Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia

Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia

The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more than a political event. The powerful

interaction and fusion between politics and economics that characterized the state socialist system created

a situation that was unique for the successor states of the Soviet Union. The penetration of the

Communist regime into every facet of life left the Russian people with little democratic traditions. Russia

faces the seemingly impracticable task of economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined

with a necessity to answer nationalist and ethnic questions that have plagued Russia for centuries.

This paper addresses the problems of creating a stable democracy in Russia. The prospects for a stable

democracy in Russia are limited at best. I will outline some of the concerns that academics have in the

consolidation of Russian democracy. What is paramount to note is that a stable democracy must

adequately address what Ken Jowitt calls the “developmental trinity”: nation-building; capitalism and

democracy. The dilemma that is especially relevant to Russia it that these conditions are often

contradictory. The often messy business of politically reconstructing a nation defies traditional

democratic ideals. The establishment of democratic institutions can hinder the development of a market

economy and, conversely, programs that are designed to enhance capitalist expansion often are

antagonistic towards democratic goals (Jowitt 7). These seemingly endless Catch-22’s are at the heart of

difficulties facing Russia in its attempt to create a stable democracy.

The Process of Creating A Nation-State

The question of who is the playing the game and what makes the playing field is an important one for the

Russian Federation. Ethnic and nationalist questions plagued the Soviet Union and continue to stress the

Russia Federation during its nascent period. The dynamics of center-periphery relations provides Moscow

with some of the greatest challenges in establishing a stable democracy. Phillipe Smitter writes, “There is

no simply democratic way of deciding what a nation and its corresponding political unit should be”

(Smitter 66). Later in his article, he writes “those that have not yet resolved the dilemma of defining their

national and territorial boundaries are unlikely to make much more progress in other domains” (Smitter

73). The dilemma facing the Russian Federation is that it finds itself with a charge of establishing and

following democratic institutions, while at the same time facing secessionary pressures that seem to

require extra-democratic means to preserve the integrity of the nation.