ABSTRACT
The transition from communism, in its most general aspects, is widely-but in an important sense, unfortunately-described as democratisation. What makes this description 'unfortunate' has to do with the complexity and extent of the changes (which are far broader than political), and with easy assumptions about the intrinsic merits and success of their destination. Nevertheless, we must play with the hand we are dealt. This paper therefore stresses the breadth of the changes of this democratisation-political, economic, social, and in some cases national-and the drag of the communist legacy which influences its progress and affects its outcomes. It examines, in particular, the role of nationalism in affecting the process of democratisation in Russia: partly because nationalism has played a major role in short-term political affairs, notably the recent and decisive election of Vladimir Putin as Russia's President; and partly because it provides an indication of the type of society that will emerge from the transition. Furthermore, the case of nationalism highlights a central problem of the Russian transition: a lack of leadership.
