Political elites in the process of transformation of post-Soviet states

general courses

The course is dedicated to the functioning of political elites in the countries of the region during the process of transformation. The main lecture topics include: an introduction to elite theory; elites in transitional processes; transformation and new political elites; circulation of post-Soviet elites - nomenklatura elites and national-democratic elites; the issue of converting political capital into material capital (oligarchy); challenges of evolution and transformation of post-Soviet elites. Special attention will be given to the functioning of contemporary political elites and systems in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.

Classes are held in the form of a lecture with elements of a seminar. The content of individual lectures will be a combination of problematic issues of transformation theory and elite theory with an analysis of contemporary examples and the political history of the states of the region after 1991.

The course consists of 8 thematic blocks:

Block 1: Theories of elites and the specifics of the post-Soviet countries (the most important theories and concepts of elites; typology of political elites and the most important processes within the elites) Block 2: Introduction to the theory of transformation; systemic transformation vs transitology (approaches and methodology);

Block 3: political elites and post-Soviet transformations; studying the political elites of the countries of the region;

Block 4: vision of post-Soviet transformations: Western, Eastern and domestic approaches (examples of selected countries of the region);

Block 5: Processes within the post-Soviet elites (circulation of elites - nomenklatura elites against national democratic elites):

Block 6: Post-Soviet Transformation and Democratization: Pitfalls of Value Approaches;

Block 7: post-Soviet transformation and the issue of oligarchization of political systems;

Box 8: concrete examples of the transformation of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia (as well as other countries in the region);

Recommended monographs, reports and articles:

Almond G., Powell J., Dalton J., Strom K. (red.), Comparative Politics Today, a World View, ed. 9, Nowy Jork 2010.

Best H., Higley J. (red.), The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites, Palgrave Macmillan 2018

Bodio T. (red.), Przywództwo, elity i transformacje w krajach WNP, t. 1, Warszawa 2010

Bottomore T., Elites and Society, Londyn 1993

Dahl R., A critic of the Ruling Elite Model, w: Political Science Review, vol. 52, Yale 1958

Duka A. (red.), Vlast’ i elity, t.1-3, Sankt-Petersburg 2014-2016

Guriev S., Treisman D., Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century, Princeton 2022 (+ ed. 2023 / Polish edition)

Fedor J., Kangaspuro M., Lasilla J., Zhurzhenko T. (red.), War and Memory in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Palgrave Macmillan 2017

Frentzel-Zagórska J., Wasilewski J. (red.), The Second Generation of Democratic Elites in Central and eastern Europe, Warszawa 2000

Holzer J., Balik S., Postkomunistyczne reżimy niedemokratyczne : badania nad przemianami teorii politycznej w okresie po transformacji ustrojowej, Kraków 2009

Kononov I., Transformacionnyi opyt Ukrainy, Rossii i Belarusi: poisk interpretativnyh modeley, Visnyk LNU nr 12(199)/2010

Korostelina K., Constructing thr Narratives of Identity and Power, Lanham 2014

Lane D., Ross C., The Transition from Communism to Capitalism. Ruling Elites from Gorbachev to Yeltsin, Nowy Jork 1999

Legucka A., Kupiecki R. (eds), Disinformation, Narratives and Memory Politics in Russia and Belarus, Routledge 2022

Linz J., Stepan A., Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Southern Europe, South America and Post-Communist Europe, Baltimore-Londyn 1996

Maćków J., Communism and its transformation in Europe and Russia, SEW UW, Warszawa 2020 (https://issuu.com/uw87/docs/04_mackow_collect)

Gel’man V., Postsovetskie političeskie transformacii: nabroski k teorii, „Obŝestvennye nauki i sovremennost’” 2001, nr 1

Gel’man V., Tarusina I., Studies of political elites in Russia: issues and alternatives, w: “Communist and Post-Communist Studies” 2000, t. 33, nr 3

Riabchuk M., Eastern Europe since 1989: between loosened authoritarianism and unconsolidated democracy. Essays from lectures, SEW UW, Warszawa 2020 (https://issuu.com/uw87/docs/09_rjabczuk_collect)

For a deeper analysis, Russian-language articles and fragments of monographs on specific topics will be sent during the course of lectures.

Students will gain insight into pivotal research perspectives concerning post-Soviet transformation, methodologies for studying contemporary political elites, and the nuances of the so-called post-Homo Sovieticus. Of particular significance is the exposition of scholarly contributions from researchers within the region of these nations, encompassing perspectives beyond the Western paradigm.

Preparation of a critical analytical essay