Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 From Democratic Centralism to Democratic Centralism 14 Chapter 2 Alternative Mobilization Strategies, 1917-1934 43 Chapter 3 From Narrow Selectorate to Autocracy 75 Chapter 4 The Great Purge 102 Chapter 5 From Totalitarianism to Welfare Authoritarianism 130 Chapter 6 Uncertainty and "Democratization": The Evolution of Post-Brezhnevian Politics, 1982-1991 164 Chapter 7 Democratizing Russia, 1991-1997 196 Chapter 8 The Demise of Schumpeterian Democracy, the Return to Certainty, and Normal ("Full") Authoritarianism, 1998-2008 220 Chapter 9 The Return of Uncertainty? The 2011-2012 Electoral Cycle 267 Chapter 10 The Past and Future of Russian Authoritarianism 291 Afterword to the Paperback Edition 311 Selected Bibliography 327 Index 339

About the Author

William Zimmerman is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Michigan, where he is also research professor emeritus at the Institute for Social Research.

Reviews

"Western democracies often view the Russian political structure as something 'abnormal.' Zimmerman peels back this Western lens and looks systematically into Russian political history from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin. He delves into how a consolidated political structure solidified with each passing generation of rulers."--Library Journal "William Zimmerman's new book is perfectly timed to furnish a backdrop to this discussion, providing the first major overview of Russian leadership politics from 1917 to the present... Ruling Russia is written in a lively style, with flashes of humour."--Lara Cook, Times Higher Education "William Zimmerman ... has written an important book rich in historical detail."--Survival "This is a book for those who know a little about Soviet and Russian politics but who wish to gain a balanced and intelligent deeper understanding of the process of change that may one day end up with Russia becoming a 'normal' system."--Richard Sakwa, Russian Review "Zimmerman's book is a major contribution, which speaks to comparativists, Russia scholars, and the broader public alike."--Inga A.-L. Saikkonen, Democratization "Zimmerman's book is a welcome addition to the literature on comparative authoritarianism, and it is a unique contribution to the study of contemporary Russian politics in particular."--Kathryn Stoner, Political Science Quarterly "This is an important and impressive scholarly work... One would be hard-pressed to find another work that covers as much in just over 300 pages."--Paul Kubicek, Soviet and Post-Soviet Review