Politics of the past: the use and abuse of history - Socialists ...

Of all the problems that my country has encountered, I would like
to select just one, in my opinion the most important: society and
democracy. Russian industry was developing apace at the beginning
of the twentieth century. A legal and institutional base, first of
all in the form of the State Duma (national parliament), was put in
place. In February 1917, the tsar abdicated and the country was on
the way to becoming a democratic republic. Eight months later,
however, the Bolsheviks took over and a remarkable social experiment
began – an experiment that turned out to be unsuccessful.
During the following decades, a process of negative selection took
place. The most intellectual and productive strata of society –
aristocrats, businessmen, the most active peasants, officers, clergymen
– were destroyed. Moreover, during the big terror, those
members of the CPSU most devoted to the ideals of communism
– the administration of the Red Army, notable scientists, writers,
and cultural representatives – were exposed to prosecutions. At
the same time, opportunities for social mobility for the poorest strata
of the peasantry and the working class were created. They formed
the base of Stalin’s regime.
When freedom arrived in 1991, for the large majority it fell more or
less from the sky and people did not know what to do with it. The
period of privatisation, during which a rather small group of people
grew very rich, was perceived to be the logical outcome of democracy.
People characterised this process as dermocracy (dermo
meaning ‘filth’ in Russian) – as something alien and not necessarily
leading to improved welfare.
Nevertheless, during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, the legal base
necessary for a democratic society was created, with a constitution
and the freedom of the media. Society gradually got used to life
under democracy until circumstances began to change in 2000,
when Vladimir Putin came to power. Within eight years, he had created
a system which put all instruments of democracy – parliament,
the courts, the mass media, and regional governors – under the constant
control of the Kremlin. Putin overcame the chaos of Russia’s
initial democratic period and, using the large amount of income generated
by energy sales, increased the population’s standard of living.
He embodied the strict but fair ruler who in traditional Russian
fashion, takes responsibility and creates prosperity.
221 Boris Orlov