The Reasons for the fall of Socialism/Communism and the Troubles
of Starting the New Democratic System in the Russian Federation "Let's
not talk about Communism. Communism was just an idea, just pie in the
sky." Boris Yeltsin (b. 1931), Russian politician, president. Remark
during a visit to the U.S. Quoted in: Independent (London, 13 Sept.
The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more
than a political event. The powerful bond between economics and
politics that was the integral characteristic of the state socialist
system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of
the Soviet Union. The Communist regime was so ingrain in every aspect
of Soviet life that the Russian people were left with little
democratic tradition. Russia faces the seemingly impracticable task of
economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with the
fact that the new administration must address human rights issues,
such as living conditions and the supply of staple goods in this new
form of administration makes the prospect of a full democratic switch
To fully understand the scope of the transference of governing

resulting in food shortages, these shortages were enha! nce by the

participated in the April 1993 referendum, but the referendum did