Graeme Gill
Biographic Data
| ID | 3595828 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Graeme Gill |
| GIVEN NAMES | Graeme |
| FAMILY NAME | Gill |
| SIGNATURE | GILL G |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Sydney |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8826-0971 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 58 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 132 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 58 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Personalist Leadership in Russia
Leaders in personalist regimes like Russia are continually faced with the need to ensure that their position is not challenged by other members of the ruling group. Historically, personalist leaders have responded to this situation by implementing a series of authority-building strategies. This paper identifies nine such strategies – institutional control, symbolic authority-building, alliance-making, factional development, transactional dynamics…
Routledge Handbook of Russian Politics and Society
Routledge Handbook of Russian Politics and Society
The Russian Revolution After One Hundred Years
The Russian revolution was the defining episode of the twentieth century. It led to the transformation of Russia into one of the superpowers on the globe, but one that exhibited a development model that was both different from and a challenge to the predominant model in the West. The Soviet experiment offered a different model for organising society. This was at the basis of the way in which international politics in the whole post-second world w…
Images of Russia in Western scholarship
Initially Western scholars generally assumed that Russia would become a ‘normal’ democratic state, taking its place in the existing world order. They attributed this to Yeltsin's democratic credentials, but they could do so only by ignoring the clear flaws in Russian democracy as it developed under his presidency. This means that when Russia moved in a more authoritarian direction under Yeltsin’s successor Vladimir Putin, the explanation that mos…
The Stalin Cult as Political Religion
Political religion is a concept that gained prominence around the middle of the twentieth century, being associated for many with the idea of a totalitarian regime. Political religion was seen as a secular ideology whose followers took it up with the enthusiasm and commitment normally associated with adherence to religion. Comprising liturgy, ritual and the sacralization of politics, it created a community of believers, and usually had a transcen…
The Unsettling of Europe. The Great Migration, 1945 to the Present
Stalinism and Executive Power
One of the key characteristics of Stalinism was the relationship between its formal and informal aspects. This is reflected clearly in the way in which, over time, the formal institutions of rule were supplanted by more informal mechanisms of decision-making. However, although the formal institutions seemed to atrophy, they were not abolished, but continued to become the basis upon which the post-Stalin leadership rested. The essay explains why o…
Introduction
STALINISM, PARTICULARLY THE PERIOD OF STALIN’S RULE in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), must be one of the most investigated topics in the field of Soviet studies. Most of those studies, while enriching our empirical knowledge of Stalinism, especially in the wake of the so-called ‘archival revolution’, focusing primarily on the phenomenon as it unfolded in the Soviet Union, have eschewed locating Stalinism in broader typologies of …
Lost Kingdom. A History of Russian Nationalism from Ivan the Great to Vladimir Putin
Collective Leadership in Soviet Politics
Political Stability and Putin’s Russia
Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012 and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia in 2014 prompted many observers to argue that the Russian regime was in crisis and its fall was imminent. The problem is that such analyses have focused purely on the situation in Russia itself, listing the challenges and declaring that they would bring about the regime’s fall. However, by simply enumerating the challenges the regime faces, such an…
Political Symbols and Regime Change
The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union in 1991created a dilemma for the post-communist authorities of what they were to do about Soviet symbolic discourse. This was central to the task of regime legitimation. The post-Soviet regime sought to eliminate the multivocalism of symbols by encapsulating them in a new cultural-historical narrative. This involved a coming to grips with the Soviet period, and has been immensely complicated by the na…
Introduction
Symbols are central features of organized human life, helping to define perception, shaping the way we view the world and understand what goes on within it. But, despite this key role in shaping understanding, there is never a single interpretation of a symbol that everyone within the community will accept, and the way in which symbols can mobilize antagonistic political factions demonstrates that they are as much a central element for power stru…
Collective Leadership in Soviet Politics
A Quarter Century of Post-Communism Assessed
A Difficult Neighbourhood. Essays on Russia and East‐Central Europe Since World War II
A Difficult Neighbourhood. Essays on Russia and East‐Central Europe Since World War II. By John Besemeres (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2016). Three maps. AU$60.00 (pb)
Putin’s Kleptocracy
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The Basis of Putin’s Power
This paper focuses on the way Vladimir Putin has sought to build a power base within Russian politics. This base has rested on two foundations: institutional consolidation and elite management. With regard to the institutional basis, he has relied on the constitutional position of the presidency reinforced by the power vertical, the party of power, and the presidential apparatus. He has sought to manage the elite by means of his personal administ…
Alexander Yakovlev
Russia and the Vulnerability of Electoral Authoritarianism
The notion of electoral authoritarianism emerged in the post-cold war world to refer to authoritarian systems that used seemingly democratic electoral means to stabilize non-democratic systems. This was achieved through the production of massive electoral majorities for the ruling party. However an element of uncertainty remains with such elections in that the ruling party may be either defeated or suffer a significant electoral rebuff. Such even…
Soviet and Post-Soviet Identities, edited by Mark Bassin and Catriona Kelly
India, Central Asia and the Eurasian Union
India has had long-standing interests in the Central Asian region. Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a Eurasian Union and the recent announcement of the creation of a Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) raises some important questions for this. What impact will the EEU have on Indian ambitions? We argue that all three Indian initiatives to ‘connect’ to Central Asia—the International North South Corridor, the IPI, and TAPI—now either have Russian support or…
Symbolism and Regime Change in Russia
During the Soviet period, political symbolism developed into a coherent narrative that underpinned Soviet political development. Following the collapse of the Soviet regime and its widespread rejection by the Russian people, a new form of narrative was needed, one which both explained the state of existing society and gave a sense of its direction. By examining the imagery contained in presidential addresses, the political system, the public sphe…
Political Symbolism and the Fall of the USSR
When Gorbachev came to power he inherited not simply a system in crisis, but a structure of symbols that was embedded within the broader political system and which was also in crisis. Given the ideocratic nature of the Soviet system, any change to that system would require symbolic change as well. This essay charts how Gorbachev sought to come to grips with this problem, investing some symbols with new meaning while rejecting others. It shows how…
Changing Symbols
The Decline of a Dominant Party and the Destabilization of Electoral Authoritarianism
The demonstrations following the December 2011 legislative election and the poorer performance of United Russia in that election suggest a potential crisis in the Russian electoral authoritarian regime. Assuming the Russian leadership wishes to stabilize electoral authoritarian rule, how should it go about doing this? Increasing electoral competition and decreasing control potentially can lead to democratization, and therefore regime change. A sa…
A new turn to authoritarian Rule in Russia
Many observers have pointed to the increasingly authoritarian nature of President Putin's regime in Russia. This apparent turn away from democracy has generally been attributed either to Russian political culture or to the security background of Putin himself and many of those he has brought to office. However, analysis of the democratization literature suggests that the sources of Russia's authoritarianism may lie in the nature of the initial tr…
The Soviet Leader Cult
A common feature of authoritarian regimes throughout history has been the creation of an elaborate mystique around the leader. This has consisted, in general terms, of the building up of the leader into a figure of superhuman dimensions dwarfing all the lesser mortals who surround him. Although such a cult often pandered to and was inflated by the egoism of its principal, its presence across millennia and cultural differences suggests a systemic …
Democratization, the Bourgeoisie and Russia
THE PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA REMAIN ONE OF THE MOST compelling questions both for scholarly analysis and in international politics. But in attempting to survey the prospects for a democratic future in post-communist Russia, all too often we are blinded by the dramas of the moment. Conflict between president and legislature, the success first of Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party and then of the communists in successive legislative el…
Introduction
Symbols are central features of organized human life, helping to define perception, shaping the way we view the world and understand what goes on within it. But, despite this key role in shaping understanding, there is never a single interpretation of a symbol that everyone within the community will accept, and the way in which symbols can mobilize antagonistic political factions demonstrates that they are as much a central element for power stru…
Lenin Lives’
Symbols play an important role in the politics of all societies, especially at times of regime change when the symbols of the former regime are subject to three types of process: co-optation, contestation, and disavowal. An important symbol in post-communist Russia has been the body of Vladimir Lenin and, in particular, debate over whether it should remain in the mausoleum where it currently lies or whether it should be buried. Public opinion pol…
Institutionalisation and revolution
Russia and the Vulnerability of Electoral Authoritarianism
The notion of electoral authoritarianism emerged in the post-cold war world to refer to authoritarian systems that used seemingly democratic electoral means to stabilize non-democratic systems. This was achieved through the production of massive electoral majorities for the ruling party. However an element of uncertainty remains with such elections in that the ruling party may be either defeated or suffer a significant electoral rebuff. Such even…
Political Symbolism and the Fall of the USSR
When Gorbachev came to power he inherited not simply a system in crisis, but a structure of symbols that was embedded within the broader political system and which was also in crisis. Given the ideocratic nature of the Soviet system, any change to that system would require symbolic change as well. This essay charts how Gorbachev sought to come to grips with this problem, investing some symbols with new meaning while rejecting others. It shows how…
The Single Party as an Agent of Development
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The mainsprings of peasant action in 1917
(1978). The mainsprings of peasant action in 1917. Soviet Studies: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 63-86
The Stalin Cult as Political Religion
Political religion is a concept that gained prominence around the middle of the twentieth century, being associated for many with the idea of a totalitarian regime. Political religion was seen as a secular ideology whose followers took it up with the enthusiasm and commitment normally associated with adherence to religion. Comprising liturgy, ritual and the sacralization of politics, it created a community of believers, and usually had a transcen…
Political Stability and Putin’s Russia
Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012 and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia in 2014 prompted many observers to argue that the Russian regime was in crisis and its fall was imminent. The problem is that such analyses have focused purely on the situation in Russia itself, listing the challenges and declaring that they would bring about the regime’s fall. However, by simply enumerating the challenges the regime faces, such an…
Putin’s Kleptocracy
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Liberalization and Democratization in the Soviet Union and Russia
One of the principal challenges facing political science is understanding and explaining the changes occurring in the Soviet Union/Russia after 1985. This article argues that two concepts taken from the transition to democracy literature, liberalization and democratization, are useful for understanding the dynamics of change in this region. It argues that a policy of liberalization stimulated a process of liberalization, which in turn generated a…
Peasants and political consciousness
The mainsprings of peasant action in 1917
(1978). The mainsprings of peasant action in 1917. Soviet Studies: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 63-86
The Failure of Rural Policy in Russia, February-October 1917
On October 25-26, 1917 (O.S.), the nominal government of Russia, the third coalition of the Provisional Government headed by Alexander Kerensky, was pushed from power with ridiculous ease by the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks' plans were no secret; it had been common knowledge for some weeks that they were planning a move against the government. The Provisional Government, however, was incapable of taking any effective action. By October the governme…
Peasants and political consciousness
Peasants and Government in the Russian Revolution
The Soviet Leader Cult
A common feature of authoritarian regimes throughout history has been the creation of an elaborate mystique around the leader. This has consisted, in general terms, of the building up of the leader into a figure of superhuman dimensions dwarfing all the lesser mortals who surround him. Although such a cult often pandered to and was inflated by the egoism of its principal, its presence across millennia and cultural differences suggests a systemic …
Institutionalisation and revolution
On rules and the soviet political system
On rules and the soviet political system: A reply to William Maley." Soviet Studies, 38(1), pp. 107–108
Soviet dilemmas
Archie Brown and Michael Kaser (eds), Soviet Policy for the 1980s, London, Macmillan, 1982, pp.282. £7.95 (paper) David Childs, The GDR: Moscow's Ally, London, Allen & Unwin, 1983, pp.346. $19.95 (paper) Ferenc Fehér and Agnes Heller, Hungary 1956 Revisited. The Message of a Revolution — a Quarter of a Century After, London, Allen & Unwin, 1983, pp.174. $29.95 (cloth) Paul G. Lewis (ed.) Eastern Europe: Political Crisis and Legitimation, London &…
The Future of the General Secretary
Historically, the position of General Secretary has been the most important in the Soviet political structure and the vehicle through which individuals have been able to establish their personal primacy. During the post-Khrushchev period attempts were made to place clear limitations upon that position in order to prevent the recurrence of an activist, powerful General Secretary. The reforms were aimed at (a) producing greater institutional defini…
The Single Party as an Agent of Development
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Bolshevism and the Party Form
The Rules of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Preface - Glossary - Introduction - Key - THE RULES - Decisions of the Congress. Adopted at the I Congress of the RSDRP, March 18 - Organizational Rules of the RSDRP. Adopted at the II Congress, July-August 1903 - Rules of the Party. Adopted at the III Congress of the RSDRP, April 1905 - Organizational Rules. Apoted at the IV (Unified) Congress of the RSDRP, April 1906 - Organizational Rules. Adopted at the V (London) Congress of the RSDRP, May 1…
The Soviet Union and Southeast Asia
Soviet Third World policy under Gorbachev has downgraded the importance of ideology and military force in favour of greater pragmatism and diplomatic activism. An example of this shift is the recent Soviet policy towards Southeast Asia, which has been marked by frequent diplomatic visits, drive for better trade links, support for a Southeast Asian Nuclear Free Zone and efforts to improve ties with Indonesia. But its alliance with Vietnam remains …
The Origins of the Stalinist Political System
The Politics of Transition
The Soviet system has undergone a dramatic transformation: from communist monopoly to multiparty politics, from marxism to competing values, from centralisation to fragmentation, and from state ownership to a mixed economy. This book, by three of the West's leading scholars of Soviet and post-Soviet affairs, traces the politics of transition in the late 1980s and early 1990s from its origins to its uncertain post-communist future. The authors ana…
Liberalization and Democratization in the Soviet Union and Russia
One of the principal challenges facing political science is understanding and explaining the changes occurring in the Soviet Union/Russia after 1985. This article argues that two concepts taken from the transition to democracy literature, liberalization and democratization, are useful for understanding the dynamics of change in this region. It argues that a policy of liberalization stimulated a process of liberalization, which in turn generated a…
Russian state-building and the problems of geopolitics
A basic task of the state is to ensure the continuation and security of the community within which it is found. In an attempt to achieve this, state elites pursue long-term strategies. Such strategies involve not just questions of external security, but also the structuring of domestic society with an eye to faciliting the extraction and mobilisation of resources. The tsarist state sought to achieve this through a cooptive strategy which left som…
Power in the Party
This book examines the course of official criticism of republican leaderships in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from Stalin's death until the collapse of central control in the late 1980s. It
Stalinism
Drawing on research based on access to the recently-opened Soviet archives, this new edition provides a valuable thematic account of the nature of Stalinism. The author surveys the arguments about the
Democratization, the Bourgeoisie and Russia
THE PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA REMAIN ONE OF THE MOST compelling questions both for scholarly analysis and in international politics. But in attempting to survey the prospects for a democratic future in post-communist Russia, all too often we are blinded by the dramas of the moment. Conflict between president and legislature, the success first of Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party and then of the communists in successive legislative el…
The Dynamics of Democratization
The author assesses the main theories developed to account for and explain why and how authoritarian regimes give way to democratic ones. The book takes issue with the predominantly élite-centred focu
The Nature and Development of the Modern State
The Modern State The Ancient State The Feudal and Early Modern State The State, Capitalism and Industrialization The Western State and the Outside World The Twentieth Century: the State Embedded? State Capacity in a Globalized World
Democracy and Post-Communism
The collapse of communism was widely heralded as the dawn of democracy across the former Soviet region. However, the political outcome has been much less uniform. The post-communist states have developed political systems from democracy to dictatorship. Using examples and empirical data collected from twenty-six former Soviet states, Graeme Gill provides a detailed comparative analysis of the core issues of regime change, the creation of civil so…
Paths to Democracy
Paths to Democracy: Revolution and Totalitarianism. By Rosemary H. T. O'Kane. New York: Routledge, 2004. 288p. $110.00 cloth, $33.95 paper. In this book, Rosemary O'Kane seeks to restore a political dimension to the comparative historical analysis of paths to democracy. Reacting against the focus upon social structure that has been so prominent in the analysis of democratic and nondemocratic regime trajectories, she attempts to provide an explana…
Changing Symbols
Political science (52 works) · Law (47 works) · Politics (45 works) · Sociology (34 works) · Political economy (31 works) · Law (28 works) · History (23 works) · Eastern European Communism and Reforms (20 works) · Economics (18 works) · Soviet and Russian History (17 works)