In a series of two lectures, historian and politician Alexey Gusev will reflect on the inclination of the Russian state throughout history towards authoritarian regimes. Is there any particular reason? How is authoritarianism constructed? Is there any hope for democracy?
Russian history shows that there were often alternatives. The history of Ancient Rus was similar to that of most European states: a united monarchy surviving off agriculture and the feudal system. A different model developed at the same time was embodied by republics in the North, namely Novgorod and Pskov. They managed to create progressive protoparliament institutions which unfortunately failed to survive, crushed by the centralised power of the Moscow principality.
The situation repeated itself in the 17th century, when a civil uprising did not hesitate to save the absolute monarchy. Those Russian monarchs who tried to introduce liberal reforms are generally remembered as weak and unsuccessful: Pavel I was killed; Alexander I was himself disillusioned with his own policies; and Alexander II was murdered by terrorists.
Democratic periods and reforms in Russian history were provoked by crises, military defeats or economic failures. They did not develop into established institutions even during turbulent times in 1905–1907, 1917, or in 1989–1993.
There is a pattern, and it needs to be addressed.
About the speaker
Alexey Gusev is a historian and politician. He graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, the European Academy of Diplomacy in Warsaw and most recently the Queen Mary University in London.
He taught the history of Ukraine and of the Commonwealth of Independent States; his own research focuses on the history of nationalism, political opposition in Russia and diasporas.
In 2012 he was elected a local deputy in the Cheremushki district in Moscow and in 2017 he became the leader of the opposition faction in the local council. In 2021 he was prosecuted for a number of offences against the ruling regime and had to flee Russia.