In 2000, Putin took over the responsibility of Russia from Yeltsin. Now, more than two decades later, Russia has undergone earth-shaking changes, and behind every change is Putin's influence.
However, Russia still faces a number of challenges, with weak economic performance being one of the most prominent. In the fourth quarter of 2022, Russian businesses suffered an unprecedented wave of bankruptcies due to a number of factors.
During the month, the number of businesses filing for bankruptcy grew by a staggering 24 times! The reasons for bankruptcy are bizarre, reflecting the fact that Russia is experiencing a serious social crisis.
Among them, the deterioration of the business environment is the main reason for the loss of many enterprises. This shows that the economic situation in Russia is deteriorating and the people's spending power is weakening.
In addition, there was a mass migration on the territory of Russia, about 15% of the workforce left Russia, which sent a shock to the market. To make matters worse, these migrants took with them a large number of skilled people, because they lost confidence in the future development of Russia.
Therefore, to understand Putin's achievements in the past two decades in power, and to understand Russia's development and decline, it is necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the current state of affairs in Russia and the complex reasons that lead to it.
This year, Russia has suffered a wave of corporate bankruptcies, and the decline in GDP has become a problem that cannot be ignored. At the beginning of the year, it was said that this year's target was to slow the rate of decline rather than boost growth, which is undoubtedly worrying.
However, even if ** promises to limit the decline in GDP to 2Between 5-3%, the official financial report statistics for October showed that the losses of all Russian enterprises in September alone amounted to more than 700 billion rubles, and the situation is not optimistic.
Although some people **, by 2023, the Russian economy will usher in a recovery, and even the decline in GDP will be controlled within 1%, but this is still a difficult problem.
In any case, Russia's declining GDP has become a serious challenge for us.
Due to the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the economic situation in Russia has become more difficult. The sanctions imposed by Western countries have made many Russian companies face problems such as difficulty in sourcing raw materials for production and restrictions on exports.
Despite a series of measures taken by Russia to try to change this situation, it is not possible to see an improvement in the economic situation in the short term. In fact, the decline of Russia's national power is not an overnight problem, and this decline has been reflected in many aspects as early as the Yeltsin era.
Yeltsin's 10 years in power, six of which were negative GDP growth in Russia, are deeply worrying. Before the turn of the century, about 74 percent of the population in Russia could only maintain a minimum standard of living every month, and at this time, it happened to be in the midst of an economic crisis, with the wages of the Russian people falling for a time, domestic and foreign debts persistent, and the economy was in danger of collapse.
The collapse of the Soviet Union during the Yeltsin era had a lasting impact on Russia, and today, two decades later, Russia is still trying to fill that hole. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's military strength declined sharply, and it lacked sufficient training funds and the ability to develop high and new technologies.
In addition, the United States and other Western countries are desperately chasing after and trying to expand NATO eastward, posing a threat to Russia's border security. The military defeat led to a diplomatic dilemma for Russia, and although Yeltsin tried to join the Western camp, the United States did not agree.
The United States has targeted Russia through unilateral diplomacy and has been trying to make Russia ** for many years. In international exchanges, the United States has made harsh demands and even excluded Russia from the WTO, trying to establish a world order that excludes Russia.
In the face of these problems, Russia often appears to be powerless. In terms of soft power, such as culture, Russia's decline is also becoming more and more obvious. There is a constant clash of values within Russia, and many oppose Yeltsin's pro-Western policy, believing that it undermines Russia's image as a great power.
Internationally, Russia is facing many crises, and Yeltsin's use of oligarchy to manipulate the political situation has also been criticized many times. Tensions with parliament and infighting have exacerbated the chaos.
Putin accurately commented: "For the first time in two or three hundred years, Russia is in danger of becoming a second- or third-rate country in the world. ”
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian society was in crisis, and Russia's endurance, viability, and building capacity seemed to have reached its limit, and the collapse of society seemed to be only a matter of time.
However, in this situation, Putin took over from Yeltsin and began his twenty-long career in power. Many Russians see Putin as their savior, so what did he do during his time in power?
Before introducing Putin's specific political achievements, let's take a look at what the Russian people say about him. In Russia, Orthodoxy is the main religion, and "savior" is an important image in Orthodox Christianity.
The Russian people believe that in a special period, the times will always elect a savior for Russia, who will carry all the honor and expectations of the country and lead them to new glory.
In history, there are indeed some figures who are considered to be saviors, such as Ivan the Great, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander II, etc.
There is no doubt that in the hearts of today's ** people, Putin is the savior of this era. Prior to his tenure, Putin served as prime minister for a period of time, an important milestone in his entry into the Russian mainstream.
At the time, his popular approval rating was only about 30 percent, but by 2008, his approval rating had soared to a staggering 88 percent, and even at its peak, his approval rating was close to 90 percent, which is a miracle that he has such a wide range of approval ratings in a modern elected country.
The people's love for Putin is not for nothing, and from the actual situation, Putin has really improved the lives of every Russian and made their lives better.
For example, in the eight years of Putin's rule, Russia's GDP has made a qualitative leap. When he took over, Russia's GDP was about $250 billion, but by 2008, Russia's GDP had reached $166 trillion dollars!
In just eight years, Putin has lifted Russia's GDP rankings by 11 places, and the benefits have really fallen on every Russian. Back in 2000, Russians were only paid about $82 a month, and their lives were very difficult.
Fourteen years later, their monthly salary is as high as $630, and that alone is enough to make the Russian population grateful to Putin. And Putin has done much more than that, and his hard-line style has even helped Russia re-establish its dignity as a great power, with Chechnya being the most obvious example.
Russia has a long history of contradictions with Chechnya, which has tried to use its armed forces to achieve independence. However, when Putin was prime minister, he resolutely took military action, using the second Chechen war to successfully stabilize the situation and avoid the country's **.
Under Putin's leadership, he traveled to Chechnya many times to implement new policies, delivered speeches, and became a bridge between Chechnya and Russia. At the same time, Russia's military power has also been greatly enhanced, and Putin's efforts to project Russia's image as a military power have shown no fear in the face of Western sanctions.
In contrast to Yeltsin, Putin is resolute and uncompromising towards the West. In 2014, the Ukraine crisis broke out, and the West launched a new round of sanctions against Russia, but the result was the opposite.
Instead of blaming Putin for the sanctions, most of the Russian people believe that he is the great hero who leads Russia against foreign enemies and the most sacred guardian.
Interestingly, a survey showed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian population felt a sense of loss about the country, but after Putin came to power, many began to proudly define themselves as "Russians" rather than just answering the name of their homeland.
This is a clear indication of Putin's significant contribution to rebuilding Russia's national self-confidence, reshaping a broken Russia as a whole, while also enhancing the country's soft power.
Putin has made a significant contribution to the internal structural reform. What Yeltsin left behind was a chaotic situation, and Russia's domestic politics were full of contradictions, and it was impossible to effectively restrain the localities.
In order to change this situation, Putin decisively set up seven federal administrative regions and sent them to the local authorities to administer them, clearly demarcating the scope of power. In this way, Russia's basic political system has been repaired, and the efficiency of governing has been greatly improved.
In the internal power struggle, Putin showed his killer weapon - the constitution. He revised the law, established the authority of the constitution, and ensured the consistency of laws throughout the country.
This move has struck at local separatism, strengthened the power of the people, and enabled the smooth implementation of Putin's reform policies. At the same time, he also has a firm grip on the army, fundamentally preventing potential threats.
In the past, Russia has been plagued by Western sanctions and domestic oligarchs. However, after Putin came to power, he dispersed these forces with ingenious tactics and ensured that the national economy was not monopolized by a few.
He unswervingly nationalized oil, natural gas and other resources, so as to ensure the stability of these necessities and meet the hard needs of people's daily life and industrial production.
Putin's move has been praised and even seen as a miracle by Western countries. The American magazine "Time" once spoke highly of Putin, saying that he led Russia back to the ranks of world powers in the midst of chaos and achieved extraordinary leadership achievements.
Putin's 20 years in power have been 20 years of hope for Russia, and his name as a savior is well deserved. In the minds of Russians, Putin's status can even be compared with that of ancient emperors.
However, despite the emergence of a leader like Putin, Russia's decline is unstoppable, and what is the reason behind this?
Time Magazine: Putin has been in power for 20 years, but Russia still faces problems in basic industry Over the past two decades, Putin, as the leader of Russia, has made many contributions to the country's development.
However, he failed to fundamentally address the fundamental problems of Russia's basic industries, which stemmed from the old economic structure left over from the Soviet era, which made it difficult for Russia to adapt to the trend of globalization.
Putin tried to change the situation with reforms, but due to problems with the structure of the economy, little success. In addition, Putin has nationalized the energy industry in order to avoid monopoly, but this excessive investment has squeezed the development space of other basic industries.
Russia's economy is highly dependent on the export of energy due to factors such as the natural environment, which also makes it vulnerable to the international political situation. Therefore, to solve the problems of Russia's basic industries, it is necessary to carry out deep reforms and adjustments.
During the Soviet era, relations between Russia and Western countries were tense. Putin has inherited this hardline attitude, and while it has improved Russia's diplomatic status, it has also hindered Russia's integration into global integration, thus affecting economic development.
Poor economic conditions can lead to a vicious circle in which Russians lose confidence and choose to move money abroad rather than invest it domestically. At the moment, the Chechen and Ukrainian issues remain challenges that Russia needs to face.
Although Putin succeeded in controlling the situation in Chechnya, it was in fact temporary. The two sides have reached an impasse, and the Ukraine issue has always existed, even triggering the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Western countries took the opportunity to strengthen NATO. Putin has only temporarily suppressed these issues, while the crisis remains lurking. On the political front, there are also some hidden dangers in Russia.
Although Putin's series of reforms have been effective, the overly heavy-handed methods have also irritated the local government, causing the two to drift away from Germany and arouse the dissatisfaction of the local people. While Putin's efforts have stabilized the upper echelons of politics, this does not mean that Russia's political system has been perfected.
Russia's frequent social problems are also an important reason for the country's decline, but these phenomena cannot be fully solved even by Putin.
In the face of the current social turmoil, Russia is not only facing the challenges of serious crime, a sharp decline in population and the spread of extremism, but also leading to the hindrance of economic development and the shaking of the country's foundations.
The cultural unease also reflects the influence of the former Soviet Union on Russia, which makes Russians struggle between two ideas, facing the confusion and helplessness of the new generation and the old generation.
As the country's leader, Putin knows that Russia's woes stem from decades of stagnation and crisis, and that it can take a lot of time to solve some of the deep-rooted problems.
The future of Russia is still full of unknowns, and we need to work together and work together.