Simon Pirani investigates the interaction of power, money and people in Russia during the presidencies of Vladimir Putin and his successor Dmitry Medvedev. Profiling the Putin team, including contingents from the security services and pro-market economic "reformers," Pirani argues that the economic growth it presided over during the oil boom was one-sided. The gap between rich and poor widened. Now the boom is over, inequalities will multiply further. As well as explaining Russia's economic trajectory, the book provides a unique account of the social movements that are working against an increasingly authoritarian government to change Russia for the better. This is the perfect introduction for undergraduates approaching Russia for the first time and those who wish to know how Russia will change during the economic crisis.
Author(s): Simon Pirani
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 241
Contents......Page 6
List of photographs, figures and tables......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Introduction: Putin's Russia in deep focus......Page 14
Soviet and post-Soviet elites (1986-91)......Page 29
Yeltsin's Russia and the world (1992-95)......Page 36
The weak state and the oligarchs (1995–96)......Page 45
Society Shattered......Page 52
Yeltsin's second term and the financial crash (1996–99)......Page 56
How the Economy Changed......Page 60
The shifting balance of oil power......Page 66
Russia and the resource curse......Page 71
Enter the men from the KGB (1999–2002)......Page 75
The state taekse charge of oil and gas (2002–07)......Page 84
The energy weapon......Page 97
The oil boom (2002–07)......Page 100
The world crisis takes its toll (2007 –09)......Page 112
The war that made Putin......Page 124
‘Managed Democracty' and its limits......Page 131
The demographic and health crisis......Page 146
The widening gap between rich and poor......Page 150
Social policy under Putin......Page 158
8. People: Parties, Unions and NGOs......Page 161
The political opposition......Page 164
Movements for human rights and the environment, and other NGOs......Page 168
What about the workers?......Page 173
The welfare benefits revolt......Page 186
Housing rights action......Page 190
An array of causes......Page 198
Conclusions......Page 204
Notes......Page 211
Glossary of Russaian words and abbreviations......Page 229
Chronology......Page 230
Further reading......Page 233
Index......Page 235
