POLS 336-000: Politics In Russia (Spring 2010)

In this course we will examine post-Soviet Russian politics, covering regime institutions and processes, policies and their effects, and the dynamics of political development.   We will begin with an overview of recent history--the legacy of Soviet communism, the period of reform under Mikhail Gorbachev, and the breakdown of the Soviet Union.  Then we will study the creation of the present-day Russian regime, including creation of new institutions under Boris Yeltsin, the change in leadership from Yeltsin to Vladimir Putin, the authoritarian trends of Putin's regime, and the 'tandem' rule of Putin and Dmitrii Medvedev since 2008.  We will study Russian civil society, the values and beliefs of the Russian public, and the changing role that elections have played since the communist regime ended.  We will also assess the outcomes of the economic reforms and counter-reforms of the 1990s and 2000s, as well as the effect of the current economic crisis on Russian politics and society. We will ask how Russia's dependence on exports of natural resources affects its political and economic development. Finally, we will examine Russia's relations with its near-neighbors in the former Soviet Union, including its efforts to expand its power in Ukraine, the Transcaucasus, and Central Asia.