ABSTRACT
Within a few months of the emergence of an independent Russia, it became the scene of unrelenting political conflict. This conflict has been driven by the direct and indirect consequences of the decision to build a capitalist system in Russia, and particularly by the adoption of shock therapy to achieve that aim. The interpretation of the Soviet demise presented in Part II above, and particularly the role of the party–state elite in that process, helps explain the course of Russian politics in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet demise. This chapter examines several important developments in Russia in this period from this perspective: (1) the emergence of the so-called centrist opposition and the Yeltsin government’s response to it; (2) the shift over time in the balance of power within the opposition from centrists to Communists; (3) the trend toward an increasingly authoritarian regime in Russia. Perhaps the most remarkable development in these years was the re-emergence of the Communist Party as a serious contender for power.
