Russia's capitalist revolution : why market reform succeeded and democracy failed / Anders Aslund.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Åslund, Anders, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Capitalism--Russia (Federation).

Capitalism.

Russia (Federation)--Economic conditions--1991-.

Russia (Federation).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (389 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Russian revolution, collapse of the Soviet Union, and Russia's ensuing transformation belong to the greatest dramas of our time. Revolutions are usually messy and emotional affairs, challenging much of the conventional wisdom, and Russia's experience is no exception. This book focuses on the transformation from Soviet Russia to Russia as a market economy, and explores why the country has failed to transform into a democracy. It examines the period from 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet Union's Secretary General of the Communist Party, to the present Russia of Vladimir Putin. Åslund provides a broad overview of Russia's economic change, highlighting the most important issues and their subsequent resolutions, including Russia's inability to sort out the ruble zone during its revolution, several failed coups, and the financial crash of August 1998.

Contents:

Cover

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Russian Federation map

Introduction

Definitions of Democracy and Market Economy

Theses of This Book

The Structure of This Book

Chapter 1 Perestroika-The Great Awakening: 1985-87

Why Perestroika Started

Mikhail Gorbachev and the Outstanding Provincials

Early Perestroika: Cautious Economic Reforms to Boost Growth

Glasnost: Shattering All Illusions

New Thinking on Foreign Policy

Why Gorbachev's Attempt at Chinese Reforms Failed

Special photo section

An Untenable Mix of Changes

Chapter 2 The Collapse: 1988-91

Elite Division: Yeltsin, Ligachev, and Gorbachev Part Company

Democratization

National Revival and Disputes

The Demise of the Plan and the Rise of Rent Seeking

A Parade of Reform Programs

Collapse of the Outer Empire

Economic Collapse

Political Collapse: Yeltsin at His Peak

An Overdetermined Collapse

Chapter 3 Revolution: 1991-93

Yeltsin's Assumption of Power

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

Attempt at Radical Market Reform

Parlimentary Revolt Against the President

Ambitious Mass Privatization

Abortive Financial Stabilization

Failure of the West to Act

Dissolution of the Parliament and Shootout at the White House

Great Achievements but Mixed Results

Chapter 4 The Rise and Fall of State Enterprise Managers: 1994-95

The New Constitution

The December 1993 Elections and the End of the Reform Government

The State Enterprise Managers

The Making of Gazprom

Precarious Financial Stabilization

The Rise of Organized Crime

The First Chechnya War

Halt of Reform Exacerbated Social Costs

Chapter 5 The Oligarchy: 1996-98

Who Were the Oligarchs?

The Loans-for-Shares Privatization

The 1996 Presidential Elections: Oligarchs and Reformers United.

False Dawn of Reform: The Bankers' War, 1997

The Financial Crash of August 1998

NATO and G-7 Enlargement

Assessing the Oligarchs

Chapter 6 Postrevolutionary Stabilization: 1999-2003

Finally Financial Stabilization

President Yeltsin's Final Days

Vladimir Putin: KGB Lieutenant-Colonel

The Second Chechnya War

Putin's Assumption of Power: Elections of 1999 and 2000

Muzzling of the Media

Centralization of Federal Power

The Gref Program: Second Generation of Economic Reform

Dictatorship of Law

Serious Efforts to Join the WTO

Siloviki, Oligarchs, and Reformers: Who Is Mr. Putin?

Chapter 7 Authoritarianism and Recentralization: 2004-07

The Yukos Affair: The End of the Oligarchy

Elections of 2003 and 2004

Inauspicious Start of Putin's Second Term

Consolidating Authoritarian Rule: Deinstitutionalization

Renationalization: The Creation of the Kremlin, Inc.

Toward State Capitalism?

Corruption: Rationalized but Pervasive

Colored Revolutions

A New Distance from the West

Does Russia Suffer from an Energy Curse?

Putin's Model: Back to Nicholas I

Chapter 8 Conclusions: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed

Market Economy but No Democracy

Russia's Capitalist Revolution

Russia's History Is That of Its Leaders and Their Ideas

Early, Radical, and Comprehensive Reforms Most Effective

Essence of Privatization: Legitimate Property Rights

Policymaking in the Midst of a Revolution

Foreign Aid: Limited but Important

Russia's Future: Contradiction Between Economic Miracle and Reactionary Politics

References

Chronology

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-325) and index.

ISBN:

9786611125158

9781281125156

1281125156

9780881324839

0881324833

9781435616431

143561643X

OCLC:

666900678