Drawing upon a wealth of primary sources and existing scholarship, this new edition of Russian Politics provides a lively, comprehensive, and accessible account of Russian politics from Soviet times to the present day. Exploring the nature of Soviet rule--and the eventual collapse of the Soviet system--the book focuses on the institutions of government in contemporary Russia, including the dominant presidency, the political process, elections, and political communication. It also examines the maintenance of public order, the policy process, and Russian politics within the wider context of "democratization." Featuring illustrations, charts, tables, and a guide to further reading, this fascinating account details the process of political change in the world's largest country.

Author Biography

Stephen White is Professor of Politics and a Senior Associate of the Institute of Central and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow. A founding member of the Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he has been President of the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies and is Chief Editor of the Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics. His recent books include Russia's New Politics (Cambridge, 2000) and - with Evan Mawdsley - The Soviet Political Elite from Lenin to Gorbachev (Oxford, 2000).