Briefly about Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin is probably one of the most controversial historical figures. On the one hand, his name is associated with the collapse of the USSR, the distortions of privatization, and a host of negative phenomena of the 1990s. On the other hand, without him it is difficult to imagine the emergence of democracy, freedom of speech, the most important economic and political reforms in Russia.
The Democratic Tsar
Many of those who communicated with Yeltsin during his party work in the Middle Urals, note that he loved and knew how to talk to people — workers and collective farmers, students and athletes, people of different professions. Many remember his habit of giving the best workers of the plants a watch from his hand.
Boris Yeltsin has remained in history as the first democratically elected president. For many, he is still the «liberator of Russia» and the «father of democracy». Yeltsin has gone down in history and in general public perception under the nickname «Tsar Boris the Democratic». In this we can see the key line of Yeltsin’s behavior.
War and Economic Collapse
Now let’s talk about Yeltsin’s mistakes. His main mistake was the war in Chechnya. But there is a silver lining here, he did not allow the further collapse of Russia.
Also because of Yeltsin’s policies, the economy went into decline and there was a default in 1998. Before that, there were problems with workers’ wages for several years. People could work without pay for months.
Yeltsin in numbers
- 33 words, 6 of which were conjunctive “and”, made up Yeltsin’s inaugural speech, which he gave on August 9, 1996. This is the shortest inaugural speech in modern Russian history.
- Of his 76 years of life, 54 years Yeltsin lived in the Urals.
- Yeltsin had mastered 12 working professions before he entered politics.
- Yeltsin’s monument in his homeland cost 2 billion rubles, and its restoration after desecration cost 2.5 million rubles.
Boris Yeltsin was the president of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was the first head of state after the collapse of the USSR. He went down in history as a radical reformer of the country’s socio-political and economic structure.