Post-Soviet Russia

Rating:
Summary: For the serious, but non-expert
Review: Roy Medvedev has proven himself a stubbornly independent observer of soviet, now Russian, policy for the past several decades. Given the extremes of Western anti-communism and anti-sovietism, I wanted a book without inbuilt bias, one that could take a level-headed look at the tumultuous events in Russia over the last fifteen years, particularly as they affected the average Russian who was the supposed beneficiary of these epochal changes. By and large, the book doesn't disappoint. Medvedev follows a rough timeline beginning in 1990 with a soviet regime in the throes of collapse and ending with Putin's unexpected ascension in 2000 to head of state and an uncertain future. The ten year interval can only be characterized as a series of incompetent failures, akin to comic opera were the consequences not so tragic for the average citizen. Medvedev does a good job of tracing the events and personalities involved in bringing about collapse of the nation's economy, particularly its financial arm. Perhaps the book's centerpiece, however, is an extended discussion of why Western style capitalism was doomed from the start as communism's successor. Here many factors, cultural, political, economic, come into play, creating an effective block to the one-style-fits-all prescriptions of Western shock therapists. All in all, it's a stimulating discussion with many insights into the country's current mess. I would have liked more attention to the pernicious role Russia's oligarchs played in beggaring the economy, and to the views of the average citizen on what was happening, but each remains a shadowy presence on a stage monopolized by politicians and economists. Still, Medvedev's amounts to an excellent reference for the serious reader looking to get past the headlines of the day.