Loft Offices and Factory Towns: Social Sources of Political Polarization in Russia
Journal: Socialist register
Year: 2022

This essay explores the dynamics of political polarization in Russia with a particular focus on class. We find that the divide between the pro-reform camp and the left-nationalist opposition in the 1990s had a distinctly class character. In the 2000s, the polarization in society receded – both due to the objective factors (sustained economic recovery) and Vladimir Putin’s clever symbolic politics. However, the price to pay was widespread political apathy and the emergence of an authoritarian reg