ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to account for the alienation of Russian political elites (both in power and in the opposition) from the majority of the population, which is reflected in their beliefs and values as well as in the political conduct of their representatives. This alienation explains why liberal elites have lost political leadership. As I will seek to demonstrate, liberals are trying to regain leadership by recreating the perestroika model in which progressive elements in the government moved closer to the liberal intelligentsia. After feeling doomed to remain on the margins of society, the intelligentsia rode a powerful wave of public support and won over the majority for some time. However, I believe their new project will fail, as any new ‘perestroika’ will inevitably unfold in its own way.
