Abstract
Fifteen years ago, the Soviet Union was a socialist authoritative country, tightly isolated from capitalist countries. Nowadays, its direct heir, Russia, is one of the quickest growing markets of the world that is strongly open on the global economy. During the 1990s, Russia underwent an extraordinary transformation from a communist dictatorship to a multi-party democracy, from a centrally planned system to a market economy, and from a belligerent enemy of the West to a cooperative partner. This change was as unexpected as exceptional. Two decades ago, only an idealist would have imagined that the "evil empire" could transform so quickly and peacefully into a democratic and capitalist ally of the West. The unprecedented nature of this switch raises the question of the role of globalization in the Russian transition to market economy. The process of globalization can be understood as the interplay of technological, economic, and political changes, leading to new patterns of trade and investment in the world. As the British-born sociologist Michael Mann puts it, "the term of globalization, refers to the extension of social and economic relations over the globe".
