution Struggle for the Youth Vote Civil Society Grows Youth in the Orange Revolution and After Seeking an Identity Chapter 4: Azerbaijan: From Mugham to Facebook Identity and the Next Generation War in Karabagh Fathers and Sons The Pull of Patriarchalism Politics, Culture, and Civil Society The Orange Effect Identity and Internet Chapter 5: Russia: Redefining the Nation Russia Redux The Elusive Middle Class Leadership and Generational Change Youth on the Move: the 1990s Youth and Politics Orange Surprise Our Youth—Nashi Depoliticized Nation Chapter 6: Three Countries in Comparative Perspective National Identity and Language Relations with Other Countries and Foreign Travel Youth and the International Dimension Toward a Political Identity Equality vs. Freedom Values and Beliefs What Kind of Politics? Chapter 7: Looking to the Future Conflict, Collaboration or Co-optation? Next Generation Rising Appendix: 2003 and 2010 Youth Surveys Conducted in Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine
