Modernisation has been a constant theme in Russian history at least
since Peter the Great launched a series of initiatives aimed at closing
the economic, technical and cultural gap between Russia and the more
'advanced' countries of Europe. All of the leaders of the Soviet Union
and post-Soviet Russia have been intensely aware of this gap, and have
pursued a number of strategies, some more successful than others, in
order to modernise the country. But it would be wrong to view
modernisation as a unilinear process which was the exclusive preserve of
the state. Modernisation has had profound effects on Russian society,
and the attitudes of different social groups have been crucial to the
success and failure of modernisation. This volume examines the broad
theme of modernisation in late imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia
both through general overviews of particular topics, and specific case
studies of modernisation projects and their impact. Modernisation is
seen not just as an economic policy, but as a cultural and social
phenomenon reflected through such diverse themes as ideology, welfare,
education, gender relations, transport, political reform, and the
Internet. The result is the most up to date and comprehensive survey of
modernisation in Russia available, which highlights both one of the
perennial problems and the challenges and prospects for contemporary
Russia.
