Russia at the End of Yel'tsin's Presidency

Abstract

oris Yel’tsin’s sudden resignation as president of Russia on December 31, 1999 provides a fitting moment to look back on his performance and legacy as a leader. Such an evaluation must, at minimum, distinguish two stages: 1987–1991 and 1991–1999. During 1987–1991, Boris Yel’tsin established himself as the hero of the anti-communist opposition to Soviet rule. After his overwhelming electoral victories of March 1989 and June 1991, followed by his facing down of the coup plotters in August 1991, his authority at home and abroad had become legendary. He had evolved into a charismatic leader of almost mythic proportions, especially among those who had assumed that the Soviet and communist control structures were unassailable. Thus, as an oppositional leader, Yel’tsin is likely to go down in history as a uniquely courageous and effective figure who managed to prevail against seemingly overwhelming odds. His “resurrection ” after being purged by the communist party apparatus in 1987 was a product of extraordinary political will, intuition, and an uncanny ability to sense and shape the mood of the masses. Moreover, his success during 1990–1991 in decoupling the concept 1 Based on presentations at a panel discussion (“Eight Years Since the End of the USSR”) held at the annual convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies,