Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka

Demokratizatsiya, Summer 2003 by Solonari, Vladimir

Thus, Moscow's turn-of-the-century story, as told by Ruble, supports the point of view of those who prefer to see the Soviet communist period as a countermodernity, not as a Russian way to it. Conversely, after the downfall of communism, Moscow is returning to pursue solutions to the same kinds of problems its elites were trying to cope with a century ago. In so doing, it has to learn lessons abandoned at that time. I must confess that I am sympathetic to this vision.

No book can ever completely satisfy its readers, even one as good as second Metropolis. My concern is that the notion of pragmatic pluralism is a little overextended, as for example when the failure of Moscow city leaders to adequately address housing problems is referred to as a failure of pragmatic pluralism. Why exactly is it a failure of pragmatic pluralism and not, say, a consequence of the scarcity of fiscal resources, or a result of the hindrances set by St. Petersburg, which feared, as the author himself suggests, that housing programs might pander "to groups long held to be in opposition to the regime" (286)? If pragmatic pluralism is a method of managing societal and political tensions to effectively address pressing social problems in a pragmatic mood, then what tensions had prevented Moscow elites from successfully dealing with this issue? If every unresolved or unaddressed issue is laid at the door of pragmatic pluralism, then what is the heuristic value of the notion itself?

Except for this minor point, the presentation is clear and the argument is convincing. The book is extremely well written and will make very good reading for anyone interested in Russia's destiny in the last century, as well as in contemporary debates about it. It is vividly illustrated with a number of photographs from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division collection, which are not only important documents but sometimes also real pieces of art. I would recommend this book to the widest possible audience.

VLADIMIR SOLONARI