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Russian Essay

Today Russia is on the verge of becoming a democracy, yet is losing control to President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is a form of government that advocates absolute rule, meaning there is a government leader who has complete control. The citizens today support Putin by giving-in to his authority instead of chasing after their own freedom. There are many factors contributing to this emphasis on authoritarianism, and it’s putting the goal of democracy in jeopardy.
The ideals of the citizens are one of the things that are preventing Russia from heading towards a democracy. The Russian citizens do not feel that their government system is flawed because they view themselves as a world power so they do not feel the government system should change. According to “Flight from Freedom” by Richard Pipes, seventy-eight percent of respondents to a survey think “democracy is a facade for a government controlled by rich and powerful cliques”. According to Pipes, Fifty-three percent of respondents to a survey definitely disliked democracy whereas only twenty-two percent expressed a preference for it. The survey also found that most Russians prefer a one-party system. A one-party system has only one dominant party and no other parties are allowed to exist.
A common theme in Russian society is order. The dictionary definition of order is an authoritative direction or instruction. According to “Flight from Freedom”, eighty-eight percent of the respondents prefer order over freedom. The Russian preference for order is also shown in the film “The Crocodile” in which a government official, Ivan Matveitch, gets trapped inside a crocodile. While inside the crocodile, Ivan Matveitch decides he does not want to come out because it is orderly inside versus the chaos outside. Ivan said, “Savages love independence, wise men love order”.
In Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov believes in order over freedom as well. Raskolnikov commits two murders in the book. This can represent disorder because he is going against the law. He has the chance to remain free because someone else was convicted and put in jail. Despite this, he confesses anyway. By admitting to the crime, he is giving-in to order because he is giving–in to the government system. Through his confession, Raskolnikov feels that he can then go on with life because he has been punished. He would rather get punished for the murder then feel guilty and be free. Society as a whole is then restored and in balance in terms of order. Dostoevsky is conveying that Russians need order in their lives. Russians cannot move towards democracy because it will contradict with their ideal of order.
Another theme in Crime and Punishment is submission. Submission is defined as the act of submitting to the power of someone else. According to Raskolnikov’s theory, men are either “ordinary” or “extraordinary”. Ordinary men live in submission and cannot violate the law. Extraordinary men are able to violate the law in any way. Raskolnikov is extraordinary and commits crimes. According to his theory, he then becomes ordinary once again by submitting to the common law in confession. Raskolnikov, representing the beliefs of the average Russian citizen, finds out that he is not extraordinary (and neither are the Russian people, in this same respect) and therefore must have order and authoritarianism.
Another challenge for democracy is that Russia is nearly twice the size of the U.S. and has eleven different time zones. Russia is far too vast, spread out, and divided to be controlled by a democratic government. Russia’s climate and geographical features are different in certain areas. With such great geographical differences and priorities, it would be hard to elect someone that would be able to help everyone. A democratic government is essentially ruled by the people. If the people are so isolated in separate areas and have different issues, it would be hard for the government to be effective and the people to be content with their leader.
In the past, Russia has been led by a monarchist government with Czars in control. In “Eternal Russia” and The Russian Revolution by Robert Goldston, Czars (i.e. Romanov Dynasty) had complete control over the country. Some minimal input came from the Duma; however the Czar was allowed overrule the Duma. Like most monarchies, the Czar is normally chosen through a hereditary descendent from the previous Czar. Ideals are therefore fairly constant throughout the Dynasty, and certain ideals do not change unless there happens to be a revolution. Monarchist governments have absolute rule over the country, so, in that sense, a monarchy is like authoritarianism.
Authoritarianism was also seen in Russia’s past when Joseph Stalin was the leader. While he was the General Secretary, he had complete rule of the communist party and Russia. Authoritarianism is part of Russia’s past and it has helped Russia to become known as a world power. Because Russians have expressed success as a country under authoritarian rule, it reduces their interest in democracy. Democracy will not work if the people do not want to participate or see it as useless because they have been doing fine under authoritarianism.
Today, the world sees Russia as becoming a powerful country with substantial military forces. Russia is one of the richest industrialized countries in the world. The money they are making is helping them become known as a world power. According to “Flight from Freedom”, seventy-eight percent of Russian citizens insist on being a great power. The citizens would not allow the government to change if the country’s status as an indestructible world power lowered.
Russia’s power is also seen in the film “Alexander Nevsky”, in which Russia defeats Germany. Russia needed a highly respected leader to guide them. Alexander Nevsky led them in battles and is portrayed as an authoritative leader to the people. He is an authoritarian type leader because everyone respected him and would obey his commands. Present Russia is like that now. Russians respect Putin and want him to lead them like an authoritarian figure.
Authoritarianism is the form of government Russia is returning to, although they have been making progress towards democracy. However Russian citizens are against this return to democracy. Russia’s society does not have the correct outlook to change their form of government. Putin is now centralizing the government giving more power to himself. The people of Russia want to remain a world power and they believe order and authoritarianism is going to give that to them. The geography is also preventing the country from changing. With the country so spread out, no democratic government could effectively control the country. What Russians really want is a leader and a protector. The authoritarian government gives them just that, a leader and protector who has complete control. These are the reasons why Russia is shifting to authoritarianism and are not on the road to democracy.