Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book assesses the implications of the collapse of communism and the transition to a risk society on youth and youth identity in post-Soviet Russia. It takes as its backdrop the legacy left by the Soviet era, especially the Soviet authority's attempt to construct a particular role for young people. The book shows the collapse of the Soviet state at the end of the 1980s–early 1990s has had enormous implications for young people's relations with the state and society in post-Soviet Russia. It outlines the major changes in Russia since the collapse of communism. The book then turns attention towards youth. It examines the role of young people in the process of social reproduction and assesses the degree to which young people in Western Europe, the US and Russia are able to achieve their goals and aims and reach their full potential.