Boris Yeltsin dies

[Rosco]

The BBC are reporting that Boris Yeltsin has died. No details yet.

[Guy Berger]

It's a shame he wasn't a better leader.

Guy

[porcy62]

It's a shame he wasn't a better leader.

Guy

Proper obituary.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I think he was probably a good leader - certainly good at rousing up the people to get rid of Gorbie, who didn't know what to do with what he'd started. Trouble was, no one else did, either. And Yeltsin allowed himself to be persuaded to get in very right wing economists (the only kind that were in fashion in those Thatcherite days) to advise on what to do. That was the worst possible way to go about converting the former Soviet economy. No doubt, however, he was under big pressure from the arm of the US Government known as the World Bank, as well as the US and British Governments themselves.

So I think that the tragedy that the last 18 years has been for Russia couldn't have been avoided by any kind of leader (except perhaps a Stalin).

MG

[Guy Berger]

And Yeltsin allowed himself to be persuaded to get in very right wing economists (the only kind that were in fashion in those Thatcherite days) to advise on what to do.

I don't think this would have been as big of a problem had corruption and cronyism not been as bad.

Guy

Edited April 23, 2007 by Guy

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

And Yeltsin allowed himself to be persuaded to get in very right wing economists (the only kind that were in fashion in those Thatcherite days) to advise on what to do.

I don't think this would have been as big of a problem had corruption and cronyism not been as bad.

Guy

Clearly, that makes everything worse, but Yeltsin wasn't responsible for what had been going in since the days of Brezhnev. And with a more gradual transition from a totally command economy to a free market, there would have been more time to develop new habits.

MG

[Guy Berger]

I don't think this would have been as big of a problem had corruption and cronyism not been as bad.

Guy

Clearly, that makes everything worse, but Yeltsin wasn't responsible for what had been going in since the days of Brezhnev. And with a more gradual transition from a totally command economy to a free market, there would have been more time to develop new habits.

MG

Agreed.

Guy

[brownie]

Yelstin was no Gorbachev

Putin is no Yelstin

[porcy62]

I don't think this would have been as big of a problem had corruption and cronyism not been as bad.

Guy

Clearly, that makes everything worse, but Yeltsin wasn't responsible for what had been going in since the days of Brezhnev. And with a more gradual transition from a totally command economy to a free market, there would have been more time to develop new habits.

MG

Agreed.

Guy

Maybe, but considering the overwhelming corruption in Soviet Regime and the fact that all the post Soviet leaders came from PCUS' nomeklatura, I doubt it. Anyway Yeltsin could have been a better leader, the point is if the other members of the CC would allow him, as it happened with the coup against Gorbachev.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I don't think this would have been as big of a problem had corruption and cronyism not been as bad.

Guy

Clearly, that makes everything worse, but Yeltsin wasn't responsible for what had been going in since the days of Brezhnev. And with a more gradual transition from a totally command economy to a free market, there would have been more time to develop new habits.

MG

Agreed.

Guy

Maybe, but considering the overwhelming corruption in Soviet Regime and the fact that all the post Soviet leaders came from PCUS' nomeklatura, I doubt it. Anyway Yeltsin could have been a better leader, the point is if the other members of the CC would allow him, as it happened with the coup against Gorbachev.

Good point.

MG