Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region

Conspiracy theories can be used as political weapons by incumbent politicians to demonstrate their knowledge and authority, but they can also be habit-forming and persist as part of an official narrative, weakening regimes. Revealing Schemes explores the causes, consequences, and contradictions of conspiracism in politics with an original collection of over 1,500 conspiracy claims from the post-Soviet region.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Conspiracy theories are not just outlandish ideas, but they can also be political weapons. Conspiracy theories have become increasingly prominent in political systems worldwide. In his book, Revealing Schemes, Scott Radnitz goes beyond psychological explanations for why people believe in conspiracy theories and explores the politics surrounding them. He asks two central questions: What leads regimes to promote conspiracy claims? And what effects do those claims have on politics and society? Radnitz focuses on the former Soviet Union, a region where conspiracy theories have long thrived. He shows that incumbent politicians often make conspiracy claims to demonstrate their knowledge and authority during times of uncertainty and threat. These claims emerge more frequently in areas of serious political competition rather than unbridled autocracy and in response to events that challenge a regime's ability to rule. However, conspiracy theories can also be habit-forming and persist as part of an official narrative even after immediate threats have subsided. This strategy is intended to strengthen regimes, but it may inadvertently undermine them. Revealing Schemes explores the causes, consequences, and contradictions of conspiracism in politics with an original collection of over 1,500 conspiracy claims from across the post-Soviet region, two national surveys, and 12 focus groups. Understanding how conspiracy theories operate in a region where democracy came late or never arrived can be instructive for concerned citizens everywhere, especially in the current era of heightened distrust in democratic institutions and rising illiberal populism.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 156 x 236 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197573549