When Russia Did Democracy: From St. Vladimir to Tsar Putin

by Kenneth MacInnes

During the period between the end of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the new millennium, Russia went through a unique moment – genuine democracy. In this fascinating and absorbing book, Kenneth MacInnes explores not just the 1990s – when he lived and worked in Russia – but the entire history of Russian democracy, from the earliest days right up to President Putin.

When Lenin and the Bolsheviks shut down the Constituent Assembly after only one session, it was said to mark the end of Russia’s one-day experiment with democracy. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, a true period of democracy was ushered in – creating a strange world scarcely believable when viewed from the era of Vladimir Putin.

A fascinated witness of Russian politics, Kenneth MacInnes lived in the country through this unique and exciting era. His book not only chronicles this ten-year period, but also reveals all the other times in history when Russia led the world in democratic freedoms and popular representation.

During the Middle Ages, the republic of Novgorod was the world’s largest democracy. The national parliament established by Ivan the Terrible elected tsars, while the Russian Empire was the first place in Europe where women voted in local and national elections. In 1917, the Provisional Government passed the freest electoral law ever written.

This book covers everything from the popular democratic struggles of 1612 and 1991 to the local ‘republics’ set up during wars, revolutions and foreign invasions. It describes how Lenin and Stalin stood in democratic elections, the day Yeltsin’s tanks bombed parliament, the history of ‘Western interference’ in Russian polls – and why Putin has such a deep aversion to free ballots.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 15, 2023

About the author

Kenneth MacInnes lived and worked in Russia for two decades, from Gorbachev to Putin. He was employed for 13 years at the State Russian Museum and translated 350 books (including the novels of George Orwell). He investigated art crimes and defended himself against the Russian navy in a court martial. After returning to Britain, he worked for the UK Parliament in London.

Reviews

[Alice Chau-Ginguene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to finish this book in 3 days. But I literally couldn’t put it down. The author made history interesting in ways that I didn’t think possible. It is a bit niche but if you want to learn about Russia history since the beginning to Putin, while being entertained, this is the book to read.

[Ben Kitchener · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book summarising elements of democratic traditions in Russia from Medieval times to 2000. I’d probably give the book a 3.5 if I could. While it’s very well researched and incredibly in depth, I think some parts could’ve done with slightly more context. The chapters dealing with the revolution assumed slightly too much prior knowledge of the developments of the communist revolutions. There were also times where election results were reported in a more encyclopaedic way, though I can understand the author’s choice. The ending was slightly abrupt, cutting off with Putin as a new Tsar in 2000. Again, I can see the intention behind this, but for a book published in 2023 I’d have liked to have had more about the ‘elections’ in Russia under Putin, especially considering Medvedev was formal at president for one term and there were major changes to the constitution. While these clearly aren’t democratic, the book was excellent at interrogating the USSR’s so-called elections, so an inclusion of these under Putin wouldn’t be out of place.

Overall, a very good way to get a comprehensive overview of democracy in Russia