Podyachev K. The City of Sevastopol as Part of Russia: Problems of Adaptation and Possibilities of Socio-Political Development. Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. Vol. 9. 2016, # 4.

Abstract

Based on the data obtained during a field survey in June 2015, the article focuses on a number of socio-political problems the city of Sevastopol faced after its accession to the Russian Federation. The author provides examples of the difficulties that arose in the process of Sevastopol citizens’ adaptation to a new institutional environment. These are the problems of split in managerial elite, party system instability, local self-government disruption, rejection of a set of educational innovations by the pedagogical community, entrepreneurs’ discontent, etc. At the same time the article shows that a key feature of Sevastopol was not affected in the course of adaptation, the feature being a strong corporate spirit and values resulting from pride for the city’s heroic history. Thus, reunification of Sevastopol with Russia led to significant institutional changes, which caused some socio-economic difficulties, but all these transformations did not affect the value system of Sevastopol, and they even strengthened it in fact. So, there is every reason to believe that adaptation difficulties will be overcome, and, the policy being reasonable, further development of Sevastopol can be quite successful. Based on the data obtained during a field survey in June 2015, the article focuses on a number ofsocio-political problems the city of Sevastopol faced after its accession to the Russian Federation. Theauthor provides examples of the difficulties that arose in the process of Sevastopol citizens’ adaptationto a new institutional environment. These are the problems of split in managerial elite, party systeminstability, local self-government disruption, rejection of a set of educational innovations by thepedagogical community, entrepreneurs’ discontent, etc. At the same time the article shows that a keyfeature of Sevastopol was not affected in the course of adaptation, the feature being a strong corporatespirit and values resulting from pride for the city’s heroic history. Thus, reunification of Sevastopolwith Russia led to significant institutional changes, which caused some socio-economic difficulties, butall these transformations did not affect the value system of Sevastopol, and they even strengthened it infact. So, there is every reason to believe that adaptation difficulties will be overcome, and, the policybeing reasonable, further development of Sevastopol can be quite successful.