Post Soviet Russia

Question 1

Yeltsin’s Political coup 1993

Answer 1

• Disagreements over Shock Therapy
○ Lead to a political opposition.
○ Lead to a serious constitutional crisis.
§ Yeltsin
§ Russian Parliament
• Yeltsin began to increasingly ignore parliament.
Led to a contest of Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet.

Question 2

Opposition to Yeltsin

Answer 2

○ Yeltsin’s ban on the CPSU was overturned by the constitutional court.
○ Russian Federation Communist Party formed February 1993.
§ Led by Gennady Zyuganov.
○ CPRF gained influence while Yeltsin began to compete with the parliament.
○ The CPRF also formed alliances to strengthen unity against Shock Therapy.
§ Led to the formation of the National Salvation Front (NSF)
□ Wished to revive the USSR
□ Did not want to give further concessions to the west.

Question 3

The pinochet option

Answer 3

○ Continued disputes led to declaration of emergency
○ He used these special powers to push through economic policies
○ Congress tried to dismiss him and failed - 26 March
○ Lead to de-facto Dual Rule:
§ Yeltsin
§ Supreme Soviet
○ Yeltsin announced his intentions:
§ Disband the Supreme Soviet.
§ Disband the congress of People’s deputies.
§ Rule by Decree until the next election.
○ Vice President Rutskoi was elected as Acting President.
○ Yeltsin became unpopular and protests began to emerge against him.
§ He sent in the military and crushed the demonstrations.
§ He also dissolved parliament after this.
□ Parliament refused to disperse.
○ Yeltsin ordered the military to shell the parliament:
§ Killed 500 people.
§ Injured up to 1000 people.
○ Rutskoi and Khasbulatov were arrested by Yeltsin.

Question 4

Pinochet option aftermaths measures

Answer 4

○ Introduced Provisional measures:
§ Scrapped the constitution.
§ Temporarily banned opposition parties.
§ Censored the media.
§ Increased the pace of Shock Therapy.

Question 5

December 1993 Elections

Answer 5

○ Yeltsin’s party faced a defeat to the opposition. (NSF).
○ Intention:
§ Meant to create a New Federal Assembly.
□ Consisting of:
® State Duma
® Council of Federation
○ Yeltsin’s supporters were outnumbered.
○ Yeltsin’s new parliament now comprised of anti-neoliberals.
§ Increased opposition to economic reforms and policies.
○ His response to this was to redesign the constitution.
§ Expand the powers of the President.
○ These elections did make Yeltsin slow down his privatization plans.
○ Yeltsin’s approval rating plummeted to 5%.
○ Foreign debt increased and harmed economic progress.

Question 6

1995 elections - CRPF opposition

Answer 6

○ CRPF became the dominant opposition to Yeltsin.
§ Causes:
□ Determined opposition
□ Patriotic alliance to Save Russia
□ Backing of trade union protests and resistance.
§ Controversies
□ Use of nationalist ideas
□ Promotion of increasingly extreme forms of Russian nationalism.
§ Goals
□ Oppose the privatization of the Russian economy.
□ Oppose dismantling of Russian society.

Question 7

1995 elections Support for Yeltsin measures

Answer 7

○ Less people believed their lives had improved since Perestroika.
○ This led to Yeltsin taking support from business elites for re-election.
§ Yeltsin gave shares of public enterprises for loans.
□ He sold them for extremely cheap prices.
□ He sold them to small powerful tycoons of:
® Industry
® Banking
® Energy
® Telecommunications
® Media
§ Establishment of Oligarchy.

Question 8

1996 elections context

Answer 8

○ The CRPF had gained increased support.
○ Yeltsin’s ratings were so low that he was advised to:
§ Cancel 1996 elections
§ Rule as dictator
○ Yeltsin’s commitment to democracy was not strong.
Russian politics had become increasingly polarized

Question 9

Anatoly Chubais role

Answer 9

○ However this changed when Anatoly Chubais became Yeltsin’s campaign manager.
§ Gained support of:
□ Media
□ Finance
§ Began television propaganda vilifying Zyuganov.
§ Chubais enabled oligarchs to acquire majority stakes in more valuable state owned assets.
§ Chubais warned that Zyuganov’s victory would lead back to totalitarianism.
○ At first Yeltsin had 3% more than Zyuganov.

Question 10

1996 election issues

Answer 10

○ As the final election neared:
§ Russia’s financial system was on the verge of a meltdown.
§ Government’s income had collapsed.
□ Because of declining industrial input.
§ Wages weren’t paid while government borrowed money
□ Led to high interest rates.
○ Russia’s financial situation was saved when the IMF gave them a 10 billion loan.
§ This allowed Yeltsin to pay off wages and pensions before the elections.
§ Yeltsin also promised to:
□ Drop unpopular economic reforms
□ Increase welfare spending.
○ In the final round Yeltsin won 54% to Zyuganov’s 41%.