Examples Of The Weakest Pillar

I happen to agree with you about the "weakest pillar" question. It seemed to me that the focus of Gerschewski was to point out that each pillar plays an important and relevant role within the stabilization of autocratic regimes. When it comes to Putin's control, it seemed in my opinion that each pillar was in play. The first pillar refers to legitimation, in which the elite attempts to gain support from the public. This was done before Putin had even become the president. Putin was heavily involved in politics and was able to gain popularity quite quickly. Even when his approval ratings began to plummet, Putin was able to raise those ratings back up using a similar technique. When gaining popularity, Putin had done so through the invasion of
other regions. The first invasion was in Chechnya and the second to follow was in Crimea. In both instances, Putin's approval ratings grew. The second pillar refers to repression. Putin used violent tactics in an effort to keep any threat of opposition at bay. Moreover, his last election was surrounded by controversy and alleged fraud. The last pillar refers to co-optation. Although it seems that the other students feel that co-optation is the weakest pillar, I have to disagree. Putin keeps the rich in control and happy, allowing him to exert more control. Furthermore, Putin had been able to maintain power by switching roles with the Prime Minister. He was able to ensure that in doing so, his assets would remain protected. It's for all of the aforementioned reasons that I'm led to believe that each pillar plays an equally important role in obtaining and maintaining power.