Protest in the Provinces

Protest in the Provinces studies protest in Russia's company towns after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when reforms in Russia led to a severe economic depression and political chaos. Protests about these crises were scattered and varied. By examining the responses to the reforms by three company towns--Cherepovets (steel), Komsomolsk-na-Amure (defense), and Surgut (oil and gas)--this book argues that a city's level of dependence on the central state and the presence or absence of elite divisions shape how local elites interact with the public, which influences the size and intensity of protests.