1. Does Leon Aron acknowledge some of the problems of Russia’s government that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn focuses on? If so, why is he more optimistic than Solzhenitsyn about the future of Russia’s democracy?
2. What aspects of Russian society make democracy difficult, according to W. Bruce Lincoln? Do Alexander Elder or Leon Aron provide convincing examples of societal evolution toward democracy in Russia, in your opinion? Explain.
3. Alexander Elder and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn were both at one time political refugees of the old Soviet Union. Does their past status as refugees, in your opinion, give greater authority to their present pronouncements on Russia compared to foreigners such as W. Bruce Lincoln? Defend your answer.