Event Title
Russia's Democratic Retreat: The Role of the Conflict in Chechnya, Declining Media Freedom, and a Subdued Middle Class
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Political Science
Mentor Information
Heather L. Tafel
Department
Political Science
Location
Kirkhof Center 2270
Start Date
11-4-2012 10:00 AM
Keywords
Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Freedom and Control, Human Rights, Media, Social Class, World Perspective
Abstract
The fall of the Soviet Union is argued to have brought more freedom to people in the region. However, is Russia really in a better place in 2012 than it was under communism? Drawing on scholarly research, news sources, and firsthand accounts, this paper challenges the popular understanding of Russian politics by arguing that the democratic decline in Russia has eroded many of the social gains of the 1990s. The focus will be on three specific problems with Russian democracy. First, the conflict in Chechnya demonstrates that political and civil rights continue to be violated on a regular basis. Secondly, the regime's muzzling of the media makes evident that it is still willing to violate individual rights to maintain power. Thirdly, due to the central role that middle classes historically have played in the struggle for democratization, the relative absence of middle class involvement in Russian civil society makes holding leaders accountable and defending human rights a Herculean task.
Russia's Democratic Retreat: The Role of the Conflict in Chechnya, Declining Media Freedom, and a Subdued Middle Class
Kirkhof Center 2270
The fall of the Soviet Union is argued to have brought more freedom to people in the region. However, is Russia really in a better place in 2012 than it was under communism? Drawing on scholarly research, news sources, and firsthand accounts, this paper challenges the popular understanding of Russian politics by arguing that the democratic decline in Russia has eroded many of the social gains of the 1990s. The focus will be on three specific problems with Russian democracy. First, the conflict in Chechnya demonstrates that political and civil rights continue to be violated on a regular basis. Secondly, the regime's muzzling of the media makes evident that it is still willing to violate individual rights to maintain power. Thirdly, due to the central role that middle classes historically have played in the struggle for democratization, the relative absence of middle class involvement in Russian civil society makes holding leaders accountable and defending human rights a Herculean task.