Introduction

The collapse of the Soviet regime, as one of the grand events of modern history, has rightly raised basic and vexing questions for scholarship. The assumptions and methodologies undergirding the study of the politics of the former Soviet Union and of the Russian Federation and the other successor states are open for scrutiny and debate as never before, as well as to research based on direct contact and observation. There is a powerful trend in the transformed field of "post-Sovietology" toward working with large-scale variables. In the process, it is argued will focus on the most fundamental intellectual issues and will best engage in cross-national comparisons, especially with other countries undergoing transitions away from authoritarian rule. The interest in systemic variables is to be applauded and ought to bear much fruit as the field develops. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.