"This is an exemplary work of social science that elegantly and effortlessly marries theory to extensive empirical research. Thomas Sherlock shows, with reference to a wealth of evidence, just how official discourse and myths sustained the Soviet order, just how their delegitimation hastened the USSR's end, and just how their partial revival have helped consolidate Vladimir Putin's rule. Sherlock challenges institutionalist and rational choice orthodoxies and shows constructivists how to do constructivism right." - Alexander J. Motyl, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Newark"This book can be read as a history of emerging democracy, a historiographical examination, and as a case study drawing from, and contributing to, totalitarian theory specifically and political theory in general. Consequently, it should be of interest to diverse groups beyond the fields of Russian politics and regional studies. Historians of the period would be well served by reading this book, in addition to anyone interested in democratisation and comparative politics. The fact that Sherlock's clear prose is comparatively free of jargon will be a relief for specialists and non-specialists alike." - Michael Westrate, University of Notre Dame
