Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin

by Michel Eltchaninoff

Overview

The Russian president's landmark speeches, interviews and policies borrow heavily from great Russian thinkers past and present, from Peter the Great to Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn. They offer powerful visions of strong leaders and the Russian nation: they value conservatism and the Slavic spirit. They root morality in Orthodoxy, and Russian identity in the historic struggle with the West.

Today, Putin manages and manipulates those same ideas in his 'defense' of 130 million ethnic Russians against the world. With the annexation of Crimea, the war in Syria and shock election results across the West, the challenge of decrypting his worldview has become more pressing than ever. From a Eurasian Union to a new Russian Empire, this is a revealing tour of Kremlin doctrine and strategy, viewed through its philosophical roots.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849049337
Publisher:	Hurst
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Edition description:	Updated
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,097,204
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 5.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Michel Eltchaninoff is an award-winning French writer who has lived in Moscow. He is the editor-in-chief of the monthly Philosophie magazine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction: Putin and Philosophy 1

1 Soviets First and Foremost 11

2 Kant, Peter the Great and the Philosophy of Judo 29

3 The President's First Philosophical Love 43

4 The Conservative Turn 57

5 The Russian Way 75

6 The Eurasianist Dream 97

7 False Friends: Dostoevsky and Berdyaev 113

8 Putin's Empire 129

9 An Ideology for Europe and the World 157

Notes 171

Editorial Reviews

"[A] slender but sizzling book . . . essential reading for anyone who wants to know where the regime in the Kremlin is heading —and what it means for the rest of the world." —The Times of London

"Drawing on interviews with many of the politicians and thinkers . . . close to . . . Putin [Eltchaninoff] . . . persuasively show[s] how ideas that have shaped the culture [of Putin] have in turn shaped [him]."— The Financial Times

"Intriguing."—The New Statesman

"Eltchaninoff provides a detailed discussion of the origins of Putin's philosophy."—Survival

"On the plane to Moscow, François Hollande buried himself in a fascinating little new book: Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin. Michel Eltchaninoff, a great connoisseur of Russian history and literature, traces the spiritual and political journey of the 'master of Moscow', who forces his oligarchs to read 19th century thought." — Midi Libre

"The fundamental question addressed by Michel Eltchaninoff in his excellent book [is this]: what is the Kremlin chief thinking? And will the 21st century be the Putin century, as the 20th century belonged to Lenin and Stalin?" — Les Echos

'Eltchaninoff's book could not be more timely, stripping us of our scornful generalizations and ignorant clichés. A highly enjoyable read." — La Vie

"Enlightening" — Le Monde Diplomatique

"Uncovers a fascinating truth. . . The real interest in this book lies in its unstinting analysis of the ideological sources of Putin's conservatism. . . Notably rigorous [it is] a must-read for those wanting to understand the Russian leader's ideological roots — disturbing and fascinating in equal measure — Le Figaro

"In this book, as probing as brain surgery, philosopher Michel Eltchaninoff reveals what lies 'inside the mind' of Vladimir Putin." — Sylvain Tesson, Le Point

"The book's strength is . . . its mapping of the wider intellectual climate in which Putinism has thrived. . . Eltchaninoff manages to sketch an evolution in Putin - or at least in Putin's self-portrayal - from westward-looking moderniser to unapologetic conservative, a shift traced through the increasing presence of chauvinist, anti-western thinkers in his writings." — The Irish Times

"Here is the paradox: Putin is no philosopher-king, yet he overtly and repeatedly evokes a series of Russian thinkers and writers and expects his people to know them. In this thought-provoking book, Michel Eltchaninoff explores Putin's philosophical pantheon and the ways he appropriates and sometimes simply misunderstands them, in pursuit of his political and ideological program for Russia."— Mark Galeotti, author of The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia

"This highly original approach to illuminating Putin's troubling personality shows just how far literature and philosophy can influence the exercise of power." — Jean-Marie Durand, Les Inrockuptibles

'Expertly explores the intellectual influences on Russian President Vladimir Putin . . . "Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the book is the way it easily moves from philosophical interpretation to discussion of geopolitical realities. This book is necessary to understand Russia and its influence in the world today."—Choice

"The book's strength is . . . its mapping of the wider intellectual climate in which Putinism has thrived. . . Eltchaninoff manages to sketch an evolution in Putin — or at least in Putin's self-portrayal — from westward-looking modernizer to unapologetic conservative, a shift traced through the increasing presence of chauvinist, anti-western thinkers in his writings."—The Irish Times

From the Publisher