Introduction;
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was mired in shock therapy and the country became a mess. However, this messy situation has gained a lot from the Yeltsin family and his cronies, and has also caused opposition to the Russian parliament that originally supported Yeltsin.
The voice became a raging trend in 1993, followed by fierce clashes between Parliament and the President, which led to a crisis.
Seeing that the situation could not be controlled, Yeltsin simply chose to send troops to shell the parliament building, disbanded many organizations, and after causing dozens of deaths, Yeltsin announced the reorganization of the parliament, and formed a strong presidential system by expanding presidential power, known as the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis.
Parliamentary power was weakened, presidential power was strengthened, and the scales began to tilt.
But Yeltsin was able to strengthen his rights by dissolving parliament, but he could not organize the elections himself, so the problem came again, and it was one after another.
(Russian constitutional crisis of 1993)
One: Candidates and a sense of crisis.
Russia's economic situation has been bad in the Yeltsin era, the economy is not good, and the support rate will of course decline.
No, in the 1996 presidential election, the resurgent leader of the Russian Communist Party Zyuganov ran for the presidency, the support rate was second only to Yeltsin, and when he saw that the challenger was so strong, Yeltsin chose to win over Lebed, who had the third highest support, to stabilize his position.
But the position is stable, but the misfortune continues.
The Asian financial crisis of 1997 swept the world and also caused a shock to the Russian economy.
At this stage, Yeltsin, in order to cope with the shock, reorganized the government four times in a row in just over a year.
This was both Yeltsin's way of restructuring his government and his way of choosing people.
From this point of view, we can only glimpse from these candidates.
The first to be appointed prime minister was the young Kiriyenko, who was only 36 years old when he was appointed prime minister on 24 April 1998.
Young and vigorous, after taking office, he dared to fight and rush, and used the reform drug to stimulate the economy, but the result was no effect.
Soon after, the more radical Kiriyenko had a premonition that time was running out, and a few days before he resigned, he formed his own party and became uncontrollable, and At first sight, Yeltsin simply chose to remove him.
(Yeltsin and Kiriyenko)
After Kiriyenko, in order to stabilize the situation in the country, after another nomination was rejected by the opposition, Yeltsin reached a compromise with the centrists and chose the seasoned Primakov as prime minister.
This new prime minister is also a ruthless man, using reverse "shock therapy" to stabilize the financial situation, through strengthening macroeconomic regulation and control, vigorously cracking down on economic crimes, directly making Soros depressed, but also making Russia stable, Russia's wool has not been sheared, and international capital has been disappointed.
The situation was smoothly brought under control, and the Russian economy stabilized in 1998, recovered in 1999, and even paid off $6 billion in foreign debt, which was not a small achievement at the time.
But the fight against economic crime was also a double-edged sword for Yeltsin, and the country's stabilization of its own family would also be affected.
Coupled with Primakov's close ties to the left wing in the Duma, Yeltsin had to wonder if this man was reliable. After deliberation, Yeltsin deposed Primakov.
Yeltsin wants to find someone to control and become the new prime minister!
As long as this person is obedient, in the case of economic recovery, he can be a qualified spokesperson.
Thus the moderate Stepashin became Russia's new prime minister.
But this moderate man, although he had a good relationship with the parliament, still could not resist the opposition and criticism from the parliament.
By this time, the 2000 election was getting closer and closer, and Yeltsin was a little panicked.
When I was still the president, I might not have a problem, but if I weren't the president, I would inevitably suffer.
Seeing such a situation, Yeltsin, who was not in good health, could only think of finding another suitable person, because at that time, Yeltsin's political prestige was much worse than before because of his long-term economic difficulties and his strong style in times of crisis.
Therefore, it is crucial to choose a person who is politically capable enough to take care of his own interests and security.
It was at this time that a change occurred.
Faced with the Chechen crisis that erupted on August 7, 1999, Yeltsin decided to give his long-standing Putin a chance.
(Chechnya crisis of 1999)
Two: Putin's big test.
After the crisis, then-Prime Minister Stepashen immediately went to deal with the crisis, but whoever wanted to come back was dismissed by Yeltsin.
Then, Putin was successfully put on the front by Yeltsin and became the new prime minister.
Why Putin? The reason is also very simple!
First of all: under Yeltsin's long-term observation, Putin's personal ethics and virtues were recognized by Yeltsin.
Second: Putin was unknown at the time, so that his appointment could be successfully passed in parliament, and the goal was small, and things were easy to manage.
Finally: Putin is, of course, capable.
These three points contributed to the choice of Yeltsin's moment of crisis, and the Chechen crisis that broke out at that time also gave Putin the opportunity to brush up on his prestige.
(Yeltsin's former follower)
You must know that when Putin came to power, the approval rating was only 1.5%, and many people regarded him as a simple transitional role.
They generally agree that after Yeltsin's downfall, the most promising presidential candidate will still be the seasoned Primakov.
This is also the key to the opposition's easy allowing Yeltsin to appoint Putin.
They didn't want to tear yeltsin off completely and make another extreme incident come out.
Who would have thought that after compromise, there would be a change, and this change was that Putin went further.
The Russians at that time were very dissatisfied with the armistice of the first Chechen war.
In the new Chechen crisis, everyone wants to raise their eyebrows, and this opportunity has been seized by Putin.
He commanded the army to move quickly, changed the nest of the first Chechen war, fought very smoothly, and after the victory, the Russian people were relieved and felt that this young man was really interested.
He is not tall enough, but he is full of aura, and there are not many harsh words, which is good.
This is Putin's military move.
Economically, Putin has also wisely followed the economic policies of the previous two prime ministers and led the Russian economy out of the crisis in a short period of time and continued to recover.
Diplomatically, Putin inherited Yeltsin's late ruling style, emphasized the style of nuclear weapons and statehood, and was able to establish good relations with all parties.
Just four months after these three rounds of moves, Putin's approval rating soared from 1.7 percent to 50 percent.
Seeing that Putin's big test passed, Yeltsin immediately followed the trend, and did not wait for the presidential election, directly announced his resignation at the end of 1999, and elected Putin as the acting president, and at the same time advanced the election time to March.
In this way, Yeltsin won in chaos and finally gave Putin an assist.
As for why he was so eager, since his resignation speech revealed a thing or two.
(Yeltsin and Putin)
Three: The mystery in the speech.
In this speech, Yeltsin first expressed his intentions in the opening line.
I have decided to resign as President on the last day of the century that is about to pass.
I have heard many times that Yeltsin will do everything to maintain power, and he will not give power to anyone. This is pure nonsense. I have been saying that I will not deviate from the Constitution, that the elections to the State Duma should be held on schedule, and that I have thought that the presidential elections will be held on schedule in June 2000. This is very important for Russia, where we set a precedent for a civilized and voluntary transfer of power whereby a president hands over power to a newly elected president.
The implication of this passage is that I have always respected the laws of the country and have not coveted rights, and that the election will be held as scheduled, directly refuting the words of his opponents and emphasizing the fairness, impartiality, openness and transparency of the matter.
After saying this, Yeltsin's next words mean something.
I decided to resign early because I understood that I had to do it.
Russia should be ushered into the new century by a new statesman with wisdom and energy, and I have been in power for many years and should retire. When I saw people voting for a new generation of politicians in the Duma elections with great hope and conviction, I understood that I had accomplished the main cause of my life, that now Russia would never go back to the past, would always move forward, and that I should not hinder this natural course of history.
The meaning of this passage is that he has been in power for many years, and no matter how hard he tries, he is constrained by his inability to complete the transformation of the country, and Russia cannot go back to the past, which means exactly the same as Putin's subsequent words!
(Speech by Yeltsin)
Since I can't go back to the past, of course, I have to look forward, but I am not the right person, as for who is suitable, he will say it below.
Russia already has a strong figure, a strong man ready to be president.
Almost all Russians today pin their hopes on him. In this case, why do I have to be in power for half a year? Why bother him, wait for half a year? No, it doesn't fit my intentions, it's not my character.
This is typical of paving the way for Putin.
Russia needs a strong man, and now that this man has emerged, why should I continue to be in power for half a year to hinder him?
After saying his sustenance for his successor, Yeltsin began the rhythm of prayer, and said many times in his speech that he hoped to be forgiven, forgiven, and forgive. Hopefully, successors will be given more time to change.
He even said that he was too naïve, took many problems for granted, and moved forward in making mistakes, which in turn triggered shocks.
After apologizing, Yeltsin stressed one last time that he would hand over the responsibilities of president to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
At the end of his speech, Yeltsin said:
There is no doubt about what choices you will make at the end of March 2000.
As I leave the presidency, I want to say to each and every one of you: I wish you happiness! You deserve happiness, you deserve happiness and peace. My dear compatriots, I wish you a Happy New Year! Happy New Century!
A self-reflective apology, a hope for the new century, and the expectation of the new man and the final farewell became Yeltsin's farewell.
The deep meaning behind this, in addition to the rush to get rid of their own fate of being liquidated, also has a sharp political trick!
(Not simply Yeltsin)
Four: Yeltsin's arrangement.
After Yeltsin chose to retire, Putin had a few months to free his hands and feet to do big things.
This period of time was won by Yeltsin for Putin, and it was also Yeltsin's wisest choice.
At that time, Putin's support rate was very high because of his actions in the Chechen war, as well as economic and diplomatic measures, and if the momentum continued, it would not be difficult to win the election with one blow.
Putin succeeded smoothly, and Yeltsin would not suffer the fate of being liquidated like Gorbachev.
This is also the root cause of Yeltsin's criticism and many people scolding him, but the Russian official has always praised Yeltsin in the future.
The economy is gradually getting better under the reverse "shock therapy", and the outbreak of war in Chechnya has stabilized put Putin in a stable position.
But Yeltsin still left Putin a pit, and this pit is the interest group and the seven oligarchs he left behind.
Based on the compromise in the general environment, there is also the right choice of candidates to promote Putin, but the seven oligarchs and interest groups have also become Putin's subsequent opponents.
Whether All this was deliberately done by Yeltsin or had to be done, we are not good at judging.
However, judging from Putin's later style and relationship with Yeltsin, there may also be deliberate actions.
From this perspective, Yeltsin's choice of Putin was a gamble.
At that moment, Putin, under the intersection of national fortunes and his own future, became a hero who answered the order and a key gentleman at the turn of the century.
(Turn of the century)
Yeltsin's gamble, the bet was right
Russia has emerged a new strongman, and it has also avoided the pull of various factions without Putin.
The two men have said the same thing on different occasions: Russia will never go back to the past, it will always move forward.
This is the inheritance of political will, and it is also his emphasis on Putin's qualities, always moving forward, not thinking about the past!
For Yeltsin, the memory of Gorbachev asking how much pension he had in front of him is still vivid, at least he does not have to tangle with his successor for a pension of 4,000 rubles, and he can still live in peace, and this memory of his predecessor is the thorn in his heart.