Riccardo Mario Cucciolla is a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Center for the History and Sociology of World War II and Its Consequences at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. He holds a Ph.D. in Political History (IMT Lucca, 2016). Since 2012, he has also been teaching contemporary history, history of international relations, and history of political parties and movements, while coordinating a course as adjunct professor in Russian history and politics at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome. He specializes in the political history of Soviet Russia and Central Asia—particularly in the evolution of Soviet center–periphery relations during perestroika—and his research interests include history of international relations, military history, history of journalism and colonial studies. For Reset, he has edited the volumes The Power State is Back? The Evolution of Russian Political Thought After 1991 (Rome: Reset, 2016), and State andPolitical Discourse in Russia (Rome: Reset, 2017). Currently, he works on a book about the crisis of the Soviet periphery during the “Uzbek cotton affair” (1975-1991).

• Preface and Acknowledgements; Giancarlo Bosetti.- Who we are.- Credits.- About the Authors.- Introduction: The many dimensions of Russian liberalism; Riccardo Mario Cucciolla.- Part 1: Pre-revolutionary Liberalism and the Challenges of Modernity.- I. The Political Philosophy of Russian Liberalism; Alexey Kara-Murza and Olga Zhukova.- II. Russian Liberalism and the Rule of Law: Notes from Underground; Gianmaria Ajani.- III. Wither Russian Liberalism?; Alexander Semyonov.- Part 2: Liberal Undercurrents in Soviet Times.- IV. Intelligentsia as a liberal concept in Soviet history, 1945–1991; Vladislav Zubok.- V.  Human Rights Defenders within Soviet Politics; Benjamin Nathans.- VI. Gorbachev’s “New Thinking”: A Proto-liberal Program for the Soviet Union; Svetlana Savranskaya.- VII. Autocratic Ideology as an Obstacle to Liberal Democratic Thought in Post-Soviet Russia; Mark Kramer.- Part 3: The “Time of Troubles”.- VIII. Paradoxes and By-Products of Liberal Reforms in Russia; Victor Sheynis.- IX. Ethical Liberal Values vs. the Soviet Political and Administrative Heritage from the 1980s to the Present; Alexander Obolonsky.- X.  The Lessons from Perestroika and the Evolution of Russian Liberalism (1995–2005); Guillaume Sauvé.- Part 4: Liberalism under Pressure in contemporary Russia.- XI. Liberals or Technocrats? Liberal Ideas and Values in the Mindset of the Russian Political Elite; Valeriy Solovey.- XII. Why reforms of public service of Russia are cyclic: An institutional explanation from a liberal perspective; Alexey Barabashev and Vadim Prokofiev.- XIII. Liberalism and Federalism in Russian State-Building, 1992–2017; Ildar Zulkarnay.- XIV. The Illiberal World Order and Russian Liberals; Andrei Melville.- Index of Names.

Riccardo Mario Cucciolla is a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Center for the History and Sociology of World War II and Its Consequences at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. He holds a Ph.D. in Political History (IMT Lucca, 2016). Since 2012, he has also been teaching contemporary history, history of international relations, and history of political parties and movements, while coordinating a course as adjunct professor in Russian history and politics at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome. He specializes in the political history of Soviet Russia and Central Asia—particularly in the evolution of Soviet center–periphery relations during perestroika—and his research interests include history of international relations, military history, history of journalism and colonial studies. For Reset, he has edited the volumes The Power State is Back? The Evolution of Russian Political Thought After 1991 (Rome: Reset, 2016), and State andPolitical Discourse in Russia (Rome: Reset, 2017). Currently, he works on a book about the crisis of the Soviet periphery during the “Uzbek cotton affair” (1975-1991).

• Preface and Acknowledgements; Giancarlo Bosetti.- Who we are.- Credits.- About the Authors.- Introduction: The many dimensions of Russian liberalism; Riccardo Mario Cucciolla.- Part 1: Pre-revolutionary Liberalism and the Challenges of Modernity.- I. The Political Philosophy of Russian Liberalism; Alexey Kara-Murza and Olga Zhukova.- II. Russian Liberalism and the Rule of Law: Notes from Underground; Gianmaria Ajani.- III. Wither Russian Liberalism?; Alexander Semyonov.- Part 2: Liberal Undercurrents in Soviet Times.- IV. Intelligentsia as a liberal concept in Soviet history, 1945–1991; Vladislav Zubok.- V.  Human Rights Defenders within Soviet Politics; Benjamin Nathans.- VI. Gorbachev’s “New Thinking”: A Proto-liberal Program for the Soviet Union; Svetlana Savranskaya.- VII. Autocratic Ideology as an Obstacle to Liberal Democratic Thought in Post-Soviet Russia; Mark Kramer.- Part 3: The “Time of Troubles”.- VIII. Paradoxes and By-Products of Liberal Reforms in Russia; Victor Sheynis.- IX. Ethical Liberal Values vs. the Soviet Political and Administrative Heritage from the 1980s to the Present; Alexander Obolonsky.- X.  The Lessons from Perestroika and the Evolution of Russian Liberalism (1995–2005); Guillaume Sauvé.- Part 4: Liberalism under Pressure in contemporary Russia.- XI. Liberals or Technocrats? Liberal Ideas and Values in the Mindset of the Russian Political Elite; Valeriy Solovey.- XII. Why reforms of public service of Russia are cyclic: An institutional explanation from a liberal perspective; Alexey Barabashev and Vadim Prokofiev.- XIII. Liberalism and Federalism in Russian State-Building, 1992–2017; Ildar Zulkarnay.- XIV. The Illiberal World Order and Russian Liberals; Andrei Melville.- Index of Names.

Riccardo Mario Cucciolla is a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Center for the History and Sociology of World War II and Its Consequences at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. He holds a Ph.D. in Political History (IMT Lucca, 2016). Since 2012, he has also been teaching contemporary history, history of international relations, and history of political parties and movements, while coordinating a course as adjunct professor in Russian history and politics at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome. He specializes in the political history of Soviet Russia and Central Asia—particularly in the evolution of Soviet center–periphery relations during perestroika—and his research interests include history of international relations, military history, history of journalism and colonial studies. For Reset, he has edited the volumes The Power State is Back? The Evolution of Russian Political Thought After 1991 (Rome: Reset, 2016), and State andPolitical Discourse in Russia (Rome: Reset, 2017). Currently, he works on a book about the crisis of the Soviet periphery during the “Uzbek cotton affair” (1975-1991).

• Preface and Acknowledgements; Giancarlo Bosetti.- Who we are.- Credits.- About the Authors.- Introduction: The many dimensions of Russian liberalism; Riccardo Mario Cucciolla.- Part 1: Pre-revolutionary Liberalism and the Challenges of Modernity.- I. The Political Philosophy of Russian Liberalism; Alexey Kara-Murza and Olga Zhukova.- II. Russian Liberalism and the Rule of Law: Notes from Underground; Gianmaria Ajani.- III. Wither Russian Liberalism?; Alexander Semyonov.- Part 2: Liberal Undercurrents in Soviet Times.- IV. Intelligentsia as a liberal concept in Soviet history, 1945–1991; Vladislav Zubok.- V.  Human Rights Defenders within Soviet Politics; Benjamin Nathans.- VI. Gorbachev’s “New Thinking”: A Proto-liberal Program for the Soviet Union; Svetlana Savranskaya.- VII. Autocratic Ideology as an Obstacle to Liberal Democratic Thought in Post-Soviet Russia; Mark Kramer.- Part 3: The “Time of Troubles”.- VIII. Paradoxes and By-Products of Liberal Reforms in Russia; Victor Sheynis.- IX. Ethical Liberal Values vs. the Soviet Political and Administrative Heritage from the 1980s to the Present; Alexander Obolonsky.- X.  The Lessons from Perestroika and the Evolution of Russian Liberalism (1995–2005); Guillaume Sauvé.- Part 4: Liberalism under Pressure in contemporary Russia.- XI. Liberals or Technocrats? Liberal Ideas and Values in the Mindset of the Russian Political Elite; Valeriy Solovey.- XII. Why reforms of public service of Russia are cyclic: An institutional explanation from a liberal perspective; Alexey Barabashev and Vadim Prokofiev.- XIII. Liberalism and Federalism in Russian State-Building, 1992–2017; Ildar Zulkarnay.- XIV. The Illiberal World Order and Russian Liberals; Andrei Melville.- Index of Names.