The Fall of Communism in Russia.

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The Fall of Communism in Russia

The Reasons for the fall of Socialism/Communism and the Troubles

of Starting the New Democratic System in the Russian Federation "Let's

not talk about Communism. Communism was just an idea, just pie in the

sky." Boris Yeltsin (b. 1931), Russian politician, president. Remark

during a visit to the U.S. Quoted in: Independent (London, 13 Sept.

1989).

The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more

than a political event. The powerful bond between economics and

politics that was the integral characteristic of the state socialist

system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of

the Soviet Union. The Communist regime was so ingrain in every aspect

of Soviet life that the Russian people were left with little

democratic tradition. Russia faces the seemingly impracticable task of

economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with the

fact that the new administration must address human rights issues,

such as living conditions and the supply of staple goods in this new

form of administration makes the prospect of a full democratic switch

seemingly impossible.

To fully underezd the scope of the transference of governing

power in the Russian Federation, one must first look at the old

Socialist/Communist regime, to see the circumezces under which it

fell gives a good view of why this transference is almost impossible.

In the beginning Communism seemed to the people of Russia as a

utopian ideal. The promise of the elimination of classes, of

guaranteed employment , "The creation of a comprehensive social

security and welfare system for all citizens that would end the

misery of workers once and for all." Lenin's own interpretation of the

Marxian critique was that to achieve Communism there would first have

to be a socialist dictatorship to first suppress any...