Rarely will any Russia watcher dispute the fact that whatever the West has said about Josef Stalin or Stalinism, Dmitry Medvedev falls for it hook, line and sinker. How does Vladimir Putin look at one of the 'most ruthless dictators' of modern times? The Russian President's usual take on the role that Stalin played during the World War II and in perceptible colder moments of the Cold War conveys his deep but cautious affection and reverence to the "Leader". Stalinism still fascinates many. Highly acclaimed Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek is also one of its noted admirers.
Putin's worldview or way of thinking about and understanding life is said to have been greatly influenced by his intelligence career during which he travelled far and wide. It is strongly believed that he was stationed in the then East Germany when the Berlin Wall was knocked down in 1989. There is hardly any doubt about the fact that Putin greatly owes his phenomenal political successes to no one but Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin was always full of energy in a cheerful and noisy way. He came to power after he, not Mikhail Gorbachev, had written the obituary of Soviet Union. Though, he played the principal piece of music for this requiem, he said no prayers for its Communist soul. He replaced Yevgeny Pramikov with Sergie Stepashin after he realised that the former had challenged him by tacitly allying himself with various members of Communist-dominated Dumai. After Yelstin had shortlisted incumbent head of Russia's federal security service Putin to become his successor he was suddenly in a dilemma or in a situation to make a very difficult choice. He was told that the pro-Communist era poll that had made him increasingly wary of his own political survival enjoyed the blessings of Putinii. But he was perhaps no longer in a position to do anything against Putin. He, therefore, accepted the rise of Putin as a fait accompli. Months later, Putin became acting President after Yeltsin resigned in a surprise move. "Dear Russians, very little time remains to a momentous date in our history. The year 2000 is upon us, a new century, a new millennium.... In accordance with the constitution, as I go into retirement, I have signed a decree entrusting the duties of the president of Russia to Prime Minister Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. For the next three months, again in accordance with the constitution, he will be head of state. Presidential elections will be held in three months time. I have always had confidence in the amazing wisdom of Russian citizens. Therefore, I have no doubt what choice you will make at the end of March 2000...."iii
The Russians elected Putin president in the 2000 presidential elections, which were termed "an important milestone in the development of democratic Russia" by US President Bill Clinton. According to Peter Truscott, the author of Putin's Progress, "the fact that Putin was elected on the first ballot, without the need for a second-round run-off against Zyuganov, was a triumph for his Kremlin campaign team. At one stage, as voting began in Russia's far east seven hours before polls opened in Moscow, it looked as if the Communist challenger might force a second ballot".iv In 2004, they re-elected him for second term lasting till 2008. Putin is yet again President following 2012 presidential elections. Dmitry Medvedev, the President of Russia between 2008 and 2012, was there to keep his seat warm. Despite immense Western backing, not only Medvedev failed to seek second term, his prospects of becoming prime minister were accompanied by serious doubts and wild speculations.
It is, however, instructive to note how a Senior Sovietologist looked at Putin's 2012 victory. Writing for the New York Times, Vladimir Pozner argued that Putin's majority comes from four sectors of the Russian population: "the elderly (55 and over), the less-well educated (at best, high school), the less affluent, and women. These groups form the majority of the nation. Those who voted against Putin come overwhelmingly from the middle class - still relatively small, but growing. They are the people demonstrating against a corrupt, all-powerful bureaucracy, against a corrupt judiciary, against the quasi-democracy that is Russia today."v
An embarrassed West looked at his re-election with a measure of hostility and frustration. The Russians had been accused of making a bad investment by electing him. A majority of analysts in global financial markets had been arguing that "with Putin in power nothing will change"vi. It may be recalled that the West had been found gloating over Russians' economic and social woes following the break-up of Soviet Union and introduction of political and economic reforms by Yeltsin. Many steps that the Yeltsin government undertook didn't work. The 'shock therapy' articulated by Yegor Gaidar didn't work either. Nothing was working for Russia and its people in the early 1990s in particular. But during Putin's presidency, there has been high economic growth mainly because of "a confluence of high oil prices, surging capital inflows and access to low-cost external financing". Vii.
(to be continued)
i Midnight Diaries by Boris Yeltsin
ii Midnight Diaries by Boris Yeltsin
iii http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ europe/6584973.stm
iv Putin's Progress by Peter Truscott
v http://www.nytimes.com/2012 /03/14/opinion/this-time-putin-may-get-the-message.html?_r=1
vi http://moneymorning.com/ 2012/03/12/with-putin-in-power-its-laughable-russia-is-one-of-the-brics/
vii Wikipedia
(The writer is newspaper's News Editor)
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