Western democracies often view the Russian political structure as something 'abnormal.' Zimmerman peels back this Western lens and looks systematically into Russian political history from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin. He delves into how a consolidated political structure solidified with each passing generation of rulers.
Library Journal William Zimmerman's new book is perfectly timed to furnish a backdrop to ... Read morethis discussion, providing the first major overview of Russian leadership politics from 1917 to the present... Ruling Russia is written in a lively style, with flashes of humour.
Lara Cook, Times Higher Education William Zimmerman ... has written an important book rich in historical detail.
Survival This is a book for those who know a little about Soviet and Russian politics but who wish to gain a balanced and intelligent deeper understanding of the process of change that may one day end up with Russia becoming a 'normal' system.
Richard Sakwa, Russian Review Zimmerman's book is a major contribution, which speaks to comparativists, Russia scholars, and the broader public alike.
Inga A.-L. Saikkonen, Democratization Zimmerman's book is a welcome addition to the literature on comparative authoritarianism, and it is a unique contribution to the study of contemporary Russian politics in particular.
Kathryn Stoner, Political Science Quarterly This is an important and impressive scholarly work... One would be hard-pressed to find another work that covers as much in just over 300 pages.
Paul Kubicek, Soviet and Post-Soviet Review Show Less