New Russian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

New Russian (Novyi Russkiy, Russian: новый русский) is a term for the newly rich business class in post-Soviet Russia. It is perceived as a stereotypical caricature. According to the stereotype, New Russians achieved rapid wealth by using semi-criminal methods during Russia’s chaotic transition to a market economy. The term is possibly derived from French nouveau riche (newly rich), as the term "nuvorish" (нувориш) exists in the Russian language.

Having a modest education and social background, New Russians are perceived as arrogant nouveau riche and gaudy, conspicuous consumers with poor taste. Money and status symbols are prominently displayed by the New Russian, in particular jewelry and luxury cars. In the early 1990s, prominent attributes of the New Russian stereotype also included mobile phones and crimson jackets. A wide range of elite restaurants and nightclubs catering to the New Russian social circle (тусовка - tusovka, literally "get-togethers") have sprung up in Moscow.

[edit] Related article

• Conspicuous consumption
• Denis Salnikov
• Russian oligarchs

[edit] Sources

Crimson Tide, appearing in the British newspaper The Sunday Times.