ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the different ideological and socio-economic positions that have been taken by different social groups within Russia since the fall of the one-Party system. It shows that the different and fragmented positions within Russia are contesting neoliberal hegemony and that these contestations highlight a historical tradition born from a combination of cultural, social and geopolitical traits. Russia's development historically has focused around a struggle between Europeanising social forces (expressed by the zapadniki) and isolationist or nationalist social forces (expressed in terms of the derzhavniki). Russian neo-communism embodies a wide range of ideological positions and traditions, much of which are often contradictory in their nature. Although post-Cold War communism within Russia is often rooted in much of the derzhavnik tradition, it should not be misunderstood as just simply another strain of nationalism. The differing ideological approaches within Russian society have been emphasised with the formation of many political groups and social movements.
