The "New Russians," the State, and Civil Society

Abstract

The problem of crime in a transition society in general, and in Russia in particular, is part of a much broader problem of "liberation from the state." The road to such liberation is not necessarily a peaceful one. The emergence of a new view on life, new ideas of what is permissible and what is not, what is morally justified and what is prohibited, may be manifested in the collective and concerted actions of society as a whole or in a significant segment of society, thereby producing a revolution. Also, the adoption of new moral practices and the rejection of older ones may take place at the individual level, and in this case we may speak of a person's "escape" from state and society.