Latov Yu.V., Petukhov V.V. The Level of Social and Political Activities Among Middle Income Groups in Russia. In: The Middle Income Group in China and Russia. Research Series on the Chinese Dream and China’s Development Path. ...

Abstract

In contemporary history, social and political science experts have viewed middle income groups as the steady core that ensures the social and political stability of Western societies. The very concept of the middle class emerged during a discussion on countering political radicalism. It is generally assumed that unlike the rich, people with mid-level income, are interested in change that would even out their chances at success in life, but unlike the poor, are not inclined to be radical. A century ago, when middle income groups were rather small in size, radical revolutionaries subjected them to aggressive criticism for their “petty bourgeois” disinterest in politics. With time, however, it became apparent that a highly developed middle class can become a formidable social and political force, capable of self-organization and persistent activism on any level, from municipal to nationwide. The stronger the society’s middle class, the more the path of gradual reforms dominates both over stagnation tendencies and a turn towards radicalism. It is the absolute prevalence of middle income groups in society that explains the combination of political stability and social and economic dynamics in developed nations. In a similar fashion, the serious issues faced by non-European civilizations are attributed to the weakness of middle income groups. Social and political activism of the emerging middle income groups is perceived as the safety anchor that will allow these civilizations to achieve social, political, social, and economic stability.