ABSTRACT
The discussion of the perception of the strong state in Russia is not a discussion about a democratic and authoritarian regime or whether people endorse this or that type of regime more. The normative assumption in the past has been that Russia’s transformation has followed theories of democratization, which led us to have misleading expectations of the direction it would follow and consequently of the methods which Russia’s regime would use to consolidate its power. This consolidation is a common object of all types of regimes, whether they are undemocratic or democratic. Rulers aim to increase the support and consent of their subjects: only the methods vary. In this respect we are not speaking about failed attempts of Russia’s regime to promote democracy, but about the instruments it has successfully used to gain popular support.
