The Origins of Dominant Parties
Building Authoritarian Institutions in Post-Soviet Russia

This book asks why dominant political parties emerge in some authoritarian regimes, but not in others, focusing on Russia's experience under Putin.

Ora John Reuter (Author)

9781316622926, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 January 2019

330 pages, 19 b/w illus.
23 x 15 x 1.6 cm, 0.45 kg

'Based on extensive fieldwork and deep knowledge of the case, Reuter's deftly written story of the ups and downs of party-building in the post-Communist era is the definitive account of the construction of Russia's ruling party. Just as importantly, his argument that it takes a delicate balance of elite and leadership incentives to build a dominant party is a major contribution to our understanding of contemporary dictatorships. This book is a must-read for students of authoritarianism throughout the world.' Graeme Robertson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

In many autocracies, regime leaders share power with a ruling party, which can help generate popular support and reduce conflict among key elites. Such ruling parties are often called dominant parties. In other regimes, leaders prefer to rule solely through some combination of charisma, patronage, and coercion, rather than sharing power with a dominant party. This book explains why dominant parties emerge in some nondemocratic regimes, but not in others. It offers a novel theory of dominant party emergence that centers on the balance of power between rulers and other elites. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Russia, original data on Russian political elites, and cross-national statistical analysis, the book's findings shed new light on how modern autocracies work and why they break down. The book also provides new insights about the foundations of Vladimir Putin's regime and challenges several myths about the personalization of power under Putin.

1. Introduction
2. A theory of dominant party formation
3. False starts: the failure of pro-Presidential parties under Yeltsin
4. The emergence of a dominant party in Russia
5. United Russia as the dominant party
6. United Russia and Russia's governors
7. Economic elites and dominant party affiliation
8. Dominant party emergence around the world
9. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Government powers [LNDH], Comparative politics [JPB]