Russia's New Rich and their Attitudes to the West

Dr Elisabeth Schimpfossl, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).

Putin’s nostalgic conservatism and his rhetoric of raising Russia’s lost international power status found a receptive national audience from the early 2000s. Patriotism has now permeated social values and norms. Upper-class Russians have enthusiastically adopted the narratives of Russia as unique and superior to the West. Despite these views, many of them established their second lives in the West long ago, and the numbers of well-off émigrés following suit has soared. This talk considers rich Russians’ difficult relationship with the West, London as the destination city favoured by affluent émigrés and why many Russians think that their culture morally and intellectually outshines all others.

Dr. Elisabeth Schimpfossl is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, teaching Russian Politics at the School of Slavonic & East European Studies. Her current research compares the philanthropic practices of British and Russian super-rich.

This event is part of the UCL Festival of Culture,

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