Political Extremism in Contemporary Russia

Abstract

Despite the vast research by Russian scholars on the topic of political extremism, little is known about the contemporary situation and current perspective of extreme right and left movements as well as their social support groups. The overall images that emerge from the literature are biased and politically defined. This study reveals the workings of extreme right- and left-wing movements, aimed at an international audience, through documents and literature analysis, data analysis and interviews with young participants of radical political organisations living in Volgograd and Volzhsky (South Russia). This research report outlines the evolution of extreme political movements and their impact on contemporary socio-economic and political processes within the state, and on public opinion. The interviews and data analysis add nuance to our understanding of who supports radical movements and who gains membership in right- and left-wing extreme organisations. This study is part of a growing body of research on political extremism and the new nationalism phenomenon in the Russian Federation and post-Soviet states and will contribute to future research on similar topics.