LEADER 05096nam 2200841 a 450 001 9910780058803321 005 20230926161723.0 010 $a1-4008-2215-7 010 $a9786612753169 010 $a1-282-75316-9 010 $a1-4008-1266-6 024 7 $a10.1515/9781400822157 035 $a(CKB)111056486501386 035 $a(EBL)617294 035 $a(OCoLC)705527022 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000433026 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)12142236 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000433026 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10375203 035 $a(PQKB)10036427 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000100441 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11111359 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000100441 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10020664 035 $a(PQKB)11549194 035 $a(OCoLC)51453542 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse36034 035 $a(DE-B1597)446134 035 $a(OCoLC)979581487 035 $a(DE-B1597)9781400822157 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL617294 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10031898 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL1707370 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC617294 035 $a(PPN)187309299 035 $a(EXLCZ)99111056486501386 100 $a19951221d1996 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurnn#---|u||u 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 14$aThe agony of the Russian idea /$fTim McDaniel 205 $aCourse Book 210 $aPrinceton, N.J. $cPrinceton University Press$dc1996 215 $a1 online resource (212 pages) 311 0 $a0-691-00248-7 311 0 $a0-691-02786-2 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [195]-197) and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tContents --$tAcknowledgments --$tINTRODUCTION: Cycles of Breakdown in Russia --$tCHAPTER ONE. The Russian Idea --$tCHAPTER TWO. The Dilemmas of Tsarist Modernization --$tCHAPTER THREE. The Logic of Soviet Communism --$tCHAPTER FOUR. A Viable Form of Modern Society? --$tCHAPTER FIVE. The Failure of Yeltsin's Reforms --$tNotes --$tSelect Bibliography --$tIndex 330 $aBoris Yeltsin's attempts at democratic reform have plunged a long troubled Russia even further into turmoil. This dramatic break with the Soviet past has left Russia politically fragmented and riddled with corruption, its people with little hope for the future. In a fascinating account for anyone interested in Russia's current political struggles, Tim McDaniel explores the inability of all its leaders over the last two centuries--tsars and Communist rulers alike--to create the foundations of a viable modern society. The problem then and now, he argues, is rooted in a cultural trap endemic to Russian society and linked to a unique sense of destiny embodied by the "Russian idea."In its most basic sense, the Russian idea is the belief that Russia can forge a path in the modern world that sets itself apart from the West through adherence to shared beliefs, community, and equality. These cultural values, according to McDaniel, have mainly reversed the values of Western society rather than having provided a real alternative to them. By relying on the Russian idea in their programs of change, dictatorial governments almost unavoidably precipitated social breakdown. When the Yeltsin government declared war on the Communist past, it broke with deeply held Russian values and traditions. McDaniel shows that in cutting people off from their pasts and promoting the West as the sole model of modernity, the reformers have simultaneously undermined the foundations of Russian morality and the people's sense of a future. Unwittingly, the Yeltsin government has thereby annihilated its own authority. McDaniel lived in Russia for three years during both the Communist and post-Communist periods. Basing his analysis on broad historical research, extensive travels, countless interviews and conversations, and friendships with Russians from all walks of life, McDaniel emphasizes the perils of assuming that Russians understand the world in the same way that we do, and so can and should become like us. Challenging and provocative in its claims, this book is intended for anyone seeking to understand Russia's attempts to create a new society. 606 $aPost-communism$zRussia (Federation) 606 $aPolitical culture$zRussia (Federation)$xHistory 606 $aCommunism$zSoviet Union 606 $aPublic opinion$zRussia (Federation) 607 $aRussia (Federation)$xCivilization 607 $aRussia (Federation)$xPolitics and government 607 $aRussia (Federation)$xSocial conditions 607 $aSoviet Union$xSocial conditions 607 $aRussia (Federation)$xCivilization$xPublic opinion 615 0$aPost-communism 615 0$aPolitical culture$xHistory. 615 0$aCommunism 615 0$aPublic opinion 676 $a947.08 700 $aMcDaniel$b Tim$0509042 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910780058803321 996 $aThe agony of the Russian idea$93826542 997 $aUNINA