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  3. The Return of Ideology: The Search for Regime Identities in Postcommunist Russia and China

The Return of Ideology: The Search for Regime Identities in Postcommunist Russia and China

Cheng Chen
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  • Overview

  • Contents

As a nation makes the transition from communism to democracy or another form of authoritarianism, its regime must construct not only new political institutions, but also a new political ideology that can guide policy and provide a sense of mission. The new ideology is crucial for legitimacy at home and abroad, as well as the regime's long-term viability. In The Return of Ideology, Cheng Chen compares post-communist regimes, with a focus on Russia under Putin and post-Deng China, investigating the factors that affect the success of an ideology-building project and identifies the implications for international affairs.

Successful ideology-building requires two necessary—but not sufficient—conditions. The regime must establish a coherent ideological repertoire that takes into account the nation's ideological heritage and fresh surges of nationalism. Also, the regime must attract and maintain a strong commitment to the emerging ideology among the political elite.

Drawing on rich primary sources, including interviews, surveys, political speeches, writings of political leaders, and a variety of publications, Chen identifies the major obstacles to ideology-building in modern Russia and China and assesses their respective long-term prospects. Whereas creating a new regime ideology has been a protracted and difficult process in China, it has been even more so in Russia. The ability to forge an ideology is not merely a domestic concern for these two nations, but a matter of international import as these two great powers move to assert and extend their influence in the world.

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • List of Abbreviations
  • Chapter 1. Introduction
  • Chapter 2. Regime Ideology and Postcommunism
  • Chapter 3. A Decade of Ideological Divergence: Russia and Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s
  • Chapter 4. Regime Ideology-Building in Putin’s Russia: A Personalistic Approach
  • Chapter 5. Regime Ideology-Building in Post-Deng China: Striving for Institutionalization
  • Chapter 6. Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Citable Link
Published: 2016
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-11993-6 (hardcover)
  • 978-0-472-12199-1 (ebook)
Subject
  • Political Science:Governance
  • Political Science:Political Theory
  • Asian Studies:China
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