Russia's Capitalist Revolution
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Synopsis
The Russian revolution, collapse of the Soviet Union, and Russia's ensuing transformation belong to the greatest dramas of our time. Revolutions are usually messy and emotional affairs, challenging much of the conventional wisdom, and Russia's experience is no exception. This book focuses on the transformation from Soviet Russia to Russia as a market economy, and explores why the country has failed to transform into a democracy. It examines the period from 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet Union's Secretary General of the Communist Party, to the present Russia of Vladimir Putin. Aslund provides a broad overview of Russia's economic change, highlighting the most important issues and their subsequent resolutions, including Russia's inability to sort out the ruble zone during its revolution, several failed coups, and the financial crash of August 1998.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Barton Keyes
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is only for use by the well-informed. Readers coming to it with no background in the history of Russia or the brutal introduction of market 'reforms' during the 80s and 90s will leave it with a badly distorted view of a crucial part of recent history.
Aslund is an apologist for the worst excesses of policies that were unthinkingly introduced by those with only a puerile grasp of economics. As such his book is partial in its argument and grotesquely prejudiced in its conclusions. Perhaps worst of all for a quasi-academic text, Aslund makes sweeping comments that are totally unsupported by fact: Did indeed "many Russians veterans of the Afghan war return as drug addicts and hardened criminals" (p 34)? Or was it their economic circumstances after their return (brought about by the 'reforms') that turned some of them into one or both?
It takes great facility in a foreign language to convincingly produce a completely bogus argument by reference to facts. Dr Aslund is to be congratulated on his command of English if not his wisdom as evidenced by his arguments.
Aslund is an apologist for the worst excesses of policies that were unthinkingly introduced by those with only a puerile grasp of economics. As such his book is partial in its argument and grotesquely prejudiced in its conclusions. Perhaps worst of all for a quasi-academic text, Aslund makes sweeping comments that are totally unsupported by fact: Did indeed "many Russians veterans of the Afghan war return as drug addicts and hardened criminals" (p 34)? Or was it their economic circumstances after their return (brought about by the 'reforms') that turned some of them into one or both?
It takes great facility in a foreign language to convincingly produce a completely bogus argument by reference to facts. Dr Aslund is to be congratulated on his command of English if not his wisdom as evidenced by his arguments.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An absolute "must-have" for modern Russian history shelves, very highly recommended.
7 Feb 2008
By Midwest Book Review
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Economist Anders Aslund presents Russia's Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, a recounting of modern Russian political and economic history from the mid-1980s to the present. Examining statistical and historical evidence with a critical eye, Aslund points out that even though market reforms have flourished, and Russia is currently in a relatively productive economic state (compared to much of its modern history), the government under Vladimir Putin has become so strongly centralized and authoritarian as to resemble that of former czar Nicholas. Russia's Capitalist Revolution intricately ferrets out the causes driving this proud nation's dual transformation, with the eye-opening revelation that the changes most likely to take were the radical and sudden rather than slow and gradual. An absolute "must-have" for modern Russian history shelves, very highly recommended.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
5 Jun 2008
By Z. Chen
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Economist Anders Aslund presents Russia's Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, a recounting of modern Russian political and economic history from the mid-1980s to the present. Examining statistical and historical evidence with a critical eye, Aslund points out that even though market reforms have flourished, and Russia is currently in a relatively productive economic state (compared to much of its modern history), the government under Vladimir Putin has become so strongly centralized and authoritarian as to resemble that of former czar Nicholas. Russia's Capitalist Revolution intricately ferrets out the causes driving this proud nation's dual transformation, with the eye-opening revelation that the changes most likely to take were the radical and sudden rather than slow and gradual. An absolute "must-have" for modern Russian history shelves, very highly recommended.
6 of 14 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Anders Aslund: A True Russia Hater
31 Mar 2008
By Russian Studies
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Poorly written and lacking in new insight. The book reads as if the author never visited Russia, but instead absorbed his knowledge through the reading of newspaper clippings. The undercurrent of Aslund's writing exposes his utter contempt for all that is Russian. Sorry I spent $24 on this dribble.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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