The Russian Parliament: Institutional Evolution in a Transitional Regime,1989-1999 - Hardcover

Remington, Thomas F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300084986 ISBN 13: 9780300084986

Publisher: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2001

Synopsis

From the first free elections in post-Soviet Russia in 1989 to the end of the Yeltsin period in 1999, Russia’s parliament was the site of great political upheavals. Conflicts between communists and reformers generated constant turmoil, and twice parliamentary institutions broke down in violence. This book offers the first full account of the inaugural decade of Russia’s parliament. Thomas F. Remington, a leading scholar of Russian politics, describes in unique detail the Gorbachev-era parliament of 1989-91, the interim parliament of 1990-93, and the current Federal Assembly.

Focusing particularly on the emergence of parliamentary parties and bicameralism, Remington explores how the organization of the Russian parliament changed, why some changes failed while others were accepted, and why the current parliament is more effective and viable than its predecessors. He links the story of parliamentary evolution in Russia to contemporary theories of institutional development and concludes that, notwithstanding the turbulence of Russia’s first postcommunist decade, parliament has served as a stabilizing influence in Russian political life.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas F. Remington is Claus M. Halle Distinguished Professor for Global Learning and professor of political science at Emory University.

Reviews

As part of the transition from socialism to a new political and economic system, the parliaments in the former Soviet Union have undergone extensive changes. Remington (Emory Univ.) has studied and written about these changes since 1989 in earlier works such as Parliaments in Transition (Westview, 1994). This new work shows how those changes have affected both the federal Congress of People's Deputies and the Russian Federation's parliament. Alternating chapters discuss Gorbachev's and Yeltsin's jockeying for position at the leadership level (drawing heavily on game theory as an analytic tool) and on the changes in the institution's own processes. The author also covers the drafting of the 1993 Constitution and the new legislative processes that it introduced. The treatment is adequate and convincing, but the scholarly presentation makes the book suitable only for academic libraries. Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300084986
• ISBN 13: 9780300084986
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304