Boris Yeltsin was the man who thought what was, in Russia of 1991, the unthinkable; he believed Russia could be a democracy and for a short time he was right. He also introduced a very different quality to Russian politics, an authenticity and emotionalism that had only briefly been seen during the Khrushchev years. There were, in my opinion, two pivotal moments in his career. The first and most momentous was his decision to threaten the hardliners with the force that they may well have been tempted to use against the Russian people but no longer had the power to give the orders. However he also contained the situation, positioning himself as the man with the power in the new Russian democracy.
His second moment was the softer side of a man who liked a good time. Playing the spoons and dancing on stage. This is often documented alongside Clinton's saxophone playing and the many other attempts by politicians to seek attachments to celebrities and popular culture. However it can also be read as trying to make a connection, showing the more human side of the politician. It did him no harm, that's for sure. Whatever his legacy will be, and Russia remains in flux, he is partially the architect of the nation's future and the fact that freedom now is greater, despite the inequalities and hints of totalitarianism, he should be applauded.
His second moment was the softer side of a man who liked a good time. Playing the spoons and dancing on stage. This is often documented alongside Clinton's saxophone playing and the many other attempts by politicians to seek attachments to celebrities and popular culture. However it can also be read as trying to make a connection, showing the more human side of the politician. It did him no harm, that's for sure. Whatever his legacy will be, and Russia remains in flux, he is partially the architect of the nation's future and the fact that freedom now is greater, despite the inequalities and hints of totalitarianism, he should be applauded.
