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The third stage of the transformation began after the
collapse of the USSR and the fall of the communist regime
(1991-99). It was carried out by Boris Yeltsin and his team
of reformers who believed that the possibilities of
reforming the country on socialist foundations had been
exhausted. They put forward and implemented a programme of
radical liberal economic reforms designed to dismantle the
old state-run economy and to set up market capitalist
mechanisms. This radical liberal modernization produced
contradictory results and has led to dramatic consequences. |
These include the revival of some of the country’s traditional
socio-cultural and political characteristics evident in the current
stage of Russia’s transformation that began with the rise to power
of Vladimir Putin (2000-). First of all, it is the reappearance of
the idea of a strong state that dominates society and uses a strong
hand to put the house in order. The idea has found its reflection in
the “Putin phenomenon”, a broadly based popular support of the
Russian president that is evident in equal measure at all levels of
Russian society.
The new strategy of the Russian authorities cannot be described as a
crude restoration. The revival of the traditional power of the state
goes hand in hand with the desire to further liberal reforms. How
viable is this combination of statism and liberalism? If it works it
will be an unprecedented exception from the Russian history rules.
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