ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the problems of Russia's dual transition. It examines the concept and course of democratisation. The chapter explores the Washington consensus policies and explains their impact. It analyses the legacy of the soviet system on Russia's reforms. In 1992 under the leadership of President Boris Yeltsin, Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar and Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, the Russian Federation (RF) began its transition from soviet socialism to capitalism and liberal democracy. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) no longer enjoys the monopoly of political power once exercised by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Democratisation: Have two main stages. The first or transition stage is marked by the end of the old authoritarian regime and the beginning of a new democratic regime. The second or consolidation stage is characterised by the institutionalisation of democracy, when there is no alternative to democracy and no possibility of reverting to authoritarianism.
