Capitalism Russian-Style [Hardcover]

Thane Gustafson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0521641756 | ISBN-13: 978-0521641753

Capitalism Russian-Style provides a progress report on one of the most important economic experiments going on in the world today: the building of capitalism in Russia. It describes Russian achievements in building private banks, companies, stock exchanges, new laws and law courts. It analyzes the role of the mafia, the new financial empires, entrepreneurs, business tycoons, and the shrinking Russian state. Thane Gustafson tells how the Soviet system was dismantled and the new market society was born, and examines the prospects for a Russian economic miracle in the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book nicely complements a recently published account of a would-be American entrepreneur in Russia, Timothy Harper's Moscow Madness (LJ 2/1/99). Both describe the new capitalist order in Russia, Harper through one individual's experiences, Gustafson (government, Georgetown Univ.) in this more wide-ranging and dispassionate study focusing on the painful birth and early years of a distinctive Russian form of capitalism. His is a gloomy tale. Gustafson addresses what went wrong and what the prospects are for improvement. His tone is judicious and his judgments well anchored in an impressive bibliography and an acute knowledge of contemporary Russian realities. In addition to the well-known list of problemsAcorruption, crime, alienation from the law, massive tax avoidance, collapsing infrastructures, and so forthAthe author points out the longer-range, more fundamental cause of present difficulty: "the historic inability of state and society to develop a stable and productive partnership." And the prospects? Gustafson hopes for an emerging market society "with all its flaws." This is an important, timely study of a crucial subject, one that can be read profitably by specialist and nonspecialist alike.ARobert H. Johnston, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ont.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...for anyone interested in an engaging, sweeping tour of the Russian economy in the 1990's and a framework for understanding the complicated financial and political dynamics at work in Russia, Thane Gustafson's Capitalism Russian Style is a superb guide." New York Times Book Review, February 6, 2000

"Gustafson addresses what went wrong and what the prospects are for improvement. His tone is judicious and his judgments well anchored in an impressive bibliography and an acute knowledge of contemporary Russian realities. This is an important, timely study of a crucial subject, one that can be read profitably by specialists and nonspecialists alike." Library Journal

"The book's crisp, balanced analysis makies it clear just how and why Russia has ended up in the no-man's land it occupies today." Betsy McKay, Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2000

"Gustafson surveys the whole story better than anyone else to date...." Foreign Affairs

"Based on academic research and firsthand experience, Thane Gustafson has written an insightful, informative, and highly readable analysis of the evolution of the Russian economy in the 1990s, one that confronts Russia's problems without illusions but steers clear of the popular media's tendency towards excessive pessimism and sensationalism. A highly recommended primer on the contemporary Russian economic scene." Francis Fukuyama, George Mason University

"Over the past decade, Russia has begun a revolutionary process of transforming its economy and political system. Thane Gustafson's Capitalism Russian-Style explains with remarkable insight and balance what Russia has accomplished and why it as yet has not reached its goal." Hon. Jack F. Matlock, Princeton University, Former US Ambassador to Russia

"Understanding the new Russia begins with this superb book. Thane Gustafson brings 25 years of close study, the scholar's ability for conceptualization, and on-the-ground business experience. The analysis is insightful; the writing is crisp and stylish, and the conclusions are provocative, sobering, and no doubt prescient." Eugene Lawson, President of the US-Russia Business Council

"A tough-minded analysis of Russia's roller-coaster ride from Communism to capitalism and why this transition has been so much harder than the West expected--but but also why it is now irreversible. Thane Gustafson has pried the lid off the new hybrid Russian economy and provided a rich guide to its players--the super rich, the regional power dons, the empire-builders in energy and banking, and the younger, post-Soviet generation of entrepreneurs and leaders whom he sees as the hope for the future." Hedrick Smith, author of The Russians and The New Russians

"With remarkable clarity and indispensable insight, Thane Gustafson's compelling new book captures Russia as no other book does. The first truly comprehensive account of Russia's Wild Nineties and its effort to build a market economy, Capitalism Russian Style unravels the complex and contradictory character of Russia's transition." Lilia Shevtsova, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for World Peace

"This book is an excellent vade mecum through the spectacular confusion that was Russian transition in the 1990s...Gustafson is an informative and persuasive guide, with a style rich in illustrative vignettes, telling statistics, and neat summary judgments." Slavic Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521641756
• ISBN-13: 978-0521641753
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,815,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An ok book, January 31, 2011

By 

Stephen Samperi (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitalism Russian-Style (Kindle Edition)

This is book is very detailed in describing U.S.S.R.'s transitioin into the Russian Federation. Pretty much every flaw in the transition is talked about. I feel like i know nearly everything about Russia's switch to capitalism. The content of the book is great. Many interesting Russians were portrayed. It even talks about the earlier years of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the wealthy oil guy who has been in prison lately.

The problem is, the writing of the book sucks. The whole book is littered with spelling, punctuation and even capitalization errors. Some sentences are hard to understand and i had to re-read a couple times. The book is written like a bland textbook. There are too many times when the author asks you questions, then gives a list of answers. This destroys the flow of the book. This book made me fall asleep while reading many times. I had to read it a few pages at a time to avoid a coma. There are also many translations of Russian phrases and words that slows you down even more. You are snailing through the book and then you have to keep up with all the bouncing around between different times ranging from 1986 to 1999. The book may look thick when you first get it, but about 30 pages are bibliography and many pages have large (sometimes 20% of the page) footnotes at the bottom. I didnt even bother to read the footnotes since the book was already annoyingly slow to read. Out of about 30 books i have read in the past couple years, this might be the hardest to read.

Overall i would say its a good, unique book to read if you are really interested in Russia. If you are not really interested in Russia, then find something written better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!, February 20, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitalism Russian-Style (Hardcover)

Thane Gustafson presents an overview of Russia's experiment with capitalism to date. In this well-documented, well-reasoned report, he describes the breakdown in the Soviet economy. This collapse was already in the works when Gorbachev's efforts to reform the system brought it tumbling down. Gustafson weaves his account together like a journalist, as he discusses the heady rush of capitalism, entrepreneurism, political corruption and crime that moved into Russia's economic vacuum like a modern gold rush. He carefully traces recent developments in Russia's attempt to recover from its 1998 financial disaster.

As the book describes, no one knows what will happen in Russia. Gustafson emphasizes that Russia cannot return to its command economy. The book offers cautious optimism for future business with Russia. However, the admitted uncertainty of Russia's future may frustrate readers who seek definitive answers. We at getAbstract.com recommend this book to readers interested in social and political developments and to academics as well as to executives of companies with economic interests in Russia, or those who may want to do future business there, although - for now - it may be a particularly risky venue.