In this chapter, we develop the theoretical framework of the book. Specifically, we advance the concept of the Janus-faced legacies of the CPSU. On the one hand, the CPSU is seen as an example of “Communist” legacies, associated specifically with the functioning of Communist rule in Russia. On the other hand, CPSU legacies can be associated with the prevailing clientelism and patronal politics of the Communist era. CPSU legacies could be associated with the ideological loyalty of the former Communists to the party, but also (and this appears to be more likely, given the contemporary accounts) with opportunism and willingness to adjust to any political environment in order to promote one’s career. The chapter links the investigation of the book to the broader literature on historical legacies, as well as outlines the main hypotheses guiding our investigation.

The conclusion summarizes the main findings of the study and puts them into perspective, highlighting our contribution to the general political science scholarship. In particular, we show the importance of our findings in three main contexts: the post-Soviet countries, the post-Communist countries (including countries currently ruled by the Communist parties like China), and the single-party regimes and their legacies. We discuss the implications of our study for these countries, identifying main contributions and suggesting avenues for future research.

This chapter looks at the cultural environment in which the CPSU legacy flourishes. Specifically, it focuses on Soviet movies and their perception by Russian society. It shows that Soviet cinematography still enjoys very high popularity in Russia (to a larger extent than modern Russian movies or even foreign movies) and describes how Soviet movies (directly or indirectly) create a favorable environment for the persistence of the legacies of the Communist past. It also briefly looks at how the Communist era is discussed in modern Russian cinema and how it reuses the concepts and ideas of Soviet cinematography.

This chapter’s goal is to introduce the main arguments and the concepts of the book. It formulates the research question and provides the first illustrations of the importance of CPSU legacies in Russia. It presents the logic of the subsequent investigation, the key theoretical approaches, and the main elements of methodology