You knew it was coming. Putin decides he will take power back.

[Serb]

And FDR faced what kind of problems? Just a Great depression. It's NOTHING in comparison with the collapse of the country. You can't even imagine what kind of disaster it is when your country collapse. The Great depression is nowhere near, not even a close.
Besides FDR's third term was a vialation of your constitution, AFAIK, while Putin's third term is NOT, 'cause our constition forbides three terms IN A ROW, which is not the case with Putin.

[giblets]

Russia didn't come anywhere near 20% unemployment, so in some respects the great depression was worse.

[Az]

And FDR faced what kind of problems? Just a Great depression. It's NOTHING in comparison with the collapse of the country.

OTOH, FDR didn't have a huge rise in commodities to support him...



It is only in the last period that we have a strong growth in the GDP/price of barrel ratio, i.e. a weakening correlation.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Russian+GDP+history+%2F+price+of+oil+history

a "force that saved the country"? maybe so, as the reversal of trends in the decay of Russian society at the atomic level are obvious to any bystander. But the economy? well...

[Serb]

Russia didn't come anywhere near 20% unemployment, so in some respects the great depression was worse.

Hidden unemployment was much greater than 20%. After collapse of the USSR most of the people just couldn't get their miserable salaries sometimes for a half of a year. Formally they weren't unemployed, but they just don't have salaries for months and those salaries was a joke. Not to mention inflation. That was a time you can't even imagine. When everything, everything, just crushed. That was a time when a mere survival was the most important question for the absolute majority of the population. That was just 20 years ago and I remember that time very well. Great depression? Come on, don't make me laugh. That was a great disaster. Complete catastrophe.

[Nikolai]

I am not in any way surprised that Putin is back. Not that he ever was away, he just changed his title for a while. The only surprise were that he actually waited 4 years and didn't orchestrate a crisis of some kind to take over. Like Medvedev suddenly getting a bad back and wanting to leave office to be with family. Anyway, with the recent change to 6 year terms, Putin can legally be in office for another 12 years after Medvedev, without any puppet in his place.

[Serb]

OTOH, FDR didn't have a huge rise in commodities to support him...



It is only in the last period that we have a strong growth in the GDP/price of barrel ratio, i.e. a weakening correlation.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Russian+GDP+history+%2F+price+of+oil+history

a "force that saved the country"? maybe so, as the reversal of trends in the decay of Russian society at the atomic level are obvious to any bystander. But the economy? well...

I'm not saying we aren't vulnerable to oil prices at all anymore or that high oil prices didn't help at all, but according to the universal source of knowledge:

Since 2003, however, exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably. Despite higher energy prices, oil and gas only contribute to 5.7% of Russia's GDP and the government predicts this will drop to 3.7% by 2011.

[Hauldren Collider]

Serb, Putin's virtually a dictator. He controls the media. The people who like him are the rural yokels pining for the old days of the USSR. People who live in the few big cities Russia has don't like him. Far as I can tell, Moscow residents hate him. Your middle class is leaving in droves and corruption is rampant. He's taken the country halfway back to Stalinism, and as you would know if you had ever stepped foot in a real democracy, that ain't a good thing.

[Serb]

The only surprise were that he actually waited 4 years and didn't orchestrate a crisis of some kind to take over.

Oh come on. I remember how most of you people here back in 2007-2008 whined about Putin will never quit the office and I've said he surelly will, because he is a democrat and respects our constitution. And he does.

[Serb]

Serb, Putin's virtually a dictator. He controls the media. The people who like him are the rural yokels pining for the old days of the USSR. People who live in the few big cities Russia has don't like him. Far as I can tell, Moscow residents hate him. Your middle class is leaving in droves and corruption is rampant. He's taken the country halfway back to Stalinism, and as you would know if you had ever stepped foot in a real democracy, that ain't a good thing.

Facepalm.jpg

Some people are just hopeless.

You really don't know a sh!t, dude. So better discuss Amercian politics and stay out from Russian. You are just hilarious, really.

[Hauldren Collider]

This brings back memories. I think my first posts were making fun of Serb for thinking Grozny was okay but Georgia's counterattack was not.

[Hauldren Collider]

Oh come on. I remember how most of you people here back in 2007-2008 whined about Putin will never quit the office and I've said he surelly will, because he is a democrat and respects our constitution. And he does.

He respects it so much he changed it when he flipped office! In America arm-twisting means withholding campaign funds, I bet it has a more literal interpretation in the Duma.

[Serb]

Don't tell me you have never ever amended your constitution. When he was in office, Putin had enormous support and could change the constitution for all he cared even write a new one to stay in charge for the rest of his life and nowbody would have protest. But he didn't.

Besides, it's not him who changed presidetial term from 4 to 6 years.

[Serb]

This brings back memories. I think my first posts were making fun of Serb for thinking Grozny was okay but Georgia's counterattack was not.

Counter-attack? OMFG. Farewell.

[Lorizael]

Besides FDR's third term was a vialation of your constitution...

Uh, no. We changed the Constitution after FDR's presidency.

[onodera]

I'm not saying we aren't vulnerable to oil prices at all anymore or that high oil prices didn't help at all, but according to the universal source of knowledge:

Since 2003, however, exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably. Despite higher energy prices, oil and gas only contribute to 5.7% of Russia's GDP and the government predicts this will drop to 3.7% by 2011.

Serb, have you seen the budget yourself?