- 15 minutes ago
Putin didn't end Russia's democracy—but you'll never guess who did!
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
In this video, I explore Russia's missed opportunity for democracy and its descent into authoritarianism. From the collapse of the USSR to the rise of Vladimir Putin, I discuss how historical events shaped Russia’s current political landscape. We’ll dive into the role of Russia’s elites, the merging of business, politics, and crime, and how resentment and a lack of democratic understanding led to the rise of a corrupt regime. I also touch on what could have been done differently by the West to help foster democracy in Russia.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Why Russia Missed Its Chance for Democratization
00:40 How We Viewed Democracy
06:11 The People in Power
10:40 The Redistribution of Property
16:50 Why Did the Elite Support Dictatorship?
19:40 The Merging of Business, Power, and Crime
24:11 Resentment and Missed Opportunities
26:25 What Could Have Been Done Differently?
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTOR
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
In this video, I explore Russia's missed opportunity for democracy and its descent into authoritarianism. From the collapse of the USSR to the rise of Vladimir Putin, I discuss how historical events shaped Russia’s current political landscape. We’ll dive into the role of Russia’s elites, the merging of business, politics, and crime, and how resentment and a lack of democratic understanding led to the rise of a corrupt regime. I also touch on what could have been done differently by the West to help foster democracy in Russia.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Why Russia Missed Its Chance for Democratization
00:40 How We Viewed Democracy
06:11 The People in Power
10:40 The Redistribution of Property
16:50 Why Did the Elite Support Dictatorship?
19:40 The Merging of Business, Power, and Crime
24:11 Resentment and Missed Opportunities
26:25 What Could Have Been Done Differently?
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTOR
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Russia had every chance to reinvent itself as a thriving democracy after the Soviet Union collapsed.
00:07So, how did it end up sliding back into dictatorship instead?
00:12Who truly benefited from this tragic reversal?
00:16And why did the Russian people accept authoritarianism after decades of struggle?
00:23I'm Elvera Barry, an author born in the USSR,
00:25and today I'm taking you inside the hidden story of greed, power struggles,
00:32and missed opportunities that shaped Russia's transformation into an aggressive authoritarian state.
00:44The history of the Soviet collapse is perceived very differently in Russia than in the West.
00:49For Europe and North America, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a monumental event.
00:55In the USSR, however, the vast majority of people didn't even notice it.
01:01They had no idea what it was about.
01:05The history of Europe in the USSR was poorly taught since Europe was as distant and inaccessible as Mars.
01:14It was happening far away.
01:16And it didn't affect everyday life.
01:20Most people had little understanding of real democracy.
01:25We were taught that democracy existed in the USSR.
01:30Soviet ideology was built on the idea that we had a people's government,
01:35while in the West, the capitalists were in control.
01:40No one understood the meaning of the term.
01:42And this was true for both the elites and the general public.
01:48As a result, it was unclear what exactly needed to be built and how.
01:54The foundation of democracy is the ability to act collectively,
01:59belief in common ideas and physical resources, free time, energy, and money.
02:04In the late 20th century, none of this existed in Russia.
02:09Collective action is learned over generations in town halls and church communities.
02:16However, the Soviet government deliberately destroyed any form of social self-organization.
02:23There were no shared ideas either.
02:26During the 70 years of Soviet rule, which shaped the lives of four generations,
02:31the state hammered a political ideology into people's minds that had no practical application.
02:39They would chant, glory to the Communist Party.
02:43Okay, all power in the Soviet Union belongs to the workers and peasants.
02:49But everyone knew that was not true, as none of the workers and peasants had any real power.
02:56However, they proclaimed, the teachings of Marx and Lenin will live forever.
03:01And people nodded, but few actually understood what that even meant.
03:08As a result, people tended to view philosophy, ideology, and politics as false and harmful to them personally.
03:16The party officials may have been fighting for power, but people knew it did not concern them.
03:23Of course, there were educated people in Russia who understood why democracy,
03:28a system of checks and balances, and a change in leadership were important.
03:33But these people had no resources.
03:36In the 1990s, we were experiencing our own Great Depression.
03:41Most educated people had no money, no access to the media,
03:45and the internet was seen as a luxury for the ultra-wealthy.
03:50Access to TV and radio was a privilege, not easily granted.
03:55To be heard, you either had to pay, be connected to the right people,
03:59or be useful to someone in power.
04:01This system was known as blood.
04:04I have a separate video explaining it.
04:07Here is an example.
04:08The principal at the school I attended was an educated, forward-thinking person.
04:14She proposed introducing democracy into our school.
04:18She said that from now on, everything would be different,
04:22and teachers would listen to students and parents.
04:26We held elections.
04:28Some people joined the school council, and nothing happened.
04:33We all knew what our problems were,
04:36and desperately wished someone would start addressing them.
04:39But it was impossible to solve them,
04:41because neither the school nor we had the money or the authority to do so.
04:47We would have voted to fire the cruel and unfair English teacher.
04:51But she was a close friend of the principal.
04:54We wanted new, modern computers.
04:57But instead, we had an outdated, creaky monster in the computer lab
05:02with a black and white screen.
05:05And no one was allowed near it,
05:07because the principal feared we would break it.
05:11The same thing was happening on every level.
05:14The economy was falling apart.
05:16There was no money for anything,
05:18and people couldn't even chip in for what they needed.
05:21There was nothing to chip in with,
05:24as wages were tiny and often delayed or unpaid.
05:29As a result, all discussions about democracy only caused irritation.
05:34Since those days, the very word democracy
05:38became associated with meaningless chatter.
05:42Those who insisted on democracy were considered almost mad,
05:46like those proposing to build a utopia that couldn't possibly exist.
05:50Back then, people didn't dream of fair elections
05:54or public discussions on important issues.
05:57They dreamed of quick results.
06:00The problems were endless,
06:02and it seemed like only a strong, fearless leader could solve them.
06:06Someone who would crack down on corrupt officials and criminals.
06:16Who held power during those years?
06:19Who held power during those years?
06:20Who could really influence the situation?
06:22It was the people with resources, acquired through various circumstances.
06:27First, there was the old party Nomenklatura.
06:31By the 1980s, it was already clear that socialism was not working,
06:36and that the USSR was falling far behind the West in almost every area,
06:42except for weaponry, space, sports, and ballet.
06:46The party elite had no intention of stepping aside.
06:51But they also wanted change.
06:54They wanted to preserve their power and trade in their black Volgas for BMWs.
07:01All of their future activities were aimed at achieving this.
07:05And as we can see, they succeeded.
07:07If we read the biographies of key officials in modern Russia,
07:12we'll see that the vast majority of them come from the old party Nomenklatura.
07:18In a sense, they formed the new Russian nobility,
07:21desperately holding onto their privileges.
07:25Secondly, there was the criminal world.
07:28It was highly developed, diverse, and well-organized.
07:32The third force in this equation was the Siloviki.
07:35This term refers to the KGB, police, border guards, military, and prison system workers.
07:43Their power stemmed from brute physical force,
07:46as well as their ability to monitor and gather crucial information on everyone.
07:52After the collapse of the USSR,
07:54this social group lost many of its privileges
07:57because it was funded by the state budget.
08:00And the state had no money.
08:03In the past, a career in the military was clear social elevator.
08:08But by the late 1980s, being a Soviet officer was no longer prestigious.
08:14It meant chronic poverty and a life in some remote, forgotten town.
08:20Only those who helped young men evade mandatory military service made good money.
08:26For police officers, investigators, and prison guards,
08:30prosperity depended on their proximity to the leadership and the capital city.
08:35It was one thing to be a rural policeman or a guard at a Siberian prison camp,
08:41and another to work in the Moscow prosecutor's office.
08:45One thing was investigating a case involving two drunks fighting over a woman,
08:51and another was dealing with large-scale embezzlement
08:55or threatening someone with an investigation into such crimes.
09:00The same was true for border guards and customs officers.
09:04It was one thing to control the flow of used Japanese cars
09:08or office supplies from Finland,
09:12and quite another to serve on the border with Mongolia.
09:18The political police, formerly all-powerful KGB agents,
09:22didn't know what to do with themselves.
09:25Throughout Soviet history, their work had revolved around
09:29fighting freedom of speech, religion, movement, and expression.
09:33But in the early 1990s, these issues became irrelevant.
09:38They had once been at the top of the food chain,
09:42the main predators everyone feared.
09:44But now what?
09:48The former KGB officers became the link between the major clans
09:54because they had the necessary connections and access to data.
09:58Who was making money, who had what, and who had what secrets.
10:04The fourth force in the post-Soviet space was made up of famous people,
10:09journalists, artists, athletes, etc.
10:13People didn't fully understand what was happening,
10:17so they instinctively listened to those who occupied high social positions,
10:21were well-known, and had the admiration of at least a portion of society.
10:27This resource was, and still is, highly valuable.
10:32Famous people didn't always have money,
10:35but they could monetize their fame by supporting those who did.
10:45So, what did these remarkable people start doing?
10:50Many of them drew the obvious conclusion.
10:53They were already part of the elite,
10:55and they wanted to remain so in the new regime.
10:58But for that, they needed money.
11:01So, they began dividing up the legacy of the USSR.
11:05The situation was favorable for them.
11:08Two global processes were happening simultaneously.
11:12Industrialization and globalization.
11:14In China, production was rapidly developing,
11:17which meant rising oil prices,
11:19while globalization, expressed in standardized logistics,
11:23communication, and free flow of capital and goods,
11:26allowed the Russian elite to export anything they wanted from the country.
11:31The key was to seize whatever Soviet property remain untended.
11:36The main target was industrial enterprises in the extractive industries.
11:41Had Russia not been so rich in resources,
11:44its fate would have been entirely different.
11:47It would have likely unfolded like Poland's.
11:50The elite would have had to build democracy,
11:55simply because it would ensure their security, stability, and wealth.
11:59But when oil and gas prices surged,
12:03an obvious shortcut appeared.
12:05There was no need to build anything.
12:08They simply had to ride on the pipeline.
12:12In other words, take control of the major financial flows.
12:15A similar scenario occurred in several African countries
12:19after colonial powers withdrew.
12:21The Europeans left behind discovered deposits and infrastructure.
12:26But local rulers took control of them.
12:29And instead of building the nation's prosperity,
12:33they focused on enriching their own clan.
12:36So they could eventually buy a house in London or Paris
12:41and spend their old age surrounded by unimaginable wealth.
12:45In the 1990s, Russia underwent a massive redistribution of property.
12:50I lived through a time when ambitious young people
12:54with their support of officials and Salaviki
12:56could seize entire factories,
12:59of course, sharing the spoils with those who mattered.
13:02It was like a gold rush.
13:05Even more intense than California's in 1849.
13:09One day I'll make a video about this,
13:12so if you love crazy stories of wealth accumulation,
13:15don't forget to subscribe to my channel.
13:18Another important point.
13:19In those years, Russia was fighting a war in Chechnya
13:23and everyone who could make money from it did.
13:27The schemes were extraordinary.
13:29For example, the railway company
13:31didn't have the money to repair some engines,
13:34but it could still transport goods.
13:36A factory supplying building material to the Far East
13:40didn't have the funds to pay the railway company,
13:43but it had promissory notes from a chemical plant
13:46that made fertilizers.
13:48Enter a fixer with strong connections
13:51and voila!
13:54Building materials go to the Far East.
13:56Raw materials for fertilizers head to Chechnya
14:00and money from Chechnya comes back to pay the railway company.
14:06Why would fertilizers be in war-torn Chechnya?
14:10Because the rebels used the raw materials to make explosives.
14:15Where did they get the money?
14:17Part from Muslim sponsors,
14:20part from trading with Russian officers,
14:23officials and criminals.
14:25Mostly, it was drug trade and ransom for prisoners.
14:30The whole operation was overseen
14:33by Federal Security Service officers,
14:36the former KGB.
14:38And your religious cult was quickly gaining ground in Russia,
14:42the cult of money.
14:44And in this environment,
14:46everything else became irrelevant.
14:49Ideology, any ideology became insignificant.
14:52Money could protect you and your family,
14:54while abstract discussions of freedom,
14:57patriotism and justice could not.
14:59So, everyone who could make money did.
15:02And these people grabbed the opportunity greedily,
15:06like a starving person grabbing food.
15:09We must understand that in the USSR,
15:12there was no private wealth.
15:14The only exceptions were underground criminal lords.
15:17And even they could amass lots of money,
15:21but it meant little.
15:22Well, what good is it to be crazy rich
15:25if you can't freely spend your money?
15:27You couldn't travel abroad,
15:29you couldn't invest your money,
15:30you couldn't get treatment where you wanted.
15:33An American engineer could buy a luxurious Rolls Royce,
15:36while the richest people in Moscow could not.
15:40In the USSR, no one could drive such cars,
15:43no one could build palaces,
15:45no one could send their children to study abroad.
15:48And suddenly, all of that became possible.
15:52The legislation at the time was a patchwork.
15:55Some lords were old Soviet ones,
15:57some were new,
15:58and some regulations didn't exist at all.
16:01Clearly, people who had acquired Soviet enterprises and resources
16:04wanted their acquisitions to be secured permanently.
16:07Now, let's ask ourselves.
16:11What would have happened
16:13if Russia had become a democratic country
16:15with fair courts,
16:18independent journalism,
16:19and a functioning parliament?
16:22The answer is clear.
16:23It wouldn't have been good for these people.
16:26They were only comfortable under a regime
16:28that guaranteed their impunity.
16:31Therefore, the choice was obvious.
16:33People with resources
16:35wanted someone from their own ranks,
16:38someone with the same values and ambitions
16:40to lead the country.
16:42And they wanted him to stay in power
16:44as long as possible,
16:46to ensure that the status quo remained unchanged.
16:54The first president of modern Russia,
16:57Boris Yeltsin,
16:59drank excessively
17:00and constantly made wild missteps.
17:03People were ashamed of him.
17:05If he had embarrassed himself quietly at home,
17:09no one would have noticed.
17:11But his disgrace was visible to foreigners.
17:14And we know
17:15that maintaining face
17:18is extremely important in Russia.
17:21It's one of the most significant aspects
17:23of the national character.
17:25It was clear that Yeltsin
17:27could no longer handle the position
17:30and he needed to be replaced.
17:32But by whom?
17:34The new leader had to meet four criteria.
17:38Guarantee the elite's privileges.
17:40Be decisive,
17:42yet also able to negotiate
17:44with their own people, of course.
17:47Share the beliefs and values of the elite.
17:50Look presentable,
17:52both in the eyes of foreigners
17:53and ordinary people.
17:55In the early 2000s,
17:57Vladimir Putin looked very presentable
17:59compared to the other Soviet-era leaders
18:02who were often referred to as old mushrooms.
18:05He was in excellent physical shape,
18:08spoke German
18:09and had a romantic profession,
18:11a secret service agent.
18:13In Hollywood films,
18:15Soviet spies were depicted as soulless brutes.
18:18But in Soviet films,
18:21spies were portrayed as strong,
18:24manly and caring men.
18:26This image aligned with the secret fantasies
18:30of older Soviet women
18:31whose husbands couldn't cope
18:33with the economic crisis.
18:35This was crucial
18:36when you needed to bring millions of people
18:39to the polling stations
18:40and get them to vote
18:42for a little-known candidate.
18:44For a couple of decades,
18:46Vladimir Putin was acceptable to everyone.
18:48Due to high oil prices,
18:51a flood of money came into Russia
18:53and, in general,
18:54people's lives improved dramatically.
18:57In the 1990s,
18:58the average salary was $100 a month.
19:01But by 2020,
19:04many people earned several times more.
19:06People started buying apartments and cars.
19:09Decent healthcare became more accessible.
19:12Construction projects were everywhere
19:14and major cities
19:16underwent a significant transformation.
19:18Ordinary people were happy
19:20with the stable growth of their wealth
19:22and the elites were content
19:24that Putin was successful
19:26in managing conflicts between clans
19:28and not interfering
19:30with their corruption schemes.
19:32This was crucial
19:33because corruption and embezzlement
19:36became the foundation
19:37of Russia's economy and politics.
19:45By the 1990s,
19:46a significant trend emerged.
19:48The merging of business power and crime.
19:51During the Soviet era,
19:54the criminal world
19:54had no access to state power.
19:57But by the time the USSR collapsed,
20:00organized crime
20:00had both significant wealth
20:02and armed individuals
20:05ready to solve problems by force.
20:08The criminal world
20:09began to take over existing businesses,
20:12bribing officials
20:13and seizing more and more real estate
20:16and manufacturing assets.
20:18Competing criminal groups
20:19often engaged in shootouts
20:21and many gangsters
20:22moved into cemeteries
20:23permanently receiving
20:25top-tier funerals.
20:26But soon,
20:28it became clear
20:29that it was much more profitable
20:31to be an official
20:32and control government
20:33contracts or property.
20:35For example,
20:36if you were the mayor of a city,
20:38you could rent out
20:39a historical building
20:40to your mother-in-law
20:41for a nominal fee
20:43for 50 years.
20:45Your son-in-law
20:46would get a contract
20:47for road signs
20:48and your friend
20:49could get permission
20:50to build a high-rise
20:52in exchange for
20:53gifting your grandmother
20:55an apartment
20:55or two.
20:58People went into power
21:00for this,
21:01to make money
21:02or rather
21:04to steal the money
21:05that the country made
21:06from selling
21:07natural resources abroad.
21:09Some of the proceeds
21:11were invested in
21:12homes and luxury lifestyles,
21:15some in new production
21:16and some were funneled abroad
21:19through numerous firms
21:21in London
21:21and offshore accounts.
21:23The Russian elite
21:25actively purchased
21:26real estate in Spain,
21:27France and Italy
21:28and acquired
21:30second citizenships.
21:31Those who had their means
21:33did so in the US and UK.
21:36Others did so in Cyprus,
21:38Israel and the Czech Republic.
21:40No one wanted change
21:42because the system
21:43needed to play
21:44the long game
21:45so that the elite knew
21:47what to expect
21:48in 5 or 10 years.
21:49The regime never fought
21:52of fighting corruption
21:53because it was built
21:54on corruption.
21:55It fought those
21:56who tried to expose
21:58the schemes of corrupt officials
22:00and demanded fair elections
22:02and the equitable redistribution
22:04of national wealth.
22:06These people were labeled
22:08extremists,
22:09imprisoned
22:10or even killed
22:11like Alexei Navalny.
22:13The economy stopped growing
22:15and problems started
22:17piling up in the country
22:18but to solve them
22:20it was necessary
22:21to change the leadership
22:22which operated
22:23by the formula
22:24I'll damage Russia
22:26by a thousand dollars
22:27but I'll pocket a hundred dollars.
22:30By 2011
22:31civil society in Russia
22:33had grown strong enough
22:34to organize mass protests
22:36but it ended
22:38with crackdowns
22:39and arrests.
22:41Putin needed to
22:42legitimize his power
22:43so he resorted
22:45to a classic strategy
22:46shifting the focus
22:48of public attention
22:49away from the real situation
22:51and rallying around the flag.
22:53In such a situation
22:55what could be better
22:56than a small victorious war?
22:59In 2014
23:01Putin annexed Crimea
23:03and attacked Donbass
23:05but it only helped temporarily.
23:08COVID-19
23:09hit Russia's well-being hard
23:11killing a huge number of people
23:13and new scandals
23:14kept emerging
23:15showing that
23:16the government
23:17didn't just want to make changes
23:19it couldn't.
23:21Meanwhile
23:22the president aged
23:23grew more isolated
23:25from those around him
23:26and began to live
23:28in a bubble
23:28holding on to
23:29his own version
23:30of reality.
23:32There were personal grudges
23:34unrealized dreams
23:35and a desire
23:36to crush political opponents.
23:39He thought he could
23:40repeat the success
23:41of 2014
23:42and boost his ratings
23:44once again.
23:45Thus
23:46the war in Ukraine began.
23:47Initially
23:48it was planned
23:48as a gangster-style raid
23:50reminiscent of the 1990s
23:53but it didn't go
23:54as expected.
23:56The failure occurred
23:57because Russia
23:58lacked a system
23:59of power transition.
24:00The country's leadership
24:02had been in place
24:03for decades
24:03living in an echo chamber
24:06unaware that
24:07subordinates
24:08only brought them
24:08reports that guaranteed
24:10their favor.
24:16Vladimir Putin's rule
24:17has remained stable
24:19in part
24:19because he played
24:20on the widespread
24:22sense of resentment
24:23that runs deep
24:24in Russian society.
24:26As I mentioned before
24:27the way recent history
24:29is viewed in Russia
24:30differs greatly
24:31from the West.
24:32For the West
24:33the 1990s
24:34were a time
24:35when the threat
24:36of nuclear war
24:37and the spread
24:38of communism receded.
24:39It was a time
24:41of relief
24:41where resources
24:42could be redirected
24:44from defense
24:44to building
24:45a new life.
24:47For Russia
24:47however
24:48the situation
24:49felt more like
24:50Germany's defeat
24:51in World War I.
24:52First
24:53the collapse
24:54of the familiar system
24:55was as unexpected
24:56for the Russians
24:57as it was
24:58for the Germans.
24:59Both in Germany
25:00and Russia
25:01people lost
25:01all their savings
25:02during hyperinflation.
25:05Unemployment
25:05was rampant
25:06and swarms
25:08of crooks
25:08and criminals
25:09emerged
25:10while corrupt
25:11officials
25:11tried to fill
25:12their pockets
25:13during the nation's
25:14collective misfortune.
25:16In both Germany
25:17and Russia
25:18there was a profound
25:19sense of injustice
25:21and betrayal.
25:22The outside world
25:24was either hostile
25:25or indifferent.
25:26Many intellectuals
25:27emigrated
25:28while those
25:29who portrayed
25:29themselves as patriots
25:31and swore loyalty
25:33to their country
25:33promoted
25:34nationalist ideas.
25:36In both countries
25:37there was a massive
25:38gender imbalance
25:39in favor of women.
25:41In Germany
25:42due to their losses
25:43from World War I
25:44and in Russia
25:45because of the
25:46widespread
25:47alcoholism
25:48among men.
25:49This fostered
25:50a longing
25:51for a strong leader
25:52someone
25:53to play the role
25:54of the man
25:55of the house.
25:56Both countries
25:57experienced
25:58a sharp
25:58but short-lived
26:00economic rise
26:01along with
26:02growing political
26:03repression
26:04and the suppression
26:05of free speech.
26:06A new war
26:07seemed inevitable
26:08and society
26:09did not resist it
26:10as descending
26:11voices were silenced
26:13and those
26:14who were compliant
26:15were promised
26:16that war would lead
26:17to the building
26:18of a stronger country
26:20and personal prosperity.
26:22In both cases
26:23it ended badly.
26:30could Russia
26:31have become
26:31a democracy
26:32in the 1990s?
26:34My answer
26:35is no.
26:36There were
26:37no real
26:38conditions for it.
26:40First,
26:40there was no
26:41ideological foundation.
26:43People simply
26:43didn't understand
26:44what democracy
26:45was,
26:46how it worked
26:47and why it was
26:48better than
26:49the familiar
26:49authoritarianism.
26:51The values
26:52of progress
26:53and personal
26:53freedom
26:54matter
26:54only when
26:55you know
26:56what they are.
26:57What could
26:58the West
26:58have done
26:59differently?
27:00It could have
27:02launched a few
27:03Russian-language
27:03media outlets
27:04aimed at
27:05the common
27:06people
27:06and set
27:07a condition
27:08for the Russian
27:09government.
27:09If they
27:10restrict free
27:11speech,
27:12the West
27:13would stop
27:13trading with them
27:14and deny
27:15visits to
27:16their wives,
27:17mistresses
27:17and children
27:18of high-ranking
27:19officials.
27:19The latter
27:21could have
27:22been kept
27:22confidential.
27:24Even back
27:25then,
27:26Russia had
27:26many brilliant
27:27journalists
27:28and scholars
27:29who shared
27:30Western values.
27:31But they
27:32had no way
27:32to reach
27:33the common
27:33people because
27:34state-controlled
27:35media kept
27:36them out
27:37of the
27:37conversation.
27:38The Internet
27:39was still
27:40in its early
27:41days.
27:41Some tried
27:42to start
27:43their own
27:43media,
27:44but the
27:44audiences
27:45they gathered
27:46were mostly
27:47other
27:47intellectuals
27:48with similar
27:49values.
27:49So,
27:50they created
27:51echo chambers
27:52for themselves.
27:53What needed
27:54to be done
27:55was to
27:55engage
27:56the common
27:57people,
27:58entertain
27:58them,
27:59encourage
27:59them,
28:00show them
28:00new
28:01possibilities
28:01and,
28:02at the
28:02same time,
28:03educate them.
28:05Second,
28:06there was
28:06no economic
28:07base for
28:08democracy in
28:08Russia.
28:09As I've
28:09explained in
28:10previous videos,
28:11Russia's
28:11economy is
28:12structured like
28:13a bottleneck.
28:14You can't
28:15act freely
28:15without the
28:16permission of
28:17officials.
28:18This system
28:19was born
28:19due to
28:20geographical
28:20reasons,
28:21where
28:21Tsarist
28:22power
28:22controlled
28:23the few
28:23sea ports
28:24and trade
28:24routes.
28:25Later,
28:26the entire
28:26economic
28:27structure
28:27was built
28:28along the
28:28same lines.
28:29This created
28:30chronic
28:31poverty
28:31and,
28:32as a
28:33consequence,
28:34political
28:34powerlessness
28:35at the
28:35lower levels
28:36of society,
28:37while the
28:38elite
28:38accumulated
28:39disproportionate
28:40wealth.
28:41The elite
28:42had no
28:43interest in
28:43losing their
28:44privileges,
28:45which would
28:45certainly
28:46disappear
28:46under a
28:47democratic
28:48system.
28:48So,
28:49they did
28:50everything to
28:50ensure that
28:51an authoritarian
28:52government
28:53stayed in
28:54power.
28:54With the
28:55collapse of
28:56the USSR,
28:57the elite
28:58did not
28:58lose anything.
28:59Instead,
29:00they gained
29:00the ability
29:01to buy
29:02Rolls Royces
29:02and mansions
29:03on their
29:04French Riviera.
29:05What could
29:06the West
29:06have done
29:07differently?
29:08It could
29:09have cooperated
29:10with the
29:10middle class,
29:11especially those
29:13who had
29:14not been
29:14tainted
29:15by military
29:15or other
29:16crimes,
29:17and allowed
29:18small and
29:18medium-sized
29:19businesses
29:20to thrive
29:21trading with
29:21the West.
29:22Sanctions
29:23and restrictions
29:24only made
29:25the bottleneck
29:26tighter,
29:26making ordinary
29:27people more
29:28dependent on
29:29the government.
29:30The demand
29:31for political
29:31freedom only
29:32arises when
29:34people have
29:34physical freedom.
29:36Third,
29:36the Soviet
29:37regime consciously
29:38destroyed potential
29:39leaders who
29:40could have led
29:41the fight
29:41for democracy.
29:42They were
29:43eliminated
29:44during the
29:451920s and
29:461930s,
29:48and their
29:48descendants
29:49couldn't
29:50carry on
29:50the knowledge
29:51of civil
29:51and political
29:52activity.
29:53This is why
29:54Alexei Navalny
29:54was seen
29:55as a miracle.
29:56He was
29:57truly unique,
29:58honest,
29:59fearless,
30:00and selfless.
30:01There's
30:01no one else
30:02like him.
30:03What could
30:04the West
30:04have done
30:04differently?
30:06Shift the
30:07focus from
30:07politics to
30:08culture and
30:08science.
30:09The West
30:10eagerly
30:11provided
30:11platforms
30:12for dissidents.
30:13But this
30:14only allowed
30:15Putin's
30:15propaganda
30:16to claim
30:17that all
30:17of his
30:18opponents
30:18were working
30:19for the
30:20CIA.
30:21Things would
30:22have been
30:22different if
30:23the West
30:23had used
30:24Russia's
30:25desire for
30:26international
30:26recognition.
30:27If they
30:28had first
30:28nurtured
30:29authority figures
30:30in the
30:30fields of
30:31culture and
30:31science,
30:32giving them
30:33status and
30:34recognition,
30:35then later
30:35engaging in
30:36politics,
30:37it would
30:38have allowed
30:38for the
30:39creation of
30:40opinion
30:41leaders who
30:42couldn't be
30:42accused of
30:43selling out.
30:45The Russian
30:46elite never
30:47understood and
30:48still doesn't
30:48what advantages
30:50Russia could
30:51gain from
30:52becoming a
30:52democracy.
30:53On one side
30:54of the scale
30:55is the
30:56loss of high
30:56status and
30:57the familiar
30:58methods of
30:58enrichment.
30:59And on
31:00the other,
31:02nothing.
31:03Is it
31:04any wonder
31:05the Russian
31:06elite hasn't
31:06rushed to
31:07embrace the
31:08West?
31:09Personally,
31:09I'm not
31:10surprised.
31:11Of course,
31:12with the
31:12start of
31:12the war,
31:13the elite
31:13got something
31:14entirely
31:14different from
31:15what they
31:16expected.
31:16But now
31:17it's too
31:18late.
31:18The elite
31:19has turned
31:19towards
31:20nationalism
31:21and stalking
31:22resentment.
31:23If there
31:24is no
31:24miracle,
31:25Russia will
31:26continue down
31:26this path as
31:27long as
31:28there's enough
31:28strength and
31:29money.
31:30If you
31:31found something
31:31valuable in
31:32today's video,
31:33consider supporting
31:33my channel
31:34with super
31:35thanks or
31:35by clicking
31:36the join
31:36button below
31:37the video.
31:38Also,
31:39check out
31:40my historical
31:40novel
31:41Russian Treasures
31:41which tells
31:42the story
31:43of how
31:43Soviet power
31:44began and
31:45how people
31:45survived in
31:46those crazy
31:47times.
31:47Against all
31:48odds.
31:49If you
31:50already read
31:51the book,
31:52please leave
31:52a review
31:53on Amazon.
31:54It means
31:54a lot to
31:55me.
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