Russia's Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin

by Michael A. McFaul

Overview

For centuries, dictators ruled Russia. Tsars and Communist Party chiefs were in charge for so long some analysts claimed Russians had a cultural predisposition for authoritarian leaders. Yet, as a result of reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, new political institutions have emerged that now require election of political leaders and rule by constitutional procedures. Michael McFaul traces Russia's tumultuous political history from Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 through the 1999 resignation of Boris Yeltsin in favor of Vladimir Putin.

McFaul divides his account of the post-Soviet country into three periods: the Gorbachev era (1985-1991), the First Russian Republic (1991-1993), and the Second Russian Republic (1993-present). The first two were, he believes, failures—failed institutional emergence or failed transitions to democracy. By contrast, new democratic institutions did emerge in the third era, though not the institutions of a liberal democracy. McFaul contends that any explanation for Russia's successes in shifting to democracy must also account for its failures. The Russian/Soviet case, he says, reveals the importance of forging social pacts; the efforts of Russian elites to form alliances failed, leading to two violent confrontations and a protracted transition from communism to democracy.

McFaul spent a great deal of time in Moscow in the 1990s and witnessed firsthand many of the events he describes. This experience, combined with frequent visits since and unparalleled access to senior Russian policymakers and politicians, has resulted in an astonishingly well-informed account. Russia's Unfinished Revolution is a comprehensive history of Russia during this crucial period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801456961
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Michael McFaul is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and and Associate Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. He is coauthor of Between Dictoratorship and Democracy, Power and Purpose, and Popular Choice and Managed Democracy. He has published articles in many journals and newspapers and is a frequent commentator on Russia for American and British television networks.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments1. The Revolutionary Transition from Communism to Democracy: A ModelPART 1. THE GORBACHEV ERA, 1985–1991
2. Gorbachev's Design for Reforming Soviet Political Institutions
3. The End of the Soviet UnionPART 2. THE FIRST RUSSIAN REPUBLIC, 1991–1993
4. Institutional Design in the First Russian Republic
5. The Failure of the First Russian RepublicPART 3. THE EMERGENCE OF THE SECOND RUSSIAN REPUBLIC, 1993–1996
6. Designing the Political Institutions of the Second Republic
7. Transitional Constitutionalism
8. Transitional ElectoralismPART IV. THE FUTURE OF RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY
9. The Quality of Russian Democracy
10. The Stability of Partial DemocracyIndex

What People are Saying About This

Larry Diamond

Both a path-breaking study of Russian politics and a major work on institutional change, Russia's Unfinished Revolution provides the best analytic and theoretical account I have seen of how and why a broad range of actors may come to accept an ambiguous and flawed regime. The access that Michael McFaul has won and the understanding that he has mobilized are nothing short of breathtaking. This is a deeply informative, fascinating, and at times gripping history.

Archie Brown

Even those whose opinions differ from Michael McFaul's interpretations of transformative change in Russian politics since the second half of the 1980s will find this book both stimulating and exceptionally well-informed. McFaul combines theoretical grounding with readability—a far from common achievement.

Editorial Reviews

McFaul was a U.S. student in Moscow during the eventful years that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the birth of its Russian successor, a process that he describes, rather surprisingly, as "a social revolution on the scale of other great revolutions of the modern era." His book retraces the political history of those daysand the subsequent decade of what he terms the First and Second Russian Republics, divided by Boris Yeltsin's October 1993 assault on the Russian White House. He has done an immense amount of research, and his narrative is dense and solidly anchored in a detailed bibliography. He perhaps underestimates the Russian proclivity for authoritarian state leadership, but he is unambiguously clear about President Putin's antidemocratic tastes. His book complements Steven Fish's Democracy from Scratch (Princeton Univ., 1994) and carries the often discouraging tale of Russia's quest for democracy forward to the new century. For academic libraries and political science specialists. Robert Johnston, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ont. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In the worldwide cabal of Russia-watchers, Mike McFaul is held in high esteem as an insightful commentator and sharp analyst of current political puzzles in Moscow. This book is his claim for a deeper understanding of Russia'a transition.... This very rich and dense book deserves many hours of attentive reading.

Journal of Peace Research

McFaul, in an elaborately researched volume, asks why the effort to create new and stable political institutions initially failed—first under Gorbachev and then during Boris Yeltsin's first term—only to succeed under the 'Second Russian Republic'... McFaul's book is especially noteworthy for its rich detail, greatly enhanced by interviews with almost all the key players.

Foreign Affairs

McFaul gives an erudite and well-documented history of the last fifteen years, from Gorbachev to Putin.... He brings striking firsthand experience to bear: The access he managed to obtain, and the time he spent with the revolution's various political players, brings fresh material and keen insight to the story.

Washington Monthly

Michael McFaul's book on Russia's transition from communism is likely to prove one of the most lasting and authoritative studies in its field. Particularly valuable is the framework it offers for comprehending the changes that have occurred.... Quite apart from the value of the theoretical argument, however, the book is likely to become the authoritative study of the period for its sweep, balance, and clarity.

Journal of Democracy

The author is one of the most distinguished and engaged commentators on Russian politics.... He has produced a highly sophisticated, balanced and informative analysis of the emergence of Russian democracy that leaves open the question of whether it will become a consolidated democracy.

International Affairs

In the worldwide cabal of Russia-watchers, Mike McFaul is held in high esteem as an insightful commentator and sharp analyst of current political puzzles in Moscow. This book is his claim for a deeper understanding of Russia'a transition.... This very rich and dense book deserves many hours of attentive reading.

-- "Journal of Peace Research"

McFaul gives an erudite and well-documented history of the last fifteen years, from Gorbachev to Putin.... He brings striking firsthand experience to bear: The access he managed to obtain, and the time he spent with the revolution's various political players, brings fresh material and keen insight to the story.

-- "Washington Monthly"

McFaul has done an immense amount of research, and his narrative is dense and solidly anchored in a detailed bibliography.... This book carries the often discouraging tale of Russia's quest for democracy forward to the new century.

-- "Library Journal"

McFaul, in an elaborately researched volume, asks why the effort to create new and stable political institutions initially failed--first under Gorbachev and then during Boris Yeltsin's first term--only to succeed under the 'Second Russian Republic'... McFaul's book is especially noteworthy for its rich detail, greatly enhanced by interviews with almost all the key players.

-- "Foreign Affairs"

Michael McFaul's book on Russia's transition from communism is likely to prove one of the most lasting and authoritative studies in its field. Particularly valuable is the framework it offers for comprehending the changes that have occurred.... Quite apart from the value of the theoretical argument, however, the book is likely to become the authoritative study of the period for its sweep, balance, and clarity.

-- "Journal of Democracy"

The author is one of the most distinguished and engaged commentators on Russian politics.... He has produced a highly sophisticated, balanced and informative analysis of the emergence of Russian democracy that leaves open the question of whether it will become a consolidated democracy.

-- "International Affairs"

From the Publisher