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pols p3 10/7

Competitive Electoral System and Polarizing Politics

  • Discussion of the political landscape in Russia regarding elections and practices.
  • Mention of authoritarian practices growing in intensity.

Economic Ambitions vs Reality

  • Yeltsin's desire to adopt more ambitious reforms compared to Gorbachev.
  • Advocated for significant reform, referred to by historians as "shock therapy."
    • Shock Therapy: A rapid transition from a command economy to a free market economy.
  • Differing advice from advisors:
    • Some suggested a gradual transition to a free market.
    • Others, influenced by the University of Chicago's philosophy, emphasized rapid changes.
  • Yeltsin embraced the bold approach of shock therapy.

Effectiveness of Shock Therapy

  • Notable lack of success in achieving desired economic outcomes.
  • Economic collapse during the Yeltsin era was severe:
    • Worse than the Great Depression's economic collapse.
  • Behavioral response to inflation led to hoarding, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of rising prices.
    • Example: Parallels drawn to price hoarding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Level of inflation results observed:
    • Initial concerns at 10%-15% inflation rate during the pandemic.
    • Yeltsin era inflation soared to 2500%.

Economic Consequences

  • Severe economic collapse leading to skyrocketing prices.
  • Emergence of oligarchs, wealthy businessmen who profited from privatized state enterprises.
  • Quick acquisition of vital industries due to availability of funds to purchase them cheaply.

Transition of Power from Yeltsin to Putin

  • Yeltsin's resignation announced at the end of the 1990s.
  • Appointment of Vladimir Putin as acting president one year before elections to secure an electoral advantage.
  • Putin assumed office with a term from 2000-2008:
    • Mandatory eight-year limit at that time; Medvedev took over briefly.
    • Putin, having a significant role in security forces (FSB), previously involved in Chechnya crisis.

Political Reform Dynamics under Putin

  • Initial uncertainty regarding political reforms under Putin, but a shift towards non-democratic practices became evident.
  • Emergence of Competitive Authoritarianism:
    • Elections are conducted, creating an illusion of competition.
    • Authoritarian tactics employed include press censorship, intimidation of dissenters, electoral fraud, and abuse of executive power.
  • Formal democratic institutions exist (i.e., elections and legislative bodies), but are undermined by the regime's frequent violations.

Comparative Authoritarian Systems

  • Timothy Fry's typology of authoritarian governments:
    • Single Party Autocracy:
    • Dominated by a powerful political party aligned with state ministries (e.g., China).
    • Military Autocracy:
    • Governed by military control, often emerging from coups (e.g., Thailand, Brazil, Egypt).
    • Personalistic Autocracy:
    • Power centralizes around a single individual (e.g., Putin).
    • Institutional support weak; relies on personal connections with elites and oligarchs.

Russian Public Perception of Putin

  • Despite authoritarian practices, Putin enjoys considerable support among the Russian populace:
    • Support bolstered by national pride and effective communication regarding national interests (ex: Ukraine).
  • Comparison of economic performance:
    • Economic growth observed in the Putin era, particularly in oil production:
    • Despite challenges like the Ukraine conflict and trade restrictions, economic growth continued.
    • Not relevant for US, but critical for countries such as China and India, which rely on Russian oil.

Historical Context and Future Discussions

  • Overview of the progression from the Soviet Union to present-day Russian politics.
  • Future classes to include:
    • Examination of Russian foreign policy, including implications for US policy and discussions on the Ukraine war and security issues.
    • Introduction to the People's Republic of China and the history of the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.

Conclusion and Next Steps

  • Acknowledgment of the broad swath of content covered in this segment:
    • Importance of understanding the political and economic realities during this time.
  • Encouragement to prepare for upcoming quizzes by grasping the overarching themes and timelines discussed.