There are some books that every person teaching about Russian politics and Russian Political Theory should own. This is one of them. The book attempts to examine Russian conservatism and its current importance to Russian political thought. This is a very important topic that has framed political debate within Russia, and has profound implications for not only Russian domestic politics but Russia's relations with other countries as well. Therefore, this book is very important for scholars of Russian politics and international relations to read.
The book is divided into six sections, with each section examining a different aspect of Russian conservatism. For example, the first section examines the historical legacy of Russian conservatism from the Napoleonic era to the end of the twentieth century. While the first chapter by Mikhail Suslov and Dmitry Uzlaner discusses the importance of Russian conservatism and the issues that it raises, the second chapter really delves into the history of Russian conservatism.
Part two of the book begins to look at the philosophical roots of Russian conservatism. In Chapter 3, Mikhail Suslov discusses the core values of Russian conservatism, specifically arguing that community and culture are at the heart of the ideology. In Chapter 4, Dmitry Uzlaner discusses the use of scapegoats to promote conservatism. Arguing that Russian conservatism is a sociocultural phenomenon, Uzlaner maintains that Russian conservatism scapegoats vulnerable aspects of society to create a threat and help to coalesce supporters into a united philosophical approach.
One of the pitfalls of a book like this is that it could delve into the specific aspects of Russian conservatism and not be applicable to a wide variety of specialists and academics. This is not a problem with this volume, however. The editors have expertly woven in not only different approaches to Russian conservatism, but also examined different ways in which Russian conservatism is relevant to different areas of study. For example, it would be extremely easy to focus on Russian political theory and merely examine philosophers and their approaches in developing this ideology. However, the editors have compiled specialists who address the importance of Russian conservatism both domestically and in its foreign policy. Perhaps one of the most important sections of the book deals with the geopolitical aspects of Russian conservatism. As many scholars have studied the renewed cooling of relations between the United States and Russia, it is important to examine that in the context of Russian conservatism. Further, Marlene Laruelle discusses the common ground between Russian conservatism and American conservatism, especially with the alt-right movements in the United States. This is not only important in that it puts geopolitical rivalry into context, but also shows important parallels between US and Russian conservative thought.
An old Russian proverb states that Russia is a country with an unpredictable past. This is a very important viewpoint, which helps scholars understand the necessity of historical revisionism in forming ideology and achieving political goals. In part 5 of this book, the authors analyze how Russian conservatism has revised its understanding of Russian history. For example, Kåre Johan Mjør discusses the approach of Russian conservatism to long cycles of history. The idea is that Russia is a country with a thousand-year history, and that this history is extremely important in creating a Russian identity and nationality. Each historical period is equally important and helped contribute to Russian growth, culture, and spirituality. Interestingly, Russian history is not viewed through an approach of reaction to specific periods, such as the Russian revolution of 1917 being a reaction against Tsarist Russia, but rather of a continuing cycle of historical growth of anti-westernism and of achieving great power status in the global order.
One extremely important aspect of Russian conservatism is the close tie between political conservatism and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Orthodox faith provides important ideological building blocks for Russian conservatism. For example, Victor Shnirelman discusses apocalyptic theology as being fundamental to the view that Mother Russia is a pious country that refuses to accept the secular west and modernity. This perspective creates a view of Russian exceptionalism and means that Russia must be the true protector of traditional values and will triumph against the secular west.
One of the greatest deficiencies of this book is the fact that there seems to be no real concluding thoughts by the editors about the state of Russian conservatism. They have compiled a fascinating scholarly assessment of conservatism and its many different approaches, yet they do not synthesize the information into a clear conclusion. While scholars can utilize the different chapters to understand different sectors, there seems to be no consensus, conclusion, or prediction about the future of Russian conservatism. The editors do state that Russian conservatism is not a static concept and will continue to evolve, but it feels as though the editors could have made more of an effort to bring together all of the different scholarship to make general conclusions about Russian conservatism and its likelihood to dominate Russian domestic politics and foreign policy.
Ultimately, this book should be on every Russian specialist's bookshelf. It is extremely useful for understanding the complexities of Russian political thought, especially Russian conservatism. The editors have truly assembled an amazing array of scholars to shed light on this very important subject. I plan to continue to consult it for my own research interests for the foreseeable future.
