HAS RUSSIA REVERTED TO TOTALITARIANISM?

This article investigates how we should understand Russia's political system since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, arguing that Putin's Russia has become a "neo-totalitarian" regime. The classic Friedrich-Brzezinski model of totalitarianism, exemplified by the Stalin regime, no longer fits in the twenty-first century. Departures from the classic model include the absence of a single dominant ideology, a single party, compulsory state ownership of the media, and complete state control over the economy. Instead, the article posits six factors that are essential components of a neo-totalitarian regime: (1) near-total suppression of political opposition; (2) political power concentrated in the top executive, with executive power dominating all political parties, federal, regional, and local political institutions as well as the judiciary; (3) almost total control over the mass media and increased control over social media; (4) a civil society purged of groups that hold independent or oppositionist views; (5) a new form of societal terror; and (6) sham elections at all levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]