Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin
source
Name	Boris Yeltsin
Caption	Yeltsin in 1993
Office	1st President of Russia
Term start	10 July 1991
Term end	31 December 1999
Vicepresident	Alexander Rutskoy (1991–1993)
Predecessor	Office established (Mikhail Gorbachev as President of the Soviet Union)
Successor	Vladimir Putin
Office1	Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
Term start1	29 May 1990
Term end1	10 July 1991
Predecessor1	Vitaly Vorotnikov
Successor1	Office abolished
Birth name	Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Birth date	1 February 1931
Birth place	Butka, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Death date	23 April 2007 (aged 76)
Death place	Moscow, Russia
Party	Independent (1990–2007)
Otherparty	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1961–1990)
Spouse	Naina Yeltsina (m. 1956)
Children	Tatyana, Elena
Alma mater	Ural State Technical University
Awards	Order of Lenin, Order of the Badge of Honour

Boris Yeltsin was a Russian and former Soviet politician who served as the first President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. A prominent figure in the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he rose to power as a populist critic of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and became a central force in establishing the post-Soviet Russian Federation. His tenure was defined by radical economic shock therapy, a violent constitutional crisis, the First Chechen War, and chronic political instability, culminating in his dramatic resignation on New Year's Eve 1999.

Early life and career

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was born in the village of Butka in the Ural Mountains. He graduated from the Ural State Technical University with a degree in construction and began his career as a civil engineer. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1961 and ascended through regional party ranks in Sverdlovsk Oblast, eventually becoming the First Secretary of the Sverdlovsk Regional Committee in 1976, a position akin to a regional governor. His work in Sverdlovsk caught the attention of Mikhail Gorbachev, who brought him to Moscow in 1985 to head the Construction Department of the Communist Party Central Committee and later appointed him First Secretary of the Moscow City Committee.

Rise to prominence

As the de facto mayor of Moscow, Yeltsin cultivated a populist, anti-establishment image, famously riding public transport and criticizing the slow pace of perestroika. His blunt style led to a public clash with conservative Politburo members, resulting in his humiliating demotion in 1987. This setback, however, transformed him into a public martyr and a symbol of opposition. In 1989, he was elected to the new Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union with overwhelming popular support from Moscow, and in 1990, he was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, effectively becoming Russia's head of state. His famous defiance during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, where he rallied opposition from atop a tank, cemented his status as a democratic hero.

Presidency of Russia

Following the failed August Coup, Yeltsin's influence surged, and he worked with leaders of Ukraine and Belarus to formally dissolve the Soviet Union via the Belovezha Accords in December 1991. As president, he presided over the creation of a new constitution after the violent 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, which saw him order the shelling of the Russian White House to suppress an armed revolt by the Supreme Soviet of Russia. The subsequent 1993 Russian constitutional referendum established a powerful presidency with extensive executive powers. His administration was marked by frequent changes in government, with key figures like Viktor Chernomyrdin, Sergei Kiriyenko, and Yevgeny Primakov serving as Prime Minister of Russia.

Economic reforms and crises

Yeltsin delegated economic policy to a team led by acting Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, who implemented "shock therapy" in 1992. This involved rapid price liberalization, mass privatization through the controversial "loans-for-shares" scheme, and drastic cuts in state spending. The reforms led to hyperinflation, the erosion of savings, the rise of powerful oligarchs like Boris Berezovsky, and a deep economic depression. The financial collapse culminated in the 1998 Russian financial crisis, which resulted in the default on domestic debt, the devaluation of the Russian ruble, and the collapse of the banking system.

Foreign policy

Yeltsin's foreign policy initially pursued close alignment with the Western world, particularly the United States under President Bill Clinton. He championed strategic arms reduction, signing START II and the NATO-Russia Founding Act. However, relations strained over NATO expansion into Eastern Europe and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He maintained a dominant influence over the Commonwealth of Independent States but faced significant challenges, most notably the First Chechen War (1994–1996), a brutal conflict that ended in a shaky ceasefire and de facto independence for Chechnya, damaging Russia's international standing and his domestic popularity.

Later life and legacy

Plagued by poor health and low public approval, Yeltsin's presidency became increasingly erratic. In a surprise televised address on 31 December 1999, he resigned, naming Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister of Russia, as his successor. He lived in retirement, largely out of the public eye, until his death from congestive heart failure in 2007. His legacy remains intensely contested; he is credited with dismantling the communist system and establishing a constitutional framework for a democratic Russia, but also blamed for enabling systemic corruption, economic collapse, and the weakening of the Russian state, which paved the way for a more authoritarian recentralization of power.

Category:Presidents of Russia Category:1931 births Category:2007 deaths