Russian Politics and Society

By Richard Sakwa

Book Overview

Fully revised and updated to reflect the considerable changes in Russia over the last decade, the fifth edition of this classic text builds on the strengths of previous editions to provide a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis of Russian politics and society.

The new edition incorporates the latest debates about Russian politics, analysing recent institutional and political developments, and examines the electoral cycle and prospects of the president elected at the end of the process.

New to this edition:

an evaluation of Putin's leadership and the country's political performance under him; updated election results and demographic, social, ethnic/national statistics to include results of the 2010 census; changes in the party system, to electoral legislation and to the composition of parliament as well as the relationship between the executive and legislature; coverage of the constitutional changes and governmental appointments under the various prime ministers; more analysis of economic performance including discussion of the energy sector and pipeline politics; changes in Russian foreign policy since EU enlargement, its relationship with NATO since the 'reset', as well as its relations with post-Soviet states; assessment of the military reforms and security and defence policy; debates over the question of democracy in Russia today, the nature of the system, and its future prospects.

Written in an accessible and lively style, this book is packed with detailed information on the central debates and issues in Russia's difficult transformation. An unrivalled textbook on the subject it is essential reading for all those concerned with the fate of Russia, and with the future of international society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415538483
• ISBN13: 9780415538480
• Release Date: August 2020
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 708 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.8" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent reading ! More than just a study !

It is rare to find academic books which comply with academic rigour, filled with information, data and opinions, and yet which are enjoyable to read. But this book is an exception, like most writings by Richard Sakwa. By inserting some curious historical facts into the studies, and even anecdotes, and by utilizing very refined and enriched vocabulary, the author makes the reading most enjoyable and fascinating, making it a pleasure to read the book - even for those who are just forced to study it out of their tutors' advice, like myself at University ! Wondeful reading, whether or not you are a Russia expert or just interested. The style somewhat resembles that of Tíbor Számuely, also another great writer in this field.

Good for a textbook, a solid source of information

I have used this book in my class on modern Russian politics. It is a comprehensive and thematically well-rounded monograph, dealing with subjects from political structure to economy to national identity to foreign policy. In its depth of coverage, it is much more than a regular textbook. Textbooks are often simplistic or lopsided, Sakwa's book is not. I particularly like Sakwa's grounding of politics in broader societal trends, political culture and history. It might be rather heavy on undergraduates in its scope and attention to the detail. Other than that, I have no serious criticisms to raise. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone with genuine interest in Russia as a country and as a political entity. It's a good choice for a textbook, most observations are still valid and relevant for the post-Yeltsin era.