Russia Goes Dry: Alcohol, State and Society / Edition 1

by Stephen White

Overview

Russians today are the world's heaviest drinkers. The consumption of alcohol permeates family life, shapes the economy, and plays an occasional but striking role in the political leadership. Russia Goes Dry is an entertaining and instructive study of the Soviet leadership's attempt to eliminate alcohol abuse. It traces the profound influence of alcohol through Russian history and charts the campaign from its initiation under Mikhail Gorbachev to its disappointing aftermath in the postcommunist 1990s. Attractively written and fully illustrated, this book offers a fascinating insight into modern Russian society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521558495
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Hometown:

Colorado

Date of Birth:

August 20, 1951

Place of Birth:

Long Island, New York

Education:

B.A., UC Berkeley, 1972; M.A., University of Colorado, Boulder, 1975; Ph.D., 1979

Website:

http://www.authorstephenwhite.com

Table of Contents

1. Russia, alcohol and politics; 2. A drunken society; 3. The campaign is launched; 4. The campaign advances; 5. The campaign retreats; 6. The impact of the campaign; 7. Russia, alcohol and the policy process.

Editorial Reviews

"...an excellent case study for political scientists and sociologists." Choice

"White has provided readers with an elegantly written study that is supplemented by contemporary posters and art work and greatly informative on the failed policy implementation of the late Soviet period." George E. Snow, Slavic Review

"As White writes in the preface: I have sought to examine the campaign from its origins, considering the social issues it sought to address, the manner in which it was devised, the success it appeared initially to enjoy, and the disappointments and recriminations that accompanied its demise in the late 1980's. White has done all this and more, and I recommend Russia Goes Dry to historians, political scientists, and public policy experts as a cautionary tale on the perils of centrally directed social reform." Choi Chatterjee, Slavic and East European Journal

From the Publisher