>
>
>Newswise—“Ten years ago this month (Sept.21), when Russia's first
>president, Boris Yeltsin, ordered the military seizure of the Russian
>Parliament, he effectively established the ‘presidential monarchy.’ To this
>day, Russian politics remain characterized by his “reign,” says Colgate
>University Russian professor Nancy Ries. “Under his direction the seizure
>of power from elected parliamentary representatives ushered in an era of
>uncontrolled capital flight, the rise of mafia enterprises, oligarchic
>control of the economy and massive impoverishment of the people.
CD: Yes. Though capital flight is way down and is lower than capital that it coming back (unfortunately, almost all of it into the giant natural-resources-extraction and -processing enterprises). Russia does have some small and medium business (a lot more than show up on official figures), but the majority of the economy that has been provatized is in the hands of a handfull of oligarchic structures.
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The events of September 1993 were really a revolution from above, not one
precipitated by the people. The result was political, legal, and economic
disenfranchisement for the majority of Russia’s population.
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CD: Has Russia EVER had a revolution from below?
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>
>“As a result of the Soviet education system, the citizenry is highly
>educated. This has resulted in the emergence of a small "middle class" in
>key urban areas.
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CD: Well, yes, but getting a good degree depends more on your connections
and willingness to pay bribes than actual ability nowadays, usually.
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