Mythmaking in the New Russia: Politics and Memory in the Yeltsin Era

"This is a novel and welcome contribution to the social science literature on post-Soviet Russia. Rather than offering the traditional focus on institutions and political elites, Smith focuses on the pivotal events of Russia's bumpy transition to democracy and the ways in which two key groups-Yeltsin's 'democrats' and the opposition 'red-brown' coalition-framed these events to their advantage.... This book is recommended for general readers and scholars familiar with Russia." * Choice * "For now, we have an excellent survey of the politics of memory in the 1990s that will appeal to professionals and students alike." -- Catherine Merridale, University of Bristol, UK * Slavic Review * "One of the best assessments of the Russian political situation at the end of the twentieth century, Smith's book demonstrates the author's talents as an insightful and shrewd analyst, able to integrate contemporary cultural history and Russian domestic politics. Without simplifying complex, often conflicting crosscurrents, she has produced a well-written, jargonless, and well-argued book, which all instructors of Russian and post-Soviet politics courses should seriously consider adopting." -- George O. Liber, University of Alabama at Birmingham * Perspectives on Politics * "Collective memory can be the stuff of politics. In the battle to shape it, Smith argues, Russia's liberals have been dilatory and ineffective.... Smith's message in this interesting cut at the quest of Russian elites to find and exploit national identity does not suggest that the conservatives have gotten their way." -- Robert Legvold * Foreign Affairs * "An illuminating story of citizens and politicians attempting to redefine themselves against a backdrop of seventy-four years of an increasingly bankrupt Soviet system.... This book provides an essential perspective on the culture wars of Russia's transition to democracy." -- Michael G. Smith, Purdue University * American Historical Review *