Boris Yeltsin dead

[Emetri]

May he rest in peace.

Despite some personal shortcomings, he was instrumental in wrestling away Russia's destiny from the cold hands of the Communists, and his role in setting the country on the path to a stable democracy and a free market economy cannot be underestimated.

In that regard, I only wish Russia hadn't taken two steps backward for each forward one in recent years.

[BeBMan]

Copycat!

[Japher]

Yeah, whatever, it's not like Boris Yeltsin was the first person to ever die!

[lord of the mark]

the two steps backward began under Yeltsin himself, when he compromised with the power ministries to protect the Kremlin family. Its fashionable to blame Yeltsin for the failures of "liberalism" in Russia, and vice versa, which is convenient for the current regime, but in fact overlooks the tension between Yeltsin and the liberals after 1992.

[germanos]

I think Yeltsin's legacy will remain hollow.

The only good this he did was stepping up against the coupe d' état aimed at Gorbachev.

From what followed it appears that he either was aiming at personal glory or had no idea what he was doing.


May he rest in peace.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by germanos
I think Yeltsin's legacy will remain hollow.

The only good this he did was stepping up against the coupe d' état aimed at Gorbachev.
.

I wonder if Russian democracy wouldnt be better off today if the coup had succeeded? Then the old guard would have taken the blame for the probably inevitable continued decline of the Russian economy, and liberalism wouldnt have been contaminated by Yeltsin's personal foibles.

[Nikolai]

Interesting thought, lotm.

And RIP Boris Jeltsin.

[germanos]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


I wonder if Russian democracy wouldnt be better off today if the coup had succeeded? Then the old guard would have taken the blame for the probably inevitable continued decline of the Russian economy, and liberalism wouldnt have been contaminated by Yeltsin's personal foibles.

To the second part I say a wholeheartedly YES (which is why I say his legacy will be hollow), but without the coupe failing I think democracy would have had a hard time establishing itself in Russia. Not to mention that the cold war probably would have re-emerged in full force.

If there is one thing I'm gratefull for is that those dreaded days have gone forever.

[Arrian]

Yeltsin on the Tank
Yeltsin in the bottle

RIP, Boris.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

RIP, Boris. You will always be remembered for your role in the coup. Unfortunately Putin has undone a lot of what you tried to do.

[Arrian]

To the cheers of millions...

-Arrian

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Unfortunately Putin has undone a lot of what you tried to do.

Aint that the truth

Asmodean

[Az]

RIP, the father of Russia's fiasco as a democracy,

[DinoDoc]

Did anyone check for Polonium?

[Kontiki]

Would polonium survive being pickled in vodka?