Soviet Absolutism

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that Putin's authority in Russia today draws upon the same wellspring of absolutism that fuelled the power and destructiveness of the Red Czar, Stalin. In this analysis, the Soviet absolutism of the 20th century is rooted in Russian traditions that stretch back for centuries under the Czarist empire. In this context the Soviet era desire for a strong absolutist leader who will fix things will be seen to have been a recurring element in Russian society for much of its history.

From the Paper:

"Today, in the early 21st century, Soviet Russia of the 20th century and the Czarist empire of the centuries before that are shadows of history remembered - if at all - through Cold War spy thrillers and the memories of an older generation of Ukrainians, Russians, and East Europeans whose lives were shaped or destroyed by Soviet power. In the popular view, Russia is a westernized - if corrupt - no different from many authoritarian "democracies" around the world. This essay will argue, however, that this view of Russia is radically flawed."

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