The price of the past: Russia's struggle with the legacy of a militarized economy

Abstract

Today, Russia produces only a small fraction of the arms it did five years ago, but militarization of its economy is hardly an issue of the past. As this book clearly demonstrates, the costs it imposed represent one of the biggest continuing burdens that Russia will have to bear. One of Clifford Gaddy's main purposes is to uncover the enduring costs of militarization. This unique book stresses the connection between market reform and demilitarization in Russia. It shows how introducing market prices and giving citizens and firms freedom of choice have progressively stripped away many of the advantages previously enjoyed by the Soviet military-industrial complex. It also concentrates on the consequences of militarization and demilitarization not only for enterprises, but also for individuals and local communities. This broad view provides new insights into how pervasive militarization really was in Soviet Russia and how difficult demilarization will continue to be in the transition period.