In search of great Russia: Elites, ideas, power, the state, and the pre-revolutionary past in the new Russia, 1991-199

This thesis examines the debate from 1991-1996 among the Russian political elite about Russia's political identity--the nature of Russia's statehood (derzhavnost'), and Russia's role in the geopolitical arena after the collapse of the USSR. Specifically, it analyzes the search for a defining principle--the so-called "Russian Idea"--among the elite, tracing the origins of this concept in Russian history, and discusses the implications of the central component of this idea--that Russia was, is and shall remain a "Great Power." As part of the analysis, the thesis examines elite definitions of Russia as a Great Power, addresses the concept of power itself, assesses the impact of elite definitions of power on the state's internal development and foreign policy, and compares the contemporary definitions, concepts and assessments with those of the pre-Revolutionary elite.;The thesis describes how, from 1991-1996, the Russian political elite methodically sought inspiration from their counterparts in late imperial Russia, who between 1905-1914 had become similarly fixated on the importance of maintaining Russia's geopolitical status in the face of serious domestic and international challenges. The thesis argues that, by 1996, the Russian political elite's almost singular focus on restoring Russia's former "Great Power" glory was based on outdated conceptions of the nature of state power and an unrealistic assessment of Russia's capabilities.;According to all measures of state power, both before the Russian Revolution of 1917, and in the immediate post-Soviet period, Russia was not a "Great Power." Rather, the state's position and influence in world affairs was more the result of its sheer size and general perceptions of its long-term potential, than of its actual economic and political condition or its ability to project power effectively.;The thesis concludes by showing that the Russian elite's obsession with the power and prestige of the Russian state during the immediate post-Soviet period was misguided for another reason: it was completely out of step with the interests of the Russian population which, at that time, were focused on pragmatic concerns of improved living standards and stability.