Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia :: Communism Soviet Union Russian History Essays

Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet RussiaThe fall of the Communist politics 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 reckoningly 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 unchangeable majority rule 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 ad dress 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 production line 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 intentional to enhance capitalist expansion often are antagonistic towards democratic goals (Jowitt 7). These seemingly endless Catch-22s are at the heart of difficulties facing Russia in its attempt to create a stable democracy.The Process of Creating A Nation-StateThe question of who is the playing the game and what makes the playing field is an important one for the Russian Federation. heathenish and nationalist questions plagued the Soviet Union and continue to stress the Russia Federation during its nascent period. The dynamics of center-periphery rel ations 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.