Russia's Fate through Russian Eyes: Voices of the New Generation

Abstract

Over 25 young Russian intellectuals describe the perplexing, sometimes shocking, and often contradictory evolution of their troubled country.. Blowing the cobwebs from antiquated notions of Russia as an enigmatic nation doomed to tragic failure, twenty-eight articulate and entrepreneurial young Russian men and women--representatives of a new generation who came of age during and after the fall of the Soviet Union--record the hopes, fears, and triumphs of recent years. These trailblazers share stories of the very specific actions they and others like them have taken to move Russia toward a more civilized, responsible, and vibrant society. They describe their efforts to reshape the Russian state, cope with the new economic rules, strive toward a rule of law, build a civil society, and preserve Russian culture while modernizing its educational system. They paint a picture of a society borne up in its many travails by a stubborn will to survive and by a capacity to adapt ingeniously and swiftly to changes, both welcome and unwelcome.