Democracy in a Russian Mirror

354 Pages·2015·1.406 MB·English

by  Adam Przeworski

DemocracyinaRussianMirror
Whatcanwelearnaboutdemocracyfromtheexperienceofpost-Soviet
Russia? What can we learn about the prospects for democracy in
Russia from the experience of “really existing democracies”? Must
some“prerequisites,”culturalormaterial,befulfilledfordemocracyto
becomepossible?Thisbookexaminesthecurrentstateofandprospects
fordemocracyinRussia,posingseveralchallengestoourunderstand-
ingofdemocracy.Thirteencontributorsexpandthedebateoverthese
questions, offering a variety of insights, interpretations, and conclu-
sions vital to understanding the conditions of emergence and survival
ofsuccessfuldemocracies.
Adam Przeworski is the Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Poli-
tics at New York University. He previously taught at the University
of Chicago, where he was the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Ser-
viceProfessor.Przeworskiistherecipientofthe1985SocialistReview
BookAward,the1998GregoryM.LuebbertArticleAward,the2001
Woodrow Wilson Prize, the 2010 Lawrence Longley Award, and the
2010 Johan Skytte Prize. He has been a member of the American
AcademyofArtsandSciencessince1991.

CambridgeStudiesintheTheoryofDemocracy
GeneralEditor
AdamPrzeworski,NewYorkUniversity
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Jose´Marı´aMaravallandAdamPrzeworski,eds.,DemocracyandtheRuleof
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AdamPrzeworski,DemocracyandtheLimitsofSelf-Government
AdamPrzeworski,SusanStokes,andBernardManin,eds.,Democracy,
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Democracy in a Russian Mirror
Edited by
ADAM PRZEWORSKI
NewYorkUniversity
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DemocracyinaRussianmirror/editedbyAdamPrzeworski,NewYorkUniversity.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-05339-7(hardback)
1.Democracy–Russia(Federation) 2.Russia(Federation)–Politicsandgovernment–
1991– 3.Democracy–Russia. 4.Russia–Politicsandgovernment. I.Przeworski,Adam.
dk510.76.d46 2015
320.947–dc23 2014044908
isbn978-1-107-05339-7Hardback
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Contents
Contributors pagexiii
Introduction 1
part i russia
1 PeculiaritiesofRussianPolitics 7
AndranikMigranyan
1.1 TheLawofthePendulum 7
1.2 OnElections 9
1.3 OnSovereignDemocracy 13
1.4 AResponsetoMyCritics 25
2 ImitatingDemocracy,FeigningCapacity 30
StephenHolmes
2.1 Introduction 30
2.2 AProcrustianDichotomy 31
2.3 TwoIncarnations,OneSystem 33
2.4 TheGreatDisconnect 40
2.5 WhyStealElections? 45
2.6 Shock-AbsorberParties 50
2.7 DemocracyandItsPreconditions 54
2.8 DetachedandDisjointed 56
3 RussianPerspectivesonDemocracy,Political
Emancipation,andIntegrity 58
MikhailIlyin
3.1 Introduction 58
3.2 PrimevalDemocracy 60
3.3 AuthorityversusPeople 63
vii
viii Contents
3.4 SovereigntyofthePeople 68
3.5 DemocracyoftheSoviets 70
3.6 Perestroika:MoreDemocracy,MoreSocialism 73
3.7 CrippledDemocracy 74
3.8 SovereignDemocracy 75
3.9 SomeTentativeConclusions 77
4 ColorRevolutionsandRussia 78
ValerySolovei
4.1 Introduction 78
4.2 WereThereAnyRevolutions? 79
4.3 CausesoftheRevolutions 81
4.4 RevolutionaryResults 84
4.5 FollowingNicholasI 86
4.6 WhyNotRussiaorWhenRussia? 88
4.7 Conclusions 92
part ii democracy in a russian mirror
5 JudgingDemocracyasFormofGovernmentforGiven
Territories:UtopiaorApologetics? 97
JohnDunn
5.1 DemocraticAuthorityasRepudiationof
Self-Authorization 97
5.2 Agenda 99
5.3 Method 100
5.4 Elections 101
5.5 RussianParticularitiesandUniversalDilemmas 108
6 Democracy:AncientandModern,GoodandBad 110
PasqualePasquino
6.1 Introduction 110
6.2 Athens 112
6.3 TheThomistConceptualRevolution 113
6.4 WhatIsGoodandWhatIsBadaboutModern
Democracy(Elections) 117
6.5 LessonsfromRussia 126
7 TheRoleofElectionsinDemocracy 130
BorisMakarenko
7.1 WhyAreElectionsImportant? 130
7.1.1 NotLimitedtoCompetition... 130
7.1.2 WhyElections? 133
7.1.3 HowMuchCompetition? 135
7.2 FunctionsofCompetitiveElections 136
7.2.1 InstitutingandConsolidatingDemocracy 136
7.2.2 LegitimizingWinnersandLosers 137