The Russian Presidency : Society and Politics in the Second Russian Republic

"Why has Russian democracy apparently survived and even strengthened under a presidential system when so many other presidential regimes have decayed into authoritarian rule? And what are the origins of presidential power in modern Russia? Thomas M. Nichols argues that the answer lies in the relationship between political institutions and trust: where society, and consequently politics, is fractious and divided, structural safeguards inherent in presidentialism actually serve to strengthen democratic behavior. The Russian presidency is not the cause of social turmoil in Russia, but rather a successful response to it. This book's emphasis on the social origins of Russian politics explains not only the unexpected survival of Russian democracy, but encourages a reconsideration of the relationship between institutions, social conditions, and democracy."--BOOK JACKET.

Why has Russian democracy apparently survived and even strengthened under a presidential system, when so many other presidential regimes have decayed into authoritarian rule? And what are the origins of presidential power in modern Russia? Thomas M. Nichols argues that the answers lie in the relationship between political institutions and trust: where society, and consequently politics, is fractious and divided, structural safeguards inherent in presidentialism actually serve to strengthen democratic behavior. The Russian presidency is not the cause of social turmoil in Russia, but rather a successful response to it. This book's emphasis on the social origins of Russian politics explains not only the unexpected survival of Russian democracy, but encourages a reconsideration of the relationship between institutions, social conditions, and democracy.

About the Author:

Thomas M. Nichols is Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. He previously taught at Dartmouth College and Georgetown University. He has also served as a staff member in the United States Senate. He is the author of The Sacred Cause: Civil-Military Conflict over Soviet National Security, 1917-1992 and various other works on Soviet and Russian affairs.

Why has Russian democracy apparently survived and even strengthened under a presidential system, when so many other presidential regimes have decayed into authoritarian rule? And what are the origins of presidential power in modern Russia? Thomas M. Nichols argues that the answer lies in the relationship between political institutions and trust: where society, and consequently politics, is fractious and divided, structural safeguards inherent in presidentialism actually serve to strengthen democratic behavior. The Russian presidency is not the cause of social turmoil in Russia, but rather a successful response to it. This book's emphasis on the social origins of Russian politics explains not only the unexpected survival of Russian democracy, but encourages a reconsideration of the relationship between institutions, social conditions, and democracy. This revised and expanded edition also includes new sections on the election and presidency of Vladimir Putin, and considers the question of how the arrival of the Putin era will affect the futher consolidation of the Russian democracy Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 4 Preface to the Expanded Edition......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 A Note on Names and Sources......Page 14 Introduction: The Paradox of Russian Presidential Democracy......Page 16 1 Presidentialism and the Politics of Mistrust in Modern Russia......Page 26 2 The Creation of the Soviet Presidency: Social Chaos and Executive Power, 1991–1993......Page 46 3 The Rise and Fall of the First Russian Republic, 1991–1993......Page 74 4 The Unexpected Second Russian Republic......Page 110 5 Electing the Russian President, 1996......Page 150 6 From Yeltsin to Putin: The End of the Revolution......Page 180 7 The Future of Russian Presidential Democracy......Page 208 Notes......Page 222 C......Page 256 G......Page 257 O......Page 258 S......Page 259 Z......Page 260 Nichols (strategy, US Naval War College) looks into reasons behind the survival of democracy in Russia and the strength of its new presidential system, arguing that where society, and consequently politics, is fractious and divided, structural safeguards inherent in presidentialism actually serve to strengthen democratic behavior. Emphasis is on the social origins of Russian politics in order to explain the unexpected survival of Russian democracy and encourage a reconsideration of the relationship between institutions, social conditions, and democracy.