Symbolism and Regime Change in Russia

Asks why regime change in Russia has not been accompanied by a coherent new political symbolism.

Graeme Gill (Author)

9781107031395, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 January 2013

326 pages, 13 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.51 kg

'A fresh and compelling reading of the post-Soviet experience, organised around an examination of the attempt to construct a substitute for the 'metanarrative' that was dominant in earlier years. That means much more than leadership statements and official documents - for the purposes of this analysis, it extends to language, physical environment and complex issues of 'identity' as well as reinterpretations of the historical record. This will be an influential interpretation; it may be a paradigm-changing one.' Stephen White, University of Glasgow

During the Soviet period, political symbolism developed into a coherent narrative that underpinned Soviet political development. Following the collapse of the Soviet regime and its widespread rejection by the Russian people, a new form of narrative was needed, one which both explained the state of existing society and gave a sense of its direction. By examining the imagery contained in presidential addresses, the political system, the public sphere and the urban development of Moscow, Graeme Gill shows how no single coherent symbolic programme has emerged to replace that of the Soviet period. Laying particular emphasis on the Soviet legacy, and especially on the figure of Stalin, Symbolism and Regime Change in Russia explains why it has been so difficult to generate a new set of symbols which could constitute a coherent narrative for the new Russia.

1. Symbolism and regime change
2. Dissolution of the Soviet metanarrative
3. The leader's vision
4. The symbolism of the political arena
5. Russian identity in the public arena
6. Moscow: a material basis for post-Soviet identity?
Conclusion: the difficulties of a post-Soviet narrative.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB]