Boris Yeltsin — "The path to democracy is not a straight line."
The path to democracy is not a straight line.
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More from Boris Yeltsin
"I am not a dictator. I am a president. And I will respect the constitution."
"I am a democrat by conviction, but a dictator by profession."
"I believe in private property. It is the basis of a strong economy."
"I am ready to sacrifice everything for Russia."
"The future of Russia is in the hands of its people."
About Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)
First president of post-Soviet Russia (1991-1999), who climbed atop a tank to defy the August 1991 coup and oversaw the chaotic privatization of the 1990s. Closely associated with Mikhail Gorbachev (his predecessor and rival reformer). For an intellectual contrast, see Gennady Zyuganov, Russian Communist Party leader — Zyuganov came within 3 percentage points of beating the ailing Yeltsin in the 1996 presidential runoff — the closest free election Russia has had, and arguably the moment that decided whether Russia would reverse to communism or continue down the path that led to Putin.