From Post-Soviet Chaos to Putin’s Rule

This thread follows the collapse of the Soviet system through economic shock, oligarchic power, and Vladimir Putin’s rise.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Promise of Shock Therapy

A Rapid Market Transformation Reform without safeguards Boris Yeltsin and Yegor Gaidar pursued rapid liberalization, arguing that speed could prevent a return to authoritarian rule. Prices surged, savings lost value, and ordinary citizens found that the promised transition offered little immediate security. Unequal entry into the new economy Voucher privatization was intended to give citizens a share in national wealth, but inflation and scarcity made many sell their vouchers cheaply. People already positioned to exploit the new system gained a decisive advantage.

The Oligarchs Emerge

Wealth Without Rules New fortunes from public assets Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Gusinsky, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky became emblematic of a small group that accumulated enormous wealth during privatization. The new order rewarded access, speed, and the ability to operate where regulations were weak. A social rupture For millions, economic change meant falling living standards, insecurity, and a loss of status. The contrast between new luxury and widespread deprivation fed Limonov’s anger at the post-Soviet order.

Yeltsin’s Second Term

Power and Privatized Politics A campaign shaped by oligarchs Fearing a communist victory, powerful business interests used their media and financial influence to help Boris Yeltsin win the 1996 election. The public choice was framed as Yeltsin or chaos, despite widespread disillusionment with the reforms. A divided country The election preserved the reform government but did not resolve the economic and social crisis. Limonov remained outside the main political coalition, rejecting the available choices while building his own marginal movement.

The Chechen War Returns

War as Political Remedy The first devastating campaign The war in Chechnya brought heavy destruction and exposed the Russian state’s inability to deliver the quick victory it had promised. Soldiers and civilians bore the cost of a policy that was also meant to reshape domestic politics. A new war and new suspicions In 1999, bombings in Russian cities were blamed on Chechen terrorists and helped prepare the public for another war. The book recounts widespread suspicions about the state’s possible role, even as those suspicions did not prevent support for Vladimir Putin.

The Chekist Takes Power

A New Center of Authority A successor presented as safe Boris Berezovsky backed Vladimir Putin as a manageable successor to Boris Yeltsin. The new leader quickly proved more independent and forceful than the oligarchs expected, eventually driving some into exile and imprisoning Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Stability through authority Putin’s presidency offered many Russians a language of restored state dignity and historical continuity. Limonov opposed the regime, yet Carrère argues that the leader’s appeal drew on feelings the opposition could not simply dismiss.

1992, at the beginning of market reforms

1992–1996, during privatization and the first Yeltsin term

1996–1998, during Yeltsin’s second term

1994–1999, during the Chechen conflicts

1999–2008, from Putin’s appointment through the tandem presidency