Post Communist Russia
Since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has gone through massive changes. It has not only lost some its key territories but has also adopted a somewhat liberal stance towards the changing political environment. The post communist Russia is not only considered as a progressive and rapidly developing society but also more friendly towards democratic ideologies. It should however be noted that the general perception about the Russia Federation is still not quite positive. On the other hand, some journalists and critics, who have closely observed the events leading to the fall of Soviet Union and its later transition into Russian Federation, hold a more optimistic view about the Russian society and its efforts to become a part of the modern world. David Remnick, one of the well-known American journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, has presented a comprehensive picture of political, economic and social developments in the post-communist Russia. In his book, “Resurrection: A Struggle for a New Russia”, he has attempted to analyze the policies and efforts of the Yeltsin administration to revive the Russian economy and bring Russia back to its previous economic stren
Remnick points out that despite of the slow political development in Russia, the country’s economic progress was considerably impressive. Russia began its transition to market economy, from a controlled economy, as soon as the Soviet Union dissolved. Yeltsin administration realized the fact that the country’s survival and long-term stability cannot be ensured without changing policies concerning its economy. As a result of this, the government removed certain restrictions from foreign trade, liberalized the currency and ended subsidizing certain non-performing corporations and industries. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yegor Gaidar, was a liberal economist and one of the biggest supporters of radical economic reforms. He not only developed policies for economic liberalization but also adopted certain additional measures such as reduced price control. It should however be noted that Russia’s attempts to liberalize the market failed when the economy was hit by a hyperinflation. In fact, Russian economists overlooked the impact of liberating a previously strictly controlled economy. In the days of Soviet Union, the government solely controlled prices as well as the supply of goods. As a result of this, Soviet Union suffered from shortage of supplies and lack of funds. When Yeltsin administration tried to reverse the whole system, the overall economic system of the country collapsed, hence exposing the country to severe crisis. Economists believe that the hyperinflation was a result of Soviet Union’s past attempts to control prices and to unrealistically reduce inflation. The situation was worsened when the country’s central bank printed additional money in order to finance government’s expenditures and debts. Russia ended up in a difficult economic situation because of several reasons. Corruption, unwillingness of certain political players to accept capitalism and policy errors exposed the country to continuous social and economic instability. As a result of this, the government began to face resistance and opposition from those who were most affected by economic reforms. This led to the development of trade unions, pressure groups and political parties, which were against the adopting of a capitalistic system. It should be
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Yegor Gaidar,
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Approximate Word count = 1522
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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