post-soviet russia usad social science section iv
TRANSCRIPT
POST-SOVIET RUSSIA
USAD Social Science Section IV
Roads and Obstacles to TransitionAn Overview• The Soviet Union’s disintegration brought an end to – the Cold War and – the Russian empire, • Ironically, GORBACHEV’S reforms brought about its
collapse
Roads and Obstacles to Transition
• Russia now had to democratize, transforming its Soviet polity into a modern democracy– task = delicate and unpredictable– The transition requires :
• enfranchising and • liberalizing the citizenry
– The order and pace at which these tasks are undertaken may affect their success
Historically, nations have taken three paths to implementing democratic government
The former Soviet states were the first countries ever to transition to democracy from a communist government
• Most of the eastern bloc had little to no history of democratic rule
e.g., Czechoslovakia’s VELVET REVOLUTION
TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
• Imperial Russia was an autocracy for its whole existence
• The Soviet Union was also an autocracy apart from 1917 to 1922 and 1989 to 1991– During these periods, the state
was an anocracy
ANOCRACY– Anocracies combine aspects of democratic and
totalitarian regimes• Generally, the rule of law is respected and multi-party
elections are held• However, civil and political rights are
limited and leaders exercise broad powers
The new Russian Federation needed to reform its political, social, and economic
systems
• The difficulty of undertaking several types of transitions reduced the chances of success
• Sociologist Claus Offe identified three distinct levels of transition
Claus Offe’s 3 Levels of Transition
•
• Yeltsin tried to tackle every challenge at once in the 1990s – Individual components of the transition received
too little attention to succeed• Putin and Medvedev abandoned this
approach– They emphasized economic growth above social
and political transition
Political Transition• The Yeltsin administration
• Boris Yeltsin grew up in a working class family– Yeltsin’s father was accused of treason during the
Great Purge• He was sent to a forced labor camp in Siberia• He could not secure stable employment thereafter
BORIS YELTSIN
• Yeltsin studied management and construction engineering at university– He participated in
several important projects in the 1950s and 1960s
BORIS YELTSIN
• Yeltsin became a member of the Communist Party in 1968 to promote his career– He was quickly promoted in local government and
eventually became Moscow’s mayor– From his position of authority, he publicly
criticized the party during the glasnost era• Both conservatives and reformers like Gorbachev
opposed his views• However, his charm and accessibility endeared him to
the public
–Yeltsin was a POPULIST!
President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
• BORIS YELTSIN: – Elected June 12, 1991 – earned 57%
of the popular vote• Russia was the
largest Soviet republic• Yeltsin led the opposition to the coup
against Gorbachev, bringing him global fame
BORIS YELTSIN• He worked with Gorbachev and Ukrainian and
Belorussian leaders to manage the Soviet Union’s dissolution
CIS• He began negotiations on the Commonwealth
of Independent States (CIS)– The CIS facilitated trade and cooperation among
former Soviet states
1st PRESIDENT of the RUSSIAN FEDERATION
• In 1992, Yeltsin became the first President of the Russian Federation– He sought
• political continuity • while undertaking
– social and – economic reforms
• Re-elected in 1996,– At home, policies unpopular– Abroad, popular– But OLIGARCHS fund successful
media campaign
A new political framework
• Political reform under Yeltsin focused on – the constitution and – democratic representation
• Initially, Russia retained the 1978 Brezhnev Constitution– already provided for political and civil rights necessary in a
democracy– The government revised undemocratic clauses such as Article 6– This incremental approach to constitutional reform proved ill-
advised• It severely restricted executive power
RUSSIAN ECONOMISTS
Anatoly Chubias
• Privatization Czar
Yegor Gaidar
• Prime Minister
Sergei Kiriyenko
• Prime Minister
YEGOR GAIDAR
• Prime Minister• Progressive economist
PRIME MINISTERS
• In 1992, a conservative legislature forced Yeltsin to replace – Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar – with Viktor Chernomyrdin
VIKTOR CHERNOMYRDIN
• Chernomyrdin was a former member of the nomenklatura
• He was the Soviet-era manager of -- Gazprom, the state’s natural gas monopoly
CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION IN THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT
• Continued conservative opposition drove Yeltsin to dissolve the parliament in September 1993– The parliament considered this
step unconstitutional and impeached Yeltsin
– Yeltsin called for new presidential and parliamentary elections
• A standoff ensued between Yeltsin and the parliament
The WHITE HOUSE
• Yeltsin ordered troops to storm the parliament on October 4, 1993
1993 Constitution
• Yeltsin and his supporters then drew up a new constitution
• On December 12, the constitution was passed in a national referendum
The 1993 constitution modeled the state after Western European governments
Russians received a range of rights, including freedom of
--speech, --press, and --assembly
FRANCE!SEMI-
PRESIDENTIAL
Russia’s political culture influenced the constitution’s provisions
• The executive branch of government possessed broad powers
• Some provisions were included specifically to prevent Soviet political practices– These included the right
to privacy and ideological diversity, and the right to refuse to take part in medical experiments
A SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL FORM
The presidency• The presidency dominated
the new political system– The Russian president is
elected by popular vote– He has no term limits but
can only serve two terms in a row
– He is responsible for diplomacy and foreign policy and is the military’s commander-in-chief
Putin added Russia’s only
Constitutional Amdendment --
Adding 2 yrs. to term!
The Powers of the President
• Some critics have described the presidency as having dictatorial powers– controls the appointment of the prime minister– Legislation• oversees parliamentary proceedings • can propose legislation
The Powers of the President
• Power over Duma: can– dissolve, – reinstate, or – call for elections for the Duma
• The president may circumvent the Duma by – issuing executive orders, – declaring martial law, or – calling popular referenda
Checks on Presidential Power
• Presidents have few checks on their authority– The upper house of the
legislature votes through judicial and cabinet appointments
– The lower house can impeach the president for treason
The Federation Assembly(bicameral legislature)
• The 1993 constitution provided for a bicameral legislature, the Federal Assembly
• UPPER HOUSE: – Federation Council
• LOWER HOUSE: – State Duma
The Federation Council (upper house)
• The upper chamber, or Federation Council, represents Russia’s 89 federal regions– Two deputies represent each region• These deputies were
the provincial governors and legislative leaders before 2000• After 2000, these
officials appointed separate representatives
The Federation Council (upper house)
– The council deals mainly with regional issues like border and trade disputes
– It votes on declarations of martial law and states of emergency and legislation proposed by the Duma
STATE DUMA (lower house)
• The lower chamber, or State Duma, represents the general population– The house consists of 450
legislators• Before 2008,
representatives served four-year terms• Term lengths have been
extended to five years
STATE DUMA (lower house)• It drafts all legislation except those relating
to– treaties, – tariffs, and WAR!!!
• Laws are read three times and voted on before being submitted to the upper house
• The DUMA can override a Federation Council veto with a two-thirds vote
DUMA ELECTIONS
• Duma deputies were originally elected in two ways– Half of the seats were allocated through
proportional representation (PR)• Parties gained seats according to their percentage of the
popular vote
– The other half were single-member districts (SMDs)• The candidate with the greatest number of votes in a
district won the seat
Putin’s 2007 Changes
• In 2007, the Duma became– fully elected through PR, – eliminating independent deputies
• Political parties need at least 7% of the popular vote to gain seats in the Duma– The change reduced the number of smaller
political parties
A multi-party system
• Political parties play a vital role in democratic government– They give citizens a voice in the decision-making
process– Ideally, multiparty systems function more
effectively than (1) single-party systems, (2) direct democracies, or (3) autocracies
A multi-party system
• Russia had to build a multi-party system without the aid of historical political experience– Parties had to identify and
appeal to the social groups that would form voting blocs
– The Duma’s party makeup evolved over the course of the 1990s and 2000s
• In 2003, – only four of the 12 parties
in the Duma won seats through the PR method
– Seven parties received less than five seats
• The 2007 elections drastically slashed the number of parties in the Duma– Only four of the 11
competing parties received seats
FOUR MAJOR PARTIES
• Fair Russia • The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)• The Communist Party of the Russian
Federation (CPRF)
• * United Russia
FAIR RUSSIA• Fair Russia was founded in 2006 from the
merger of – Rodina, – the Russian Life Party, and – the Russian Pensioners’ Party• These smaller parties were facing waning public
support
FAIR RUSSIA• Fair Russia is one of the more left-leaning
parties in Russia today– Only the Communist Party is more economically
liberal– Fair Russia is the most socially progressive party• It promotes political and civil freedoms
FAIR RUSSIA• Fair Russia was the smallest Duma party after
the 2007 elections– It won 8.4% of the popular vote, – giving it 38 seats
The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
• It’s neither LIBERAL nor DEMOCRATIC
• Right-wing, nut-case crazy, racist, nationalist
• Established– In 1991– By Vladimir Zhironovsky
(on TV and in the Duma)• The LDPR is the Russian
Federation’s second oldest political party
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
• NOT liberal!
• NOT democratic!
The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
• It is an ultra-nationalist party that blames Russia’s problems on Jews and non-ethnic Russians– Its rhetoric has supported
anti-Semitism, fascism, and racism in the past
– The party has since mellowed its positions
The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
• The party initially enjoyed much popular support, especially in the 1993 Duma elections– It draws its support from across the Russian public– However, public appeal has declined considerably
in recent years• The 2007 elections gave the party • just 8.14% of the vote and • 40 seats
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
• Gennady Zyuganov founded the CPRF after the Soviet Union’s collapse
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
• advocates Marxism-Leninism – but is slightly more progressive than the Soviet-era
Communist Party• The CPRF takes a nationalist stance against
western influence• Some of its rhetoric is anti-Semitic
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
• The CPRF promotes a return to Stalin-era politics and a restoration of Stalin’s reputation– Some members support the revival of the
Soviet Union• The CPRF’s support base consists primarily of
rural and elderly voters– It appeals to voters who were hurt by
Yeltsin’s shock therapy policies
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
• The party performed strongly in Duma elections before 2000
• It received the largest number of seats in– 1995 and 1999
CPRF Hurt by Rise of United Russia
• The rise of United Russia damaged the CPRF’s support
• It nevertheless captured the second largest share of the vote in the 2007 elections
United Russia
• The Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties merged in 2001 to form United Russia– Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin backed
the Unity Party– The Fatherland-All Russia party lacked a clear
political platform
United Russia
• United Russia sees itself as a centrist party, though its policies are more right-wing– Its economic policy is strongly anti-communist– The party places importance on maintaining civil
order rather than ensuring civil rights
United Russia
• United Russia has won recent Duma elections
• In 2003, it could carry out its policies even as a minority party with President Putin’s support
United Russia
• Electoral rule changes in 2007 gave it an overwhelming victory
• It was the first party ever to win a majority of the popular vote
United Russia
Public opinion
• Russian political outlooks changed drastically during the initial transition to democracy– Most Russians were disappointed with the process
– Popular interest in politics dropped from 53% to 39%
Public opinion
• Several forms of political activism declined in frequency
Public opinion
• Russians became more conservative in the 1990s, with the LDPR gaining support
Public opinion
• By 2000, citizens exhibited dislike for sweeping reforms and communism
Social Transition• Conflict in Chechnya
Conflict in Chechnya
• In 1991, Chechen rebels toppled the regional assembly and declared Chechnya’s independence from Russia– Retired Soviet air force general
Dzokhar Dudayev (1944-1996) led the insurgents
– President Yeltsin used force against the rebels, further inflaming Chechen separatists
Conflict in Chechnya• In 1992, Chechnya dissolved its union with Ingushetia
and became an independent federal region• Dudayev declared independence from Russia a second
time in 1993
1st Chechen War• On December 11, 1994, Russia invaded
Chechnya, beginning the First Chechen War
1st Chechen War
• Numerically outmatched, the Chechens resorted to guerilla warfare
• Chechnya’s capital city Grozny was devastated
1st Chechen War
1st Chechen War
• International standards for human rights and the rules of war were violated in the conflict
1st Chechen War
• Russian forces suffered 4,000 casualties• More than 100,000 Chechens, mostly
civilians, were killed• International standards for human rights and
the rules of war were violated in the conflict• The war ended in 1996 with a peace treaty
2nd Chechen Conflict
• The conflict was reignited several years later when anti-Russian Islamists launched a series of terror attacks across Russia
• Their targets included – officials, – journalists, – federal buildings, – schools, and – private apartments
BESLANOkla.City
2nd Chechen Conflict• The Chechen conflict signaled Russia’s
difficulty in determining the appropriate boundaries of the Federation
The status of women
• During the Soviet era, women were granted equal rights with men
• In practice, they faced the “triple burden” of obligations to– the home, – the workplace, – and the state
The status of women
• Traditional gender roles and gender stereotypes revived after the Soviet Union’s collapse– Discrimination against women increased with
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT during shock therapy– Many women chose to leave the workplace and
public sphere– Lack of political support for gender equality
Civic participation
• Russians under the imperial and Soviet had little opportunity to take part in civic activities– Their involvement in society and politics remains
low– Labor union involvement has decreased from
62% at the collapse of the Soviet Union
Civic participation
Russian perspectives on the transition
• Russia’s experience in the 1990s affected the way citizens viewed their own lives– By the end of Yeltsin’s
second term, just 6% of Russians were “very happy”
– Their overall life satisfaction levels fell from 32% to 27%
– They became less willing to trust others
• approval ratings for non-democratic institutions remained high
• State-provided programs and services fared reasonably well
• Russians had the least confidence in democratic institutions, such as unions and the press
Russian perspectives on the transition
Younger, Better Educated Russian
• Recent trends in age and education level suggest hope for democracy– Younger, more educated Russians are more likely
to believe the economy runs all right in a democracy
– They also agree to a greater extent that democracy “may have problems but it’s better than any other form of government”
ECONOMIC TRANSITION
Anatoly Chubias• Privatization Czar
•President Yeltsin asked several notable Russian economists to develop a transition plan. •They developed an economic policy based on Jeffrey Sachs and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s recommended ‘‘shock therapy.’’
Yegor Gaidar• Prime Minister
Sergei Kiriyenko• Prime Minister
Jeffrey Sachs: SHOCK THERAPY
• Yeltsin adopted “shock therapy” policies– They were recommended by
Western experts such as • American economist Jeffrey
Sachs• and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF)
– Poland and other former Soviet states had already adopted these policies
Shock Therapy in THEORY
Shock Therapy in PRACTICE
SHOCK THERAPY
• Yeltsin’s shock therapy reforms were – Not as comprehensive and – Not as swift as was
recommended
– implemented shock therapy in stages over a prolonged period
– The administration’s political concerns often dictated their economic policy
PRIVATIZATION: VOUCHERS
• The government issued vouchers to all Russians to purchase shares in privatized businesses– Many Russians lacked the knowledge to make
informed investment decisions– As their financial situation was worsening, most
Russians sold their vouchers to richer investors to get immediate cash
– Government officials fraudulently acquired more vouchers than they were entitled to• The privatization program lost credibility with the public
ENDING PRICE CONTROLS
• Next, the state lifted price controls on consumer goods and services– meant to weed out businesses that couldn’t
survive in the free market• Overall production declined due to a string of business
failures– Decreased production levels led to scarcity-induced inflation
• Prices fluctuated for a period before being stabilized by market forces
ECONOMIC CRISIS• The currency’s value plunged, resulting in
hyperinflation (extremely high inflation)– Unemployment
increased sharply and incomes dropped
ECONOMIC CRISIS
• Tax revenues dropped, so the state decreased its spending on social welfare programs– This move most affected women, children, the
sick, and the elderly
Shock therapy helped to worsen the 1998 economic crisis
• Former Soviet officials used their influence to gain control of many privatized businesses and protect their wealth
• Widening class inequality prevented the growth of a strong middle class, a characteristic often considered necessary for a stable democracy
Shock therapy helped to worsen the 1998 economic crisis
• The Russian mafia fulfilled the state’s former role of ensuring public welfare– It supplied scarce goods and services in exchange for
people’s loyalty– Their existence undermined the government’s credibility
Yeltsin’s retreat from SHOCK THERAPY
• Yeltsin later retreated from shock therapy and re-enlarged the government’s economic role– He used subsidies and spending to stimulate
investment– The government also facilitated economic
modernization• These measures may actually have helped in
part to cause the 1998 financial crisis
The 1998 financial crisis
• By 1998, Russia was heavily reliant on foreign funding
• Investors concerned about the Asian financial crisis pulled out from Russia– Russia declared a default on
its foreign interest payments– The IMF and World Bank
downgraded the country’s credit rating– Both institutions refused
to grant Russia further loans
Yeltsin Plays Musical Chairs with Prime Ministers
PM Viktor Chernomyrdin• In March 1998, Yeltsin fired
his acting Prime Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin
PM Sergei Kiriyenko• He replaced Chernomyrdin with
his Energy Minister Sergei Kiriyenko– This move had little practical
effect– The ruble and financial
markets collapsed in August
Yeltsin Plays Musical Chairs with Prime Ministers
• In September, Yeltsin replaced Kiriyenko with Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov
• Primakov restored government control over the Russian economy
Several Factors Contributed to Russia’s Relatively Poor Performance
Evaluating Russia’s economic transition
• Neighboring economies undergoing similar transitions performed better than Russia– Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) decreased
14.65% between 1992 and 1999– The unemployment rate rose from 5.2% to 13.0%
in the same time period
Evaluating Russia’s economic transition
– The inflation rate spiked to 86% following the 1998 financial crisis, then declined:
Public Opinion
• Russia’s economic transition adversely affected public opinion towards democracy
What Russians Think of Democracy
• By 2000, 55% of Russians thought that democracies produced badly-run economies– 59% believed the state
should reduce economic inequality
– 77% believed that the state should be responsible for its citizens’ basic welfare
Challenges to a successful transition
• In 1991, Russia lacked any experience with democracy and a free market system– It proved ill-prepared for a full-scale transition
from a communist regime• The Soviet elite’s continued hold on power
hindered the transition– They attempted to sabotage the Yeltsin
administration’s policies
Challenges to a successful transition
• The President and his advisors poorly planned the timing and details of their reforms– Their use of excessive force in the Chechen
conflict caused more strife
Yeltsin’s Impeachment
• In 1999, the Duma charged Yeltsin on five counts of treason because of his handling of – the Chechen conflict and – the economy
• Yeltsin survived the impeachment vote with a narrow margin
Yeltsin Appoints Putin Prime Minister
…and then Acting President
• Yeltsin resigns on Dec. 31, 1999
And then President:• Elections are held
in Mar. 2000• May 7, 2000 Putin
takes the Presidential oath
Russia in the 2000s
• Vladimir Putin grew up in a military family– His father served in the Soviet
navy• He studied international law at
Leningrad State University– He joined the Communist Party
and the KGB after graduating in 1975
– He left the KGB after the August coup against Gorbachev
Putin’s rise to power
• St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak (1937-2000) introduced Putin to politics
• Sobchak was an advocate for democracy and former professor
Putin’s rise to power
Putin’s rise to power
• He defeated CPRF candidate Gennady Zyuganov in the March presidential elections with 53% of the vote
Putin’s rise to power
– This was the first time a candidate had received a majority of the vote, avoiding a runoff
– He gained public support due to • the backing of the Unity party, • his position on the Chechen war, and • his assertive leadership
“I Want a Man Like Putin”
Putin Consolidates Presidential Power
• Putin decreased the power of Russia’s regional governments– He subjected provincial governors to presidential
appointment– Putin also brought judicial appointments and dismissals
under his control• He removed CPRF members from leadership positions
in the Duma• He appointed members of the government’s military
and security branches to various positions within his administration
Putin Targets Oligarchs
• Putin targeted the wealthy oligarchs who were influential in the government– He began criminal and tax investigations into several
oligarchs in his first term• These included – Vladimir Gusinsky, – Mikhail Khodorkovsky, – Boris Berezovsky, and– Alexander Litvinenko
• Litvinenko was poisoned to death in 2006
Vladimir Gusinsky: OLIGARCH
Mikhail Khodorkovsky: OLIGARCH
… a SHOW TRIAL for the oil magnate who used his media empire to oppose Putin and financed Putin’s political
Boris Berezovsky: OLIGARCH
Alexander Litvinenko: Ex KGB/FSB
• Litvinenko was poisoned to death in 2006
Putin Cracks Down
• Putin’s reforms:– he cracked down on
corruption, – promoted government
transparency, and – encouraged foreign
investment
Putin Cracks Down
• He restricted press freedom and pressured it to avoid criticizing his administration– Putin nationalized Russia’s last
independently-owned television network
– Legislation limited the media’s right to comment on politics
Putin Wins Landslide in 2004
• Putin secured reelection in 2004 with 71.3% of the vote, the largest vote margin yet
• His overwhelming victory stemmed from the improved economy and his handling of the second Chechen War
Economic stabilization
• Voters in the 2004 presidential election engaged in – pocketbook voting– also known as retrospective economic voting
• when people vote based on whether the economy has improved during the incumbent’s term of office
• Between 2000 and 2004, Russia’s GDP returned to positive growth– Its yearly growth rates were in the range of 4.7% to 10.0%
• Putin also reformed– taxes, – labor, – banking, and – property regulations
Economic Recovery
• Rising foreign investment contributed to the steady growth levels– The unemployment rate decreased from 10.6% to
7.7%– Inflation on consumer goods dropped from 20.8%
to 10.9%– The state nationalized key businesses
like the natural gas provider Gazprom• It could keep prices of natural resources artificially low
The Second Chechen War
• In 1999, Chechnya invaded the neighboring region of Dagestan– The insurgents were mainly non-Chechen Islamists
• President Yeltsin ordered the Russian military to occupy Chechnya
• Rebels adopted guerilla and terrorist tactics, including – car bombs, – sniper strikes, and – suicide bombers
TERRORISM
• Terrorist activity continued in Putin’s first term– In 2002, Chechen radicals held upwards of 700
people hostage in a Moscow theatre– In September 2004, Chechen terrorists killed over
300 hostages, many of them children, in a Beslan school
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLXdLMUABvU
Beslan School
• Xx
Beslan School
Beslan School
2002 Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis
2002 Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis
2002 Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis
Apartment Bombings
Suicide Bomber
Putin and Terrorism
• Putin aggressively pursued the Chechen terrorists, especially following the September 11 attacks against the United States– He passed a tough but loosely defined set of
anti-terrorism policies• The policies could potentially be used against his political
opponents
– He also proposed a new Chechen constitution– His policies prevented the Chechen insurgency from
costing him public support
Putin’s second term
• After his reelection in 2004, Putin advocated pro-business reforms
Putin’s second term
• He continued to increase the presidency’s power– In 2005, Putin eliminated single member districts
(SMDs) from the Duma– He imposed a 7% minimum threshold for parties to
gain seats• This move decreased the number of parties in the Duma
• He limited the ability of parties to form coalitions– Duma members would also lose their seats if they
switched parties• Finally, Putin eliminated the option to vote
against all candidates on the ballot
MEDIA CLAMP-DOWN
• On October 6, 2006, journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in her apartment– Politkovskaya had vocally
criticized Putin’s handling of the Chechen war
– Her assassination effectively silenced any press criticism of Putin
Foreign policy
• At the start of his presidency, Putin supported the creation of American military bases in Central Asia– These bases were to be used in the war against
Afghanistan– He also sped up Russia’s application for
membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)
COOLING OFF
• He became less receptive to cooperation with the west as Russia’s economy stabilized
• He opposed the – Iraq War and – the expansion of the European Union and NATO
• Putin saw these events as western encroachment on Russia’s sphere of influence
• Towards the end of his presidency, Putin’s hostility waned as other countries accorded it more recognition for its successful economic transition
Putin’s hold on power
• In 2007, Putin announced that he would not seek reelection in the 2008 cycle– The constitution barred him from running for a
third term in a row– He introduced legislation to extend the
presidential term from four to six years in 2008• This change was the first amendment to Russia’s 1993
constitution
Putin’s hold on power
• On October 1, two months before the parliamentary election, Putin declared that he would be United Russia’s lead candidate– This move guaranteed him the post of Prime Minister
• United Russia won a supermajority in the 2007 parliamentary elections– Putin remained in a firm position to control the executive branch– Dmitry Medvedev assumed the presidency in 2008 with 70% of the popular vote
Or…
Dmitry MedvedevBackground• Medvedev grew up in a family of
scholars in Leningrad• He had an early interest in
science but instead studied law at Leningrad State University– Following his graduation,
Medvedev worked for Anatoly Sobchak
• Putin and Medvedev maintained close ties throughout the 1990s and 2000s
Medvedev quickly ascended the ranks of the Putin administration
Medvedev Follows Putin’s Plan
• Medvedev continued Putin’s focus on economic growth and political order
• He encouraged economic modernization through promoting – biomedical engineering,– pharmaceuticals, and – technology research
ANTI- CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN• Medvedev established the Anti-Corruption
Council to root out unethical relationships between businesses and the government– widely publicized and broadly popular– However, the council lacked • enforcement powers and • accountability
ANTI- CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN
• In late 2009, an officer exposed extensive police corruption– Medvedev increased
central control over the police
– In 2010, police salaries were increased by 30%
Medvedev also continued Putin’s repressive policies
• He retained strict control over the press and other domestic institutions
• Political opponents were persecuted– Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov
was forced to resign– Oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky
was jailed on widely disputed charges• http://www.khodorkovsky.com/
Putin Returns to the Presidency• In September 2011, Putin declared his
intention to run for president in 2012
• ZYUGANOV ZHIRINOVSKY PUTIN PROKHOROV MIRONOV
Putin Returns to the Presidency
Political rights and civil liberties
• The Soviet Union earned poor scores of sixes and sevens– Conditions improved during the 1970s and 1980s• During Yeltsin’s administration, Russia was considered
“partially free”• However, Russia’s scores both declined to a five at the
end of his presidency• Its political rights score decreased further to six in 2004
due to Putin’s electoral reforms• Russia’s average score of 5.5 since 2004 is considered
“not free”
Political rights and civil liberties
• Measuring freedom– Since 1972, Freedom House has released yearly
Freedom in the World reports• They score nations on a scale from one (most free) to
seven (least free)• Nations receive scores in the two categories of political
rights and civil liberties
Measuring democracy
• The Polity IV Project scores regimes from -10 to +10:
Russia’s Scores
• 1990s : low, though positive, scores– due to Yeltsin’s actions as president and – the transitional nature of the Russian government
• Russia received a +6 from 2000 to 2006– Putin’s reforms, however undemocratic, abided by the
constitution– His anti-corruption policies and early electoral reforms
actually promoted democracy• In 2007, Russia’s score dropped to a +4– Putin made sweeping electoral reforms that favored United
Russia– Russia barred international observers from the 2007 and
2008 elections
Evaluating Russia’s transition
• Russia is not a fully liberal democracy– Other former communist states have successfully
carried out this transition– Russia’s own transition has probably either stalled
or stopped altogether
Evaluating Russia’s transition• Nevertheless, societal progress continues– Russia has steady GDP growth and low
unemployment• The global recession of 2009 was the sole recent
setback
Evaluating Russia’s transition
– Yeltsin’s 1993 constitution remains a central pillar of Russian politics• It has been amended only once since its adoption
– Medvedev signed amendment in December 2008– PRESIDENTIAL TERMS EXTENDED FROM 4 TO 6 YEARS
– Russian citizens increasingly support democracy and post-materialist values
Evaluating Russia’s transition
• Overall, Russia’s transition must be seen as a unique product of Russian society