Post-socialist transition: Deconstructing Russian Elite's policies and practices during the privatization process.

Abstract

This thesis reviews, evaluates and tries to deconstruct the privatization policies implemented in post-socialist Russia with regards to the elite's involvement. It is attempted to highlight the role of the new Russian elite by drawing information through the elite's discourses. In order to extract an understanding on the elites, related theories are concerned. Marxist theory provides the most complete notion on classes. In addition, elite theory covers a divergent space from that of Marxism, in a sociological perspective. Anthropology through the fieldwork conducted in post-socialist societies adds various information for their understanding. In order to confer a better understanding of the transition period, the study enhances the insights and findings of other relevant works that focused on the theory of post-socialism and anthropological perspectives of socialism and its collapse. The study is conducted so as to signalize the policies implemented in the privatization process during transition, with regards to the gains of a small but powerful class and losses for the majority of the society. The historical and political framework within privatization took place is also necessary to study, as far as the dissolution of the USSR created various reclassifications in social, political and economic life in Russia. In this regard, this thesis wishes to reveal the “success” factors that shaped the elites, by describing the motives and determinants that encouraged the process of privatization and by underlining the unique contextual characteristics given in Russian Oligarchs.