Yeltsin’s Regime and the New Russia

When the Russian Federation became an independent state at the end of 1991, many presumed that the Yeltsin regime would be able to establish a “democratic” political system and a “capitalist” economic system in a relatively short period of time. It has proved very difficult to achieve these objectives during the last ten years (Harris).

The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more than just a political event. The powerful interaction and fusion between politics and economics that characterized the state socialist system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of the Soviet Union. The penetration of the Communist regime into every facet of life left the Russian people with little democratic traditions. Russia faces that seemingly impracticable task of economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with a necessity to answer nationalist and ethnic questions that have plagues Russia for centuries. The dilemma facing the Russian Federation is that it finds itself with a charge of establishing and following democratic institutions, while at the same time facing secessionary pressures that seem to require extra-democratic means

Yeltsin’s health deteriorated after the crisis of 1993, as he developed serious heart disease and other ailments. He directed much of his energy toward Chechnya, whose government had been trying to secede from Russia since 1991. In December 1994 Yeltsin ordered the army to intervene and assert Moscow’s control. Despite months of savage fighting, in which thousands perished, Russia was unable to quell the resistance. Yeltsin in 1996 authorized his national security adviser, General Alexander Lebed, to work out an interim settlement with the rebels. A cease-fire and a Russian troop withdrawal were negotiated in August 1996.

Some topics in this essay:
Russian Federation, Moscow October, Harris October, Soviet Union, Khasbulatov Frictions, Gorbachev Secretary, Joseph Stalin, Union Harris, Regime Yeltsin, Brezhnev Brezhnev, soviet union, communist party, russian people, russian federation, communist regime, yeltsin regime, parliament building, december 1991, price controls, 1991 gorbachev,