From Leningrad to St. Petersburg describes the evolution of local democratic institutions from 1987 to 1994 in Russia's most important city outside Moscow. Once the birthplace of the Bolshevik revolution, St. Petersburg now plays a central role in the struggle to overcome the communist legacy and establish democracy in Russia. This invaluable book is the first to recount the full sweep of events in this dramatic period.

Professor Orttung describes the battles within the local branch of the Communist Party, its alliances with nationalist groups as it attempted to preserve its power before the 1991 putsch, and the evolution of the groups that eventually overthrew it. He goes on to describe the difficulties encountered by those groups in setting up a democratic government and pays particular attention to how their institutional choices have shaped the progress toward democratic consolidation.

The book also traces the emergence of various opposition parties in the post-communist era, including the still-thriving nationalist and communist opponents of reform.