Vodka Politics

Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State

By: Mark Lawrence Schrad

Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine

Russia is famous for its vodka, and its culture of extreme intoxication. But just as vodka is central to the lives of many Russians, it is also central to understanding Russian history and politics.

In Vodka Politics, Mark Lawrence Schrad argues that debilitating societal alcoholism is not hard-wired into Russians' genetic code, but rather their autocratic political system, which has long wielded vodka as a tool of statecraft. Through a series of historical investigations stretching from Ivan the Terrible through Vladimir Putin, Vodka Politics presents the secret history of the Russian state itself - a history that is drenched in liquor. Scrutinizing (rather than dismissing) the role of alcohol in Russian politics yields a more nuanced understanding of Russian history itself: from palace intrigues under the tsars to the drunken antics of Soviet and post-Soviet leadership, vodka is there in abundance.

Beyond vivid anecdotes, Schrad scours original documents and archival evidence to answer provocative historical questions. How have Russia's rulers used alcohol to solidify their autocratic rule? What role did alcohol play in tsarist coups? Was Nicholas II's ill-fated prohibition a catalyst for the Bolshevik Revolution? Could the Soviet Union have become a world power without liquor? How did vodka politics contribute to the collapse of both communism and public health in the 1990s? How can the Kremlin overcome vodka's hurdles to produce greater social well-being, prosperity, and democracy into the future?

Viewing Russian history through the bottom of the vodka bottle helps us to understand why the "liquor question" remains important to Russian high politics even today - almost a century after the issue had been put to bed in most every other modern state. Indeed, recognizing and confronting vodka's devastating political legacies may be the greatest political challenge for this generation of Russia's leadership, as well as the next.

©2014 Oxford University Press (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Compelling Thesis, Obnoxious Narrator

The book and the thesis are very compelling. The use of vodka as a tool in Russian statecraft is very interesting and eye opening. Vodka Politics takes the listener through 600 or so years of Russian history through the lenses of vodka goggles. It explains how vodka was originally a way for peasants to store grain easily and cheaply. The Tsars, and later the Soviets, monopolised the production and sale to harvest revenue from the 1400's-1900's and to the present day. It's full of data and anecdotes from Russian history to show how vodka played a role in Russia's stagnation, corruption, and backwardness. It's a sobering, depressing, and compelling listen. The only problem I have is with the narrator. Anytime there is a quote from a Russian, he puts on an awful Russian accent. When quoting Ronald Reagan, it's even worse. It's like a highschool sophomore improv troop. If you can get past that, I strongly recommend this book. I'll finish with my favorite Soviet joke. Some context, in the 80's the stores were only allowed to sell vodka to parties of 3 people. This lead to men hanging around stores waiting for a "third man" so they could go in and buy alcohol.

Konstantin Cernenko has died and has just arrived in Hell. At the gates of Hell, he sees the two other former Soviet Premiers, Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov. Cernenko cries out "Comrades! How wonderful of you to come and greet me!" Brezhnev replies "Greet you? We're merely waiting for a third man!"

Insightful!

No other book about Russia has been so bold in it's forthright opinions of Russian History and political events. Very Interesting! Highly recommended!

Interesting but Repetitive

Overall a compelling sub-history, though the emphasis on the book’s thesis in every line tends to become repetitive and predictable. The narration is well done generally, but I do not see the need to attempt to approximate the accents of different speakers.

An interesting thesis

This book presents a fascinating thesis about relationship between vodka and power politics. At times the evidence to support the thesis is s bit thin while conclusions are a bit grand. The conclusions could be strengthened by more comparative evidence from other countries and cultures. Yet, this is a worthy and admirable undertaking that looks passed stereotypes and examines Russian authoritarian history through a very different lens. The historical anecdotes alone make this book remarkable.

Overall not bad

Decent read. The medical statistics are staggering for sure. It will be interesting to see how Russia does economically in the next 10 years.