Law and the Russian State

Russia is often portrayed as a regressive even lawless country and yet the Russian state has played a major role in shaping and experimenting with law as an instrument of power. In <i>Law and the Russian State</i> William E. Pomeranz examines Russia's legal evolution from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin addressing the continuities and disruptions of Russian law during the imperial Soviet and post-Soviet. The book covers key themes including: <br/><br/>* Law and empire<br/>* Law and modernization<br/>* The politicization of law<br/>* The role of intellectuals and dissidents in mobilizing the law<br/>* The evolution of Russian legal institutions<br/>* The struggle for human rights <br/>* The rule-of-law<br/>* The quest to establish the law-based state<br/><br/>It also analyzes legal culture and how Russians understand and use the law. With a detailed bibliography this is an important text for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of how Russian society and the Russian state have developed in the last 350 years.