Customer Reviews

Russian Politics and Society

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It is rare to find academic books which comply with academic rigour, filled with information, data and opinions, and yet which are enjoyable to read. But this book is an exception, like most writings by Richard Sakwa. By inserting some curious historical facts into the studies, and even anecdotes, and by utilizing very refined and enriched vocabulary, the author makes the reading most enjoyable and fascinating, making it a pleasure to read the book - even for those who are just forced to study it out of their tutors' advice, like myself at University ! Wondeful reading, whether or not you are a Russia expert or just interested. The style somewhat resembles that of Tíbor Számuely, also another great writer in this field.

I have used this book in my class on modern Russian politics. It is a comprehensive and thematically well-rounded monograph, dealing with subjects from political structure to economy to national identity to foreign policy. In its depth of coverage, it is much more than a regular textbook. Textbooks are often simplistic or lopsided, Sakwa's book is not. I particularly like Sakwa's grounding of politics in broader societal trends, political culture and history. It might be rather heavy on undergraduates in its scope and attention to the detail. Other than that, I have no serious criticisms to raise. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone with genuine interest in Russia as a country and as a political entity. It's a good choice for a textbook, most observations are still valid and relevant for the post-Yeltsin era.

Although it gives a good account about Russian politics and society, Sakwa is a fierce anti-communist and the book is completely written from this perspective.