
Democracy from Scratch
Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution
M. Steven Fish(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 11. August 1996
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-0-691-02914-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book presents a fresh view of Russian political change in the Gorbachev and early post-Soviet periods not by examining perestroika and glasnost in and of themselves, but by investigating the autonomous political organizations that responded to liberalization. Extensive study of these political groups, in Moscow and several provincial cities, has led M. Steven Fish to conclude that they were shaped to a far greater degree by the nature of the Soviet state than by socioeconomic modernization, political culture, native psychology, or Russian historical tradition. Fish's statist theory of societal change in Russia yields a powerful explanation of why Russia's new political society differs radically not only from the "totalized," sub-jugated country of the pre-1985 period but also from the "civil societies" found in the West and in many developing countries. In addition, the author shows how the legacy of the Soviet experience continues to influence the development--arguably the underdevelopment--of representative political institutions in post-Soviet Russia, making the establishment of stable democracy unlikely in the near term.
This book proposes a novel and theoretically sophisticated way to study Russian politics. It offers a rigorous approach to understanding social movements, political party formation, regime change, and democratization in general. While focusing primarily on a single country, it is vigorously comparative at the same time.
This book proposes a novel and theoretically sophisticated way to study Russian politics. It offers a rigorous approach to understanding social movements, political party formation, regime change, and democratization in general. While focusing primarily on a single country, it is vigorously comparative at the same time.
Reviews / Votes
"An intelligent, subtle, first-hand account of the years after Gorbachev opened the door with perestroika."--Foreign Affairs "An original and provocative study...Drawing on his scrupulous analysis of group-formation in a number of Russian cities,...Fish reevaluates received views about the Soviet system."--Robert Shannan Peckham, New Statesman & Society "A detailed, on-the-spot investigation of the new political parties and movements that sprang up between Gorbachev's initiation of semi-free elections in 1989 and the August 1991 coup... It conveys a fascinating picture, however, of the fumbling and bumbling by would-be democratic leaders when the window of opportunity opened."--Robert V. Daniels, The New Leader "The book is an important contribution to our understanding of the disorganized hyperactivity of political organizations in Russia."--Choice "A smart book that speaks to the concerns not only of area specialists but to students of democratic transition around the world."--Philip G. Roeder, Political Science QuarterlyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 line illus. 2 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
515 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-02914-6 (9780691029146)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/1996
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€257.95
Available for download
Person
M. Steven Fish is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
Content
AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIWestern Scholarship and the New Russian Revolution3IIThe Transformation of Politics: A Historical Overview30IIIInvestigating the Phenomenon: A Framework for Analysis52IVBuilding Independent Political Society80VThe Struggle in the Provinces: A Tale of Four Cities137VIDemocracy from Scratch200Epilogue231Notes237Bibliography273Index289