Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin

• Early Life and Family of Boris Yeltsin
  • Childhood and Early Years
  • Family Life
• Political Career of Boris Yeltsin
  • Entry into Politics
  • Mayor of Moscow
• Presidency of Boris Yeltsin
  • Election as President
  • Reforms and Events During Yeltsin Presidency
• Resignation and Subsequent Years
  • Reasons for Resignation
  • Post-Presidential Activities and Achievements
• Legacy and Assessments of Boris Yeltsin
  • Evaluations of His Leadership and Personality
  • Influence on Modern Russia
• Conclusion

Early Life and Family of Boris Yeltsin

Childhood and Early Years

Boris Yeltsin was born on February 1, 1931 in the village of Butka in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. He grew up in a peasant family as the third of five children. From an early age, Yeltsin knew hardship as his family struggled to make ends meet through subsistence farming. He attended a rural boarding school where he demonstrated academic talent and leadership qualities.

As a teenager, Yeltsin excelled in multiple sports including volleyball, cross country, skiing, and track events. However, his true passion was basketball. He organized teams and impromptu games in his village. Later at university, he played on the varsity team. His athleticism and determination were evident even in his youth.

Family Life

In 1956, Boris Yeltsin married Naina Iosifovna Yeltsina and together they had two daughters, Yelena and Tatyana. Family was very important to Yeltsin and his wife was a trusted confidante throughout his political career. Yeltsin doted on his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.

Though demanding of his own children, he encouraged them to pursue education and self-sufficiency. Yeltsin’s family provided an oasis from the demands of political life. They celebrated Orthodox holidays and family milestones with customary Russian traditions. Yeltsin was proud of his family and they gave him strength and motivation.

Political Career of Boris Yeltsin

Entry into Politics

After graduating from university, Boris Yeltsin joined the Communist Party in 1961 and began working in the construction sector. In 1968, he was appointed to a senior role in the Sverdlovsk City Council. Subsequently, Yeltsin rose through party ranks serving as First Secretary of the Sverdlovsk Regional Committee and a member of the Central Committee.

Yeltsin’s energy, ideas and leadership style propelled his political ascent. However, his outspokenness rankled party traditionalists. Nevertheless, reformers saw potential in Yeltsin as an agent of change.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Yeltsin developed a reputation as a populist and maverick. He rode public transport and chatted with workers to stay connected to the people. Yeltsin also ferreted out corruption among apparatchiks. His anti-establishment stance gained popularity, though also dangerous enemies.

Mayor of Moscow

In 1985, Boris Yeltsin was appointed head of the Moscow Communist Party and two years later became the first elected mayor of Moscow. As mayor, Yeltsin allowed small businesses, foreign investments and cooperatives to emerge, overturning the Soviet command economy model. His populist touch, such as riding public transport, endeared him to citizens.

Though dismissed by conservatives, Yeltsin’s Moscow initiatives laid the groundwork for his rise to national leadership. He also made shrewd political alliances with other reformers. The stage was set for a showdown between Yeltsin’s reform agenda and ossified communist ideologues.

As mayor, Yeltsin became a hero to democrats across the USSR who longed for change. However, he also had to temper high expectations among Muscovites as economic turmoil accompanied reforms.

Presidency of Boris Yeltsin

Election as President

In 1990, Boris Yeltsin was elected to the newly created post of President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This positioned him to lead Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the first direct presidential election in June 1991, Yeltsin defeated challengers to become President of the Russian Federation.

Yeltsin’s anti-communist platform, vows to raise living standards and charismatic leadership style appealed to voters eager for change after decades of stagnation. His election marked a new era as Russia embarked on democratic reforms and a transition to a market economy.

Yeltsin benefitted from fatigue with communist rule, but had to build a new political coalition. Although he espoused democratic values, Yeltsin would concentrate power in the presidency and rely on decrees to drive change.

Reforms and Events During Yeltsin Presidency

As President of Russia — Boris Yeltsin pursued an ambitious reform agenda to transition Russia to a market-based democracy. Key events included freeing prices, privatizing state enterprises, and opening markets to foreign trade and investment. Yeltsin also consolidated power in the presidency and reduced the influence of the Communist Party.

However, the pace of reforms contributed to economic shocks including high inflation and the 1998 financial crisis. Political reforms were slower to take hold as entrenched elites resisted change. Nevertheless, Yeltsin dismantled the foundations of the communist system and irrevocably turned Russia towards integration with the West.

Yeltsin frequently clashed with conservatives who tried to impeach him and reverse reforms. He crushed their attempted coup in 1993, but had to rely on coercion and bargaining to overcome resistance. Critics accused Yeltsin of inconsistency and authoritarian tendencies.

Resignation and Subsequent Years

Reasons for Resignation

Boris Yeltsin resigned as President of Russia on December 31, 1999, the last day of the millennium. His health had deteriorated significantly in his second term due to heart problems and reportedly alcoholism. Yeltsin likely feared he would not live through another 4-year term and wanted to ensure a chosen successor.

Yeltsin also faced waning political support and constant battles with parliament over reform. The grueling work took a toll on Yeltsin’s family life as well. Stepping down allowed Yeltsin to safeguard his legacy and devote time to his personal life after a tumultuous decade leading Russia’s transition.

Post-Presidential Activities and Achievements

After resigning, Boris Yeltsin lived in seclusion with his family, shunning the public spotlight due to his health challenges. However, he worked on his memoirs, defended his presidential record and gave occasional interviews.

Yeltsin’s primary achievement was ensuring the presidency passed to Vladimir Putin, who vowed to continue Russia’s economic and political evolution. Critics accused Yeltsin of securing immunity for himself and family. Nevertheless, Yeltsin provided steadfast leadership during immense changes in the 1990s.

Yeltsin’s resignation speech affirmed his faith Russia was on an irreversible path to stable democracy and a market economy. He expressed hope the new millennium would bring prosperity after the travails of Russia’s transition. Yeltsin asked for forgiveness for the country’s problems that marred his tenure.

Boris Yeltsin published his memoir, Presidential Marathon, in 2000 detailing his life and political career. He defended the necessity of radical reform and blamed obstacles like Communist resistance. Yeltsin conceded mistakes in trusting advisors and mismanaging privatization. But he wrote Russia was too mired in the Soviet past to fully transition in one decade.

Yeltsin gave select interviews but generally avoided politics to focus on his health. He was hospitalized frequently and had multiple heart surgeries. Yeltsin died in 2007 at age 76 from congestive heart failure. Leaders praised him for his historic role while some critics decried the effects of his presidency.

Over 2,000 mourners attended Yeltsin’s grand state funeral, a sign of lingering respect. Putin posthumously awarded Yeltsin Russia’s highest medal for service. Putin lauded Yeltsin’s tough choices that kept Russia from lapsing into dictatorship or civil war amid the Soviet collapse. Gorbachev and world leaders also issued tributes.

Yeltsin’s family created the Yeltsin Presidential Center in his hometown of Yekaterinburg. Opened in 2015, it houses his memorial and a museum on his presidency. Controversy over Yeltsin’s rule persists but the center cements his legacy as the critical figure of post-Soviet Russia.

Legacy and Assessments of Boris Yeltsin

Evaluations of His Leadership and Personality

Boris Yeltsin’s legacy is complex and divisive. Supporters see him as the father of Russian democracy who peacefully transitioned a totalitarian system. They praise his courage to pursue reforms despite resistance. Critics argue Yeltsin opened the door to oligarchic capitalism and lawlessness.

Personality-wise, Yeltsin is remembered as a political maverick — brash yet charismatic. His oratory galvanized citizens for change though he was an inconsistent administrator. Alcoholism marred his second term, raising questions about his judgment. Nevertheless, all assesssments confirm Yeltsin’s role as the pivotal figure of post-Soviet Russia.

Influence on Modern Russia

Yeltsin’s influences on modern Russia are manifold — he laid economic and political foundations that successors Putin and Medvedev built upon. Privatization and economic openness survived, fueling growth. However, corruption and centralization of power are also Yeltsin legacies.

Critically, Yeltsin embedded channels for democratic participation like elections, though real pluralism faltered after him. He also orientated Russia toward the West; resetting under Putin. Reverence for Yeltsin has faded but the impact of his turbulent presidency persists. His defenders credit him for enabling freedoms and reforms that endure in today’s Russia despite reversals. They argue progress was stymied more by economic turmoil and resistance from Communists and nationalists rather than Yeltsin’s flaws.

Critics allege Yeltsin crippled institutions with improper privatization. They believe he enabled the rise of the oligarchs and mafia. These elites have since captured the state and economy, stifling development. Critics also blame Yeltsin for the weak rule of law and tolerance of corruption still hobbling Russia. Chechnya’s brutal war is another stain on his record.

In terms of economics, critics highlight the deprivation faced by many Russians during his tenure. They consider his reforms ill-prepared and indict unrealistic shock therapy policies. Supporters counter that radical measures were necessary given Soviet dysfunction and were shrugged off by Western advisors. They see progress in financial stability achieved by his second term and blame subsequent crises like the 1998 ruble crash on global factors.

Yeltsin’s foreign policy legacy is similarly mixed. He is credited with crafting the end of the Cold War and enabling integration of Eastern Europe into the West. But critics believe he acquiesced too readily to NATO expansion and the advance of Western institutions onto former Soviet turf. This overly deferential stance incited the nationalist backlash that fuels Putin’s confrontations today.

Conclusion

Boris Yeltsin leaves a complex legacy as the first democratically elected leader of post-Soviet Russia. Assuming power in the wake of communist collapse, Yeltsin pursued aggressively pro-market policies to transition Russia towards capitalism and democracy. His leadership was vital in dismantling totalitarian structures and opening Russia to the world after decades of isolation.

However, Yeltsin failed to erect adequate safeguards against the corruption and inequality that flourished in the economic turmoil of the 1990s. Democratic institutions remained fragile as well, laying the foundations for backsliding under subsequent leaders.

Yeltsin’s defenders praise his courage and political instincts, while critics decry his inconsistent leadership and reliance on decree. But all agree that Yeltsin’s forceful personality dominated Russian politics in the 1990s as he steered a former superpower through its most profound transformation in centuries.

Despite a mixed record, for better or worse Boris Yeltsin put Russia on its present trajectory and defined the challenges facing its leaders today. His legacy will be debated for generations, but his mark on history is indelible as the man who buried Soviet communism and gave Russia its first taste of modern democracy and free markets.