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THE LONG ROAD TO DEMOCRACY
VLADISLAV INOZEMTSEV
populism not to turn into some form of authori- mocracy takes shape with the greatest probabil- ernise is signing its own death warrant, sacrifi c-
POLITICAL SCIENTIST tarianism. Among the democrats, there were peo- ity in a successfully modernising society. ing – albeit unconsciously – its own interests to
ple who stood up for the democratic idea, but did Modernisation is the most important instrument the future prosperity of the nation.
December 14 marked the 20th anniversary of the not use that idea in their own interests. Small of democratisation. It is precisely the absence of Now, too, all those who wish Russia a democrat-
premature death of one of the worthiest men of wonder that they “democratically” got rid of their modernisation that determined the failure of the ic and successful future must become engineers
our time – academician Andrei Sakharov. In two legally elected parliament in 1993, “democrati- late-Soviet democratic project. In recent decades, of modernisation. True, opinion polls show that,
decades the world has changed beyond recogni- cally” ensured the victory of their candidate in many successful democracies have grown up in at this point, only a small percentage of the pop-
tion, but Russia, whose fate was of such heartfelt the 1996 presidential elections and, to a large de- places where, for the sake of economic success, ulation is ready take slogans of modernisation
concern to Andrei Dmitrievich, has not taken the gree,“democraticall y” selected a suitable succes- semi-authoritarian regimes allowed, or even ini- seriously. But the modernisations of South Korea
road that he would have liked. Democratic re- sor for him in 1999. tiated, modernising transformations. These mod- in the Sixties and of Brazil in the Seventies did
forms have not created a stable civil society, and Genuine democracies are formed over decades. ernisations did not immediately bring about de- not begin with plebiscites; they ended with them
the “liberation of initiative” that led to the col- Accidental democracies rarely prove viable. It is mocracy, but then a populist democracy has never – when the citizens realised that they no longer
lapse of the Soviet-era economic system has not a paradox, but a movement toward democracy brought about modernisation. As many Western needed those regimes that had been forced to
so far given rise to a civilised market economy. either begins with the elite, or is prepared by the observers remark, a non-liberal democracy is begin modernisation. This will happen in Russia,
Today, democratic norms are disregarded even actions of the elite. In both cases, they turn out to worse than authoritarian liberalism. Strictly too, one day. But for now, we mustn’t let the elite
more cynically than in the USSR, while the econ- be stable when society proceeds confidently speaking, the latter was the main political form for wear everyone out with talk of the modernisa-
omy that existed here in the late Eighties seems along the path of economic progress, and there most of the successful modernisations in Asia and tion agenda, the only agenda that can turn Rus-
like a model of technical perfection. Why haven’t arises a large class of people with a vital interest Latin America at the end of the 20th century. sia into a stable liberal democracy.
the hopes of those who believed in “socialism in sensible and predictable rules of the game, In Russia, proponents of democratic changes Of course, it won’t happen tomorrow. Twenty
with a human face” been realised? Is it worth rules created by the responsible choices of a sig- must of necessity be adherents of modernisation. years have fl own by, and today we can only regret
hoping that Russia will come to better future? nifi cant number of citizens rather than by the In the last 20 years, Russia has continued to lag that Andrei Sakharov’s dreams are still dreams.
In my view, the hopes of 1989 were, alas, illusory. whims of certain leaders. A class of people to behind the West, and not less but more. That is But we must try to make the next 20 years more
It was assumed that we could build a democrat- whom the rest of society can turn for support. why a new wave of populism – if one were to arise productive.
-
ic system in a society that had long since forgot- This means the following: democracy has a fi rm because of disappointment in the actions of the
ten the traditions of private property, and that foundation only in a society which has developed powers that be – would lead to a still more unen- Vladislav Inozemtsev is director of the Centre
was mired in a deepening economic crisis. The with confi dence over a certain period of time and lightened regime than the one established in for Studies of Post-industrial Societies and
democracy of that time had too many features of whose elite is not parasitical. In other words, de- 2000. An authoritarian regime willing to mod- editor-in-chief of Svobodnaya mysl.
A MAN FOR REFORM
The young reformers managed to slash the bud- nomic mismanagement during the Soviet Union,
get defi cit and introduce a market economy, but is still a matter of academic debate. But the eco-
the reforms were also accompanied by hyperin- nomic reforms that Gaidar is mostly remembered
fl ation and economic hardship comparable to the for occurred alongside no less dramatic political
Great Depression. Enterprises across the former- reforms. And regardless of how well thought-out
ROLAND OLIPHANT
the party journal Communist in 1987-1990. ly state-subsidised economy haemorrhaged jobs his economic policy was, he does deserve credit for
POLITICAL ANALYST Why Yeltsin plucked Gaidar from relative obscu- as they struggled to adapt to the market environ- the fact that Russia’s transition from Communism
rity to serve as his deputy prime minister for eco- ment, and the liberalisation of prices in January was both lasting and relatively bloodless. Prime
Former acting-prime minister and economic re- nomic issues is not entirely clear. One explanation 1992 and adjustment of the exchange rate re- Minister Vladimir Putin, who has largely built his
former Yegor Gaidar died on December 16 at the is that Yeltsin was attracted by the young team of vealed the fundamental weakness of the rouble, political reputation on repudiating the careless-
age of 53. Gaidar was a fearless but controversial supporters he brought with him. “I think Yeltsin with the result that many Russians found the value ness of the Yeltsin-era reformers, praised Gaidar
fi gure whose name became associated with the recognized he was a very active person,” said Gai- of their savings simply wiped out. Those whose for his “integrity and courage”. “Not every public
painful reforms that accompanied the transition dar’s former assistant Nikita Maslenikov. “And names were associated with the reforms became fi gure is called upon to serve his country at the
to a market economy, and to a democratic politi- Yegor was prepared to take responsibility before objects of ridicule and even hate. A poll in 2007 most critical stages of its history. Yegor Gaidar
cal system, in the early 1990s. Yeltsin. That, too, was important.” found some 58pc of Russians had a negative atti- honourably discharged this challenging task, dis-
Yegor Gaidar will be remembered as one of the Gaidar went on to become Yeltsin’s fi nance min- tude to the reforms. playing the best personal and professional quali-
young economists who, surrounding Boris Yeltsin’s ister and then, in June to December 1992, his act- It is certainly true that many of Gaidar’s most con- ties,” Putin said in a telegram to Gaidar’s most
government, were the midwives who managed the ing prime minister. troversial moves, including the cancellation of high-profile part in keeping the peace came in
difficult delivery of the modern Russian state. Despite his apprenticeship in Soviet academic price controls were “inevitable”, said Leonid Grig- 1993, when he appealed to Muscovites to support
But he was as much a product of the old establish- economics, Gaidar was a convinced free-market oriev, a prominent economist who briefl y served the government during the constitutional crisis
ment that he did away with as of the reforming liberal. alongside Gaidar in the Yeltsin government.“ And that had brought the country dangerously close
liberalism that he came to exemplify. An econo- But his own role in the introduction of capitalism price controls had already largely been lifted by to civil war.“He did what he consider ed right. He
mist by training, he began his career as a research- to Russia was far more controversial. He and the the last Communist government – it wasn’t one was extremely courageous in what he was doing.
er at several academic institutions. But like many other young reformers in Yeltsin’s fi rst cabinet pre- shock,” he added. But whether Gaidar and his sup- Even fearless,” said Grigoriev.
-
young men with an establishment background, sided over what became known as “shock thera- porters’ reforms caused the economic nightmare
he was also a member of the Communist Party of py”, the rapid release of price controls advocated of the early 1990s with their reforms, or whether Roland Olophant is Russia Profi le magazine
the Soviet Union, editing the economy section of by the American economist Jeffrey Sachs. the chaos was simply the result of decades of eco- political analyst.
The polls
Vladimir Putin’s approval rating climbed Most Russians still favour death penalty The vast majority of Russians consider the death
three percentage points to 68pc, its highest penalty an acceptable punishment for some egre-
level in five weeks, while President Dmity gious crimes, said the All-Russian Public Re-
Putin, Medvedev enjoy boost in popularity Medvedev’s rating climbed four points to 58pc,
THE ALL-RUSSIAN PUBLIC RESEARCH CENTRE ASKED
search Centre.
its highest level in a month.
WHETHER RUSSIANS APPROVED OF CAPITAL PUNISH-
On November 19, Russia’s Constitutional Court
PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR PUTIN’S POPULARITY ROSE The poll came two days after Mr Putin vowed
MENT. A LARGE MAJORITY VOICED SUPPORT IN CASES
extended a moratorium on capital punishment.
AFTER A NATIONAL TELEVISED ADDRESS ON DECEM- to fi ght Islamist rebels in a four-hour televised
OF TERRORISM AND CHILD RAPE.
The court said that the ban, introduced in 1999,
BER 3, CURBING A FIVE-WEEK SLIDE, ACCORDING TO A call-in show. He also demanded tough meas- DO YOU BELIEVE IN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT? had begun an “irreversible process” toward the
POLL BY THE PUBLIC OPINION FOUNDATION. ures be taken against those responsible for the abolition of the death penalty in Russia.
Nevsky Express train bombing that killed 26 “A total of 79pc of Russians consider it accept-
DO YOU TRUST MEDVEDEV AND PUTIN? on November 27. The polling coincided with able to apply the death penalty, primarily to those
strong statements by both Mr Putin and Mr found guilty of raping minors. A total of 17pc are
Medvedev to demand that officials be held ac- against such a punishment,” a statement said.
countable for the neglect that led to the fi re at According to the survey, most of the respondents
the Perm nightclub that killed 150 people. (65pc) said capital punishment should also be
An earlier Levada Centre poll showed that applied to terrorists, while 27pc disagreed.
only 26pc of Russians had confi dence in the The survey also showed that 60pc were in favour
ability of the government to revive the econo- of the death penalty for premeditated murders.
my, down from 33pc in September. Russia re- That position was unacceptable for 31pc of those
mains mired in economic crisis, with GDP questioned, with 9pc unsure. The majority of re-
contracting 8.9pc in the third quarter year-on- spondents said the death penalty should not be
year, and unemployment up by more than one- applied to corrupt officials or to those found
SOURCE: WWW.FOM.RU
third since the start of the crisis last year.
SOURCE: WWW.WCIOM.RU
guilty of treason and espionage.
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