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the
term
political culture
usually refers to certain values, perceptions
of history, and fundamental political beliefs shared by a majority
of the population. the question, which is often asked in connection
with russia抯 recent communist experience, is, to what extent does
russian political culture hinder or help the transition to
democracy? the seventy-four-year long communist period itself
carried on, in changed forms, russia抯 prerevolutionary
authoritarian tradition. how has the experience of centuries of
authoritarian rule affected the russian political culture?
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at
one extreme of responses to this question there is a view that
treats russian political culture as immature and unprepared for
democracy. it argues that the historical experience has created a
society in which ideas such as freedom, self-government, and rule of
law are not ingrained in the collective consciousness. but there is
also a positive view, which stresses the more recent experience of
the russian people and the impact of factors such as urbanization,
rising educational levels, and opening up to the outside world.
these are taken to have created a changed political culture and a
people much more determined to stand up for democratic values. this
has been further strengthened by the experiences of the period since
the late 1980s, during which popular opinion and action changed an
entire system.
where does the truth lie? is russian political culture supportive of
democratic values, or are the legacies of the autocratic experience
likely to pervert the cause of democracy in russia? to what extent
does russia抯 past weigh upon its present?
to
begin with, it is useful to identify some of the most basic
characteristics of the russian traditional political culture,
particularly those more enduring values that are not easily
destroyed by revolutions and other major social and political
upheavals. many of them have to do with the traditional way of life
of the people determined by the geographical, environmental, and
climatic factors prevailing in the country. what were the important
facts of life in russia that shaped the mentality of russians and
affected their social and political behavior?
