In The Transition from Communism to Capitalism, David Lane and Cameron Ross define and detail the political elites under state socialism, showing how, under Gorbachev, the elites were profoundly fragmented. They further reveal how, with the maturation of state socialism, new class interests arose that were cultivated by, and in turn influenced, the Gorbachev leadership. Lane and Ross contend that these class interests are strongly represented in today's political "settlement" in Russia.

They consider various interpretations of the events that have led to Russia's current condition, including the idea that "executive" capital is more important than political capital and has been reproduced in the transition from communism.