Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of abbreviations; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 The diplomacy of counter-revolution; 2 The shock of the 'Orange Revolution'; 3 The spectre of a 'Moscow Maidan'; 4 Nashi: the mobilisation of patriotism; 5 The taming of civil society; 6 The death of politics; 7 The 'extremists': 'The Other Russia' and the struggle for the streets; Conclusions; Notes; Select bibliography; Index
Summary
This book examines the 'preventive counter-revolution, ' a programme of reforms and repression that transformed the face of Russian politics during Vladimir Putin's second term as president. Kremlin propagandists hailed this programme as a defence of national sovereignty against Western attempts to foment a 'velvet revolution' in Russia. But this book shows that the Putin regime was reacting to a real domestic threat: opposition leaders and youth activists who had begun to employ 'velvet' revolutionary methods in a campaign to harness popular grievances and to challenge Putin in the streets
