A New Class in Russian Society

Abstract

One goal of the recent reforms was to facilitate the rapid emergence of a new class of property owners who were to become a stable pillar of the post-Soviet regime in Russia. The reformers have not yet achieved this objective, but they have made significant progress. It would be premature to say that Russian business people, or the "new Russians," constitute a class that has already been formed. We are observing only the initial stages in the formation of a new class in Russian society, the beginning of its consolidation and of its growing awareness of its own interests. Nonetheless, it is important to understand how capitalist entrepreneurs have been able to enter the scene in a society in which state socialism is not yet extinct. How were huge private fortunes accumulated in our country, and how is this process continuing? What does the appearance in Russia of the new class mean for its people and its economy? These and many other questions bearing on the formation of a new social structure in Russian society have been the center of attention of many economists, sociologists, historians, and political scientists. Our country is once again embarking on a social experiment unprecedented in history and on a huge scale: rather than capitalism and a bourgeoisie being formed over the course of centuries deep within feudal society, creating an obedient stratum of officials and encouraging liberal ideologues, ideologues and officials reared within a society of "developed socialism" are helping to form a bourgeoisie and capitalism. Moreover, these ideologues and officials hope to succeed within an extremely brief period.