Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics

Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics

by M. Steven Fish

Although Russia experienced dramatic political breakthroughs in the late 1980s and early 1990s after shedding the shackles of Soviet rule, it subsequently failed to continue progressing toward democracy. M. Steven Fish offers an explanation for the direction of regime change in post-Soviet Russia, relying on cross-national comparative analysis as well as on in-depth field research in Russia. Fish demonstrates that Russia's failure to democratize has three too much economic reliance on oil, too little economic liberalization, and too weak a national legislature.

Genres: Russia, Nonfiction, Politics, School

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2001

Reviews

[Lenullz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half statistics and half political science, this book makes a good attempt at laying out some structural and economic reasons why democracy has faltered in Russia, while examining and discarding others. The author seems well aware of the limitations of his quantitative approach, and ten years after its publication, this still has a great deal of relevance as Putin's rule continues.

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Authoritative, but I wasn't very interested in the subject matter. Had to read for a class, wouldn't read it again in its entirety, but may end up consulting it at some point in the future.