Rich Russians

From Oligarchs to Bourgeoisie

Elisabeth Schimpfössl

The first book to examine the legitimacy, social lives, lifestyles, ideologies, and families of the richest .1 percent of Russians under Vladimir Putin
Based on unique empirical data: 80 interviews with multimillionaires and billionaires, as well as their spouses and children
Fills the gap in information regarding the top few thousand richest Russians

Rich Russians

From Oligarchs to Bourgeoisie

Elisabeth Schimpfössl

Description

The lives of wealthy people have long held an allure to many, but the lives of wealthy Russians pose a particular fascination. Having achieved their riches over the course of a single generation, the top 0.1 percent of Russian society have become known for ostentatious lifestyles and tastes. Nevertheless, as Elisabeth Schimpfössl shows in this book, their stories reveal a bourgeois existence that is distinct in its circumstances and self-definition, and far more complex than the caricatures suggest.

Rich Russians takes a deep and unprecedented look at this group: their personal stories, trajectories, ideas about life and how they see their role and position both on top of Russian society as well as globally. These people grew up and lived through a historically unique period of economic turmoil and social change following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But when taken in a wider historical context, their lives follow a familiar path, from new money to respectable money; parvenus becoming part of Society. Based on interviews with millionaires, billionaires, their spouses and children, Rich Russians concludes that, as a class, they have acquired all sorts of cultural and social resources which help consolidate their personal power. They have developed distinguished and refined tastes, rediscovered their family history, and begun actively engaging in philanthropy. Most importantly, they have worked out a narrative to justify why they deserve their elitist position in society - because of who they are and their superior qualities - and why they should be treated as equals by the West. This is a group whose social, cultural and political influence is likely to outlast any regime change. As the first book to examine the transformation of Russia's former "robber barons" into a new social class, Rich Russians provides insight into how this nation's newly wealthy tick.

Rich Russians

From Oligarchs to Bourgeoisie

Elisabeth Schimpfössl

Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Short Story of Enrichment
Chapter 2: Becoming Bourgeois
Chapter 3: Quests for Legitimacy and Superiority
Chapter 4: Family History
Chapter 5: Rich Russians' Philanthropy
Chapter 6: A Man's World
Chapter 7: The Inheritors' Coming of Age
Chapter 8: Rich Russians and the West
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Rich Russians

From Oligarchs to Bourgeoisie

Elisabeth Schimpfössl

Author Information

Elisabeth Schimpfössl, Lecturer in Sociology and Policy, Aston University

Elisabeth Schimpfössl is Lecturer in Sociology and Policy at Aston University. Her research focuses on elites and social inequality as well as questions around post-Socialist media and self-censorship.

Rich Russians

From Oligarchs to Bourgeoisie

Elisabeth Schimpfössl

Reviews and Awards

"[A]n engrossing and fresh account of how the Russian elite sees itself." - Max Seddon, Financial Times

"Her book is a valuable and intriguing analysis of the emergence of a class that will shape Russia for centuries." - Oliver Bullough, The Guardian.

"The book is a substantial contribution to a burgeoning academic field. The focus on such a riveting topic as the lives of nouveau-riche Russian elites almost guarantees the attention of a wider public to what was initially intended as research for a PhD...This examination of how the Russian super-rich are reinventing themselves as a legitimate elite avoids political slogans and sociological clichés; instead, it clarifies how distinctions are imagined and how they develop into social divisions. The book contributes to studies of elites that go beyond the immediate regional context." - Oksana Morgunova, RUDN, Moscow, Russian Federation, Europe-Asia Studies

"Schimpfössl's study is quite unique and remarkable." - Jukka Gronow, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology

"Schimpfössl's study is quite unique and remarkable." - Jukka Gronow, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CULTURAL AND POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY

"SchimpfÃ¶ss'âs book benefits from the long parade of interviews she has conducted with nearly 100 of these millionaires and billionaires, their families, and their associates, which put a human face on her analysis." - Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs