The years that bookended the collapse of the Soviet Union were a time of great economic turmoil: perestroika and economic collapse rapidly gave way to privatization, new informal economies, and the rise of neoliberal capitalism. Panelists at this discussion, the first in a series sponsored by the After the End of History research project at the Neubauer Collegium, considered the ultimate consequences of these transformations in economic life. How did they shape society, politics, and conceptions of the collective? And to what extent did this period of tumult influence the world we inhabit today?

Panelists

Nancy Condee, Professor of Slavic and Film Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Leah Feldman, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Chicago

Yakov Feygin, Associate Director, Future of Capitalism, Berggruen Institute

Faith Hillis (moderator), Associate Professor of History, University of Chicago

Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

Philipp Ther, Professor of Central European History, University of Vienna