Law and the Russian State

William E. Pomeranz is Deputy Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C., USA. He is a frequent commentator on current developments in Russia, providing analysis for CNN, NBC, NPR, Reuters, Bloomberg, and other media outlets. His scholarly publications include articles on Russian legal history and present-day Russian commercial and constitutional law.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction 1. Law and Empire under Peter the Great2. The Expansion of Russian Legality3. The Judicial Reforms of 1864 and the Modernization of Russian Law4. Law, Politics, and Revolution5. Filling in the Blanks: The Creation of Socialist Law6. Socialist Legality and Illegality7. Russia’s Long Constitutional Crisis: 1985-19938. The 1993 Constitution and Russia’s Liberal Experiment9. Vladimir Putin and the Restoration of State and LawConclusionBibliography

This is what all Russia scholars need to know about Russian law … This is an outstanding piece of work. It is concise at 169 pages of text, with good international and Russian references and delightful quotes. It offers an even treatment of three centuries and an uncommonly nuanced analysis with a good eye for what is formal and what is real.