Paradoxes and By-Products of Liberal Reforms in Russia

Abstract

As Solzhenitsyn asserted, for Russia the twentieth century was time wasted in a dead-end communist experiment. Yet the period between 1985 and 2000 was one of great change and hope that the twenty-first century would be decidedly different. Gorbachev’s perestroika and the subsequent liberal reforms were meant to lead the country to a competitive market economy and a free political system, and to herald its acceptance within the community of democratic states. But these objectives were never achieved, and the transition period ended as unexpectedly as it had begun. The country’s development has thus assumed the shape of a parabolic curve: from the original, Soviet authoritarian political order towards more open, liberal government and then back to a new authoritarian system meet the challenges of modernity. In charting how and why this happened, this chapter addresses the following questions. Why have those forces that appeared so suddenly but initiated a clear and powerful reform movement yielded to authoritarian reaction? Why has Russia found itself severely isolated internationally? Why does the established authority appear to be (and probably is) a simple reflection of the enduring nature of Russian society? Why when this movement appeared so strong are their no remaining “signs of life”. Finally, despite the apparent stability of the current regime, how sustainable, in fact, is the current order?