Putting into the party versus putting into politics

This article examines the ways in which political ideas are spread and appropriated in the United Russia party, created in 2001 to support Vladimir Putin and has been the overwhelmingly dominant party for more than fifteen years at all levels of power. It shows how a think tank, the Center for Social-Conservative Policy, was put in charge of the work that led to the formulation of a second definition of conservatism used by United Russia representatives to define themselves. This definition differed from the first one, more consensual one that was formulated by experts and academics. Using content analysis and fieldwork involving semi-participant observation at the Center, this article analyzes how the concern to make the notion of conservatism accessible to the population has encouraged the politicization of issues related to family and sexuality.