Yeltsin as leader: personality and aims; style of rule; economic and political problems and policies; political unrest; re-election and resignation; Putin as leader; the state of Russia politically, economically and socially by 2000
Boris Yeltsin led post-Soviet Russia through a chaotic decade of economic collapse and political crisis. He resigned on New Year's Eve 1999, handing power to Vladimir Putin.
Real World
Yeltsin's 'shock therapy' in 1992 removed price controls overnight: bread that cost a few kopeks one day cost ten times more the next, wiping out ordinary Russians' savings and producing the exact social catastrophe that critics of rapid marketisation had warned against.
Exam Focus
When evaluating Yeltsin's record, separate political achievements (defeating the 1991 coup, nuclear arms reduction) from economic failures to produce a balanced judgement.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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