The ability of an Orwellian society to bend the will of individuals and force them to change their minds is well known. Putin’s Russia, however, has proved that not only a harsh totalitarian state, such as the Soviet Union, but also a somewhat milder, authoritarian regime is able to achieve almost the same result. Such a regime can threaten to diminish the income, privileges or social status of prominent people. By murdering or jailing only a few active people (businesspeople, journalists and politicians), the regime can show its potential opponents that everyone in the country is vulnerable. Looking back on Stalin’s time, one cannot help but think that he could have achieved his goals and stayed in power until his death without using such horrendous acts of violence. The ideological evolution of Yegor Gaidar represents a strong piece of evidence in support of this thesis.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 2007
Research Article|
December 01 2007
How Putin’s Russia embraces authoritarianism: The case of Yegor Gaidar Available to Purchase
Vladimir Shlapentokh
Vladimir Shlapentokh
Michigan State University, Department of Sociology, 316 Berkey Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1111, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Communist and Post-Communist Studies (2007) 40 (4): 493–499.
Citation
Vladimir Shlapentokh; How Putin’s Russia embraces authoritarianism: The case of Yegor Gaidar. Communist and Post-Communist Studies 1 December 2007; 40 (4): 493–499. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2007.10.005
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.