- 20 minutes ago
Russia’s path from the collapse of the USSR to authoritarian rule was shaped by more than one leader. Elvira Bary examines why democracy struggled to take root: decades of weakened civic life, public hardship, and a lack of shared understanding about what democratic government could deliver.
Through the rise of Russia’s post-Soviet elite, the redistribution of state property, and the growing overlap of business, politics, and crime, this historical analysis traces how corruption and resentment helped entrench authoritarianism. It also considers what the West might have done differently. Explore Russian history, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the forces behind Russia’s political transformation in a thoughtful documentary-style commentary.
Through the rise of Russia’s post-Soviet elite, the redistribution of state property, and the growing overlap of business, politics, and crime, this historical analysis traces how corruption and resentment helped entrench authoritarianism. It also considers what the West might have done differently. Explore Russian history, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the forces behind Russia’s political transformation in a thoughtful documentary-style commentary.
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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 on
31:53Amazon.
31:54It means a lot
31:55to me.