Russian Liberalism

Russian Liberalism charts the development of liberal ideas and political organizations in Russia as well as the implementation of liberal reforms by the Russian and Soviet governments at various points in time. Paul Robinson's comprehensive survey covers the entire period from the late eighteenth century to the present day.

Robinson demonstrates that liberalism has always lacked strong roots in the Russian population, being largely espoused by a narrow group of intellectuals whose culture it has reflected, and has tended toward a form of historical determinism that sees Russia as destined to become like the West.

Many see the current political struggle between Russia and the West as being in part a conflict between the liberal West and an illiberal Russia. By explaining the historical causes of liberalism's failure in that country, Russian Liberalism offers an understanding of a significant aspect of contemporary international affairs. After Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, understanding Russian political thought is a matter of considerable importance.

Paul Robinson is a professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa. He is the author of Russian Conservatism and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich.

Russian Liberalism remain an authoritative book on the subject for the foreseeable future. Robinson pairs erudition with admirably calibrated judgment; he manages to resist the terrible simplifications that too often dominate punditry, and even scholarship, on all things Russian.

Randall A. Poole, co-editor of Law and the Christian Tradition in Modern Russia:

There is no other study which examines Russian liberalism as a whole from its origins to post-soviet Russia.

Richard Sakwa, author of Frontline Ukraine:

This book represents a major landmark in the study of liberalism in Russia. It is a comprehensive and analytical introduction to a complex and much-debated subject and will be welcomed by the scholarly community as well as by a broader non-specialist audience.