A History of Russian Economic Thought

Book excerpt: The collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic at the end of the 1980’s was conceived as a victory for capitalist democracy. Here, Vincent Barnett provides the first comprehensive account of the historical development of Russian and Soviet economic thought across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and considers its future in the twenty-first century. Utilizing an extensive range of historical sources, Barnett examines the different strands of thought, including classical, neoclassical, historical, socialist, liberal and Marxian schools. He traces their influence, and the impact their ideas had on shaping policies. An excellent addition to the Routledge History of Economic Thought series, this book covers pre-1870, Tsarist economics, the late Tsarist period, the impact of the war, Bolshevik economics, Stalinist economics, Russian economics after 1940. Incorporating a detailed timeline of the most significant Russian economists work and analyzing the effects of historical discontinuities on the institutional structure of Russian economics as a discipline, Barnett delivers an essential text for postgraduates and professionals interested in economic history and the evolution of Russian economic thought.