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Abstract

This dissertation explores the different institutions of Russian government in order to determine whether Russia is a democracy. There are more forms of democracy in present day than ever before, and the initial part of this piece will be dedicated to distinguishing the differing forms of democracy which could be applied to Russia today. This will aid us in future chapters when we examine the different areas of the government such as the presidency, parliament and elections as the evidence provided can be matched to the conditions of these types of democracy. The careful analysis of the presidency in the second chapter allows us to better answer the question posed, as the presidency is the central part of the Russian government. Examining the workings of parliament, elections and opposition in the subsequent chapters supports the analysis of the Russian government as these institutions often act as the paramount checks and balances on power. If the findings in this dissertation prove that these institutions fail to operate as they do in liberal democracies, and instead work how they do in authoritarian regimes then we can make the claim that Russia ceases to be a democracy.

Course: Politics - BA (Hons) - C0313

Date Deposited: 2021-03-11

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13685.html