How to Deal with the State in Order to Survive (on the Book by Ya.M. Mirkin «Temptation by the State: Man and the Vertical of Power for 300 Years in Russia and the World»)

The article presents a review of the book, which in a popular science form reveals many deep issues of interaction between man and the state. The book deals primarily with the so-called predatory state. Many historical Russian examples show how the state swept away people's well-being, property, and even the lives themselves. At the same time, we encounter amazing examples of individuals adapting to seemingly hopeless situations. We can say that the book is about human behavior under conditions of extreme stress. Its author refers a lot to Russian reforms and reform-ers. Looking for success stories. And, according to the reviewer, he doesn’t find them. The book, unfortunately, almost never asks the main question: why have Russian reforms been unsuccessful from century to century? At best, limited results are achieved. Y. Mirkin demonstrates the successes of foreign reformers and on this basis believes that Russia “can repeat it.” Of course, this will not be an exact copy, but its own path of radical institutional change. However, with such a formulation of the question, it was necessary to describe which power players are interested in the reformist scenario, how influential they are, etc. The author, apparently, gives the reader the opportunity to judge this for himself. The main value of the book is the description of the behavior of the actor - the predatory state. One can clearly see the unpredictability and radicalism of his steps. After all, there is no system of checks and balances. And reading the book will also prepare the researcher to perceive the state as it is, which is also important.