Description
The collapse of the Soviet Union has engendered one of the most momentous and critical regional transformations of our times through the formation and development of the post-Soviet states. This book explores the politics of post-Soviet transition and the problems which will continue to face these states well into the twenty-first century, as they struggle towards democracy, market reform, ethnic co-existence and integration into a new geopolitical post-Cold War world order. Richly illustrated with examples drawn from Russian and other post-Soviet primary sources, the author focuses on three broad themes of transition: firstly, the progression from colonialism to post-colonialism and the consequences of such changes on national identity and the redefinition of national homeland; secondly, the movement away from totalitarian rule and the factors which both facilitate and challenge the prospects of a democratic future; and thirdly, the process of securing a successful place in the global capitalist economy.
