ABSTRACT
As classics of elite theory suggest, studies of political systems are studies of political elites. This is especially true for societies undergoing ‘the triple transitions’, and facing complex tasks of simultaneous democratization, marketization and building of the nation-states (Offe, 1991). Russia is no exception in this respect – the post-Soviet transition in Russia, as elsewhere, to a great extent was produced by and depends upon various segments of elites. However, the outcomes of the transition process in Russia were quite different from those of most East European countries. While many postCommunist countries seem to pursue a general pattern of political development that becomes more similar to West European states, the perspectives of democratic development in Russia are still uncertain after more than a decade without Communist rule.
