Vodka Politics

Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Russia, Modern, 20th Century, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International
Cover of the book Vodka Politics by Mark Lawrence Schrad, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Lawrence Schrad ISBN: 9780199912452
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: January 6, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Mark Lawrence Schrad
ISBN: 9780199912452
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: January 6, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Russia is famous for its vodka, and its culture of extreme intoxication. But just as vodka is central to the lives of many Russians, it is also central to understanding Russian history and politics. In Vodka Politics, Mark Lawrence Schrad argues that debilitating societal alcoholism is not hard-wired into Russians' genetic code, but rather their autocratic political system, which has long wielded vodka as a tool of statecraft. Through a series of historical investigations stretching from Ivan the Terrible through Vladimir Putin, Vodka Politics presents the secret history of the Russian state itself-a history that is drenched in liquor. Scrutinizing (rather than dismissing) the role of alcohol in Russian politics yields a more nuanced understanding of Russian history itself: from palace intrigues under the tsars to the drunken antics of Soviet and post-Soviet leadership, vodka is there in abundance. Beyond vivid anecdotes, Schrad scours original documents and archival evidence to answer provocative historical questions. How have Russia's rulers used alcohol to solidify their autocratic rule? What role did alcohol play in tsarist coups? Was Nicholas II's ill-fated prohibition a catalyst for the Bolshevik Revolution? Could the Soviet Union have become a world power without liquor? How did vodka politics contribute to the collapse of both communism and public health in the 1990s? How can the Kremlin overcome vodka's hurdles to produce greater social well-being, prosperity, and democracy into the future? Viewing Russian history through the bottom of the vodka bottle helps us to understand why the "liquor question" remains important to Russian high politics even today-almost a century after the issue had been put to bed in most every other modern state. Indeed, recognizing and confronting vodka's devastating political legacies may be the greatest political challenge for this generation of Russia's leadership, as well as the next.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Russia is famous for its vodka, and its culture of extreme intoxication. But just as vodka is central to the lives of many Russians, it is also central to understanding Russian history and politics. In Vodka Politics, Mark Lawrence Schrad argues that debilitating societal alcoholism is not hard-wired into Russians' genetic code, but rather their autocratic political system, which has long wielded vodka as a tool of statecraft. Through a series of historical investigations stretching from Ivan the Terrible through Vladimir Putin, Vodka Politics presents the secret history of the Russian state itself-a history that is drenched in liquor. Scrutinizing (rather than dismissing) the role of alcohol in Russian politics yields a more nuanced understanding of Russian history itself: from palace intrigues under the tsars to the drunken antics of Soviet and post-Soviet leadership, vodka is there in abundance. Beyond vivid anecdotes, Schrad scours original documents and archival evidence to answer provocative historical questions. How have Russia's rulers used alcohol to solidify their autocratic rule? What role did alcohol play in tsarist coups? Was Nicholas II's ill-fated prohibition a catalyst for the Bolshevik Revolution? Could the Soviet Union have become a world power without liquor? How did vodka politics contribute to the collapse of both communism and public health in the 1990s? How can the Kremlin overcome vodka's hurdles to produce greater social well-being, prosperity, and democracy into the future? Viewing Russian history through the bottom of the vodka bottle helps us to understand why the "liquor question" remains important to Russian high politics even today-almost a century after the issue had been put to bed in most every other modern state. Indeed, recognizing and confronting vodka's devastating political legacies may be the greatest political challenge for this generation of Russia's leadership, as well as the next.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Last Pagans of Rome by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Emerging Adulthood by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book The Global Environment, Natural Resources, and Economic Growth by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Behavioral Neurology by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Wonders of Numbers by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Understanding Poverty by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book The Kurdish Question Revisited by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Souls in Transition:The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Helping Parents with Challenging Children Positive Family Intervention Parent Workbook by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Understanding Second Language Acquisition 2nd Edition - Oxford Applied Linguistics by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book The Oxford History of Islam by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book South Sudan by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book World of Faith and Freedom by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book The Anatomy of Myth by Mark Lawrence Schrad
Cover of the book Historical Perspectives on Climate Change by Mark Lawrence Schrad
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy