How Did Yeltsin Preserve The Soviet Union
Gorbachev did everything he could to preserve the Soviet Union. In contrast, Boris Yeltsin wished for the dissolution of the Soviet Union as fast as possible. His wishe came true when Gorbachev, realizing that he had lost widespread support, resigned from his position. To understand why Yeltsin lent his stature as the elected President of Russia to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, an individual analysis (level 1) will be conducted. According to Kotz and Weir, Yeltsin was in fact, a high ranking communist member in his early days. He reached as far as the Politburo before being treated like an outcast. This all started when Yeltsin complained about the slow pace of Perestroika. In retaliation, the Communist party stripped from Yeltsin, his
prestigious rank within the party. Far from trying to go against Gorbachev and the communist party, he begged the leadership to “rehabilitate him.” Despite what Kotz and Weir described as a “humiliating plea, in front of the television camera” on page 127, Yeltsin was rejected. If all of this is taken into account, this paper argues that Yeltsin’s desire for the dissolution of the Soviet Union stemmed partially from personal conflict. From the perspective of a domestic analysis (level 2), Kotz and Weir is accurate on page 141 when they write “Gorbachev and the renewed Union state represented not just the preservation of the Union but also the maintenance of some kind of socialist system.” On the surface, it seems as if Yeltsin defied the Communist party based on a difference in ideology (i.e. capitalism vs socialism). However, if his past is taken into account, perhaps it was simply a “payback” stemming from his anger at being casted aside completely. Had Gorbachev and his fellow Communists forgave Yeltsin and restored his prestigious position, maybe Yeltsin would have showed compassion towards the preservation of socialism and by extension, the Soviet Union. But that did not happen and Yeltsin was most likely elated upon witnessing the fall of a system that rejected him outright.
prestigious rank within the party. Far from trying to go against Gorbachev and the communist party, he begged the leadership to “rehabilitate him.” Despite what Kotz and Weir described as a “humiliating plea, in front of the television camera” on page 127, Yeltsin was rejected. If all of this is taken into account, this paper argues that Yeltsin’s desire for the dissolution of the Soviet Union stemmed partially from personal conflict. From the perspective of a domestic analysis (level 2), Kotz and Weir is accurate on page 141 when they write “Gorbachev and the renewed Union state represented not just the preservation of the Union but also the maintenance of some kind of socialist system.” On the surface, it seems as if Yeltsin defied the Communist party based on a difference in ideology (i.e. capitalism vs socialism). However, if his past is taken into account, perhaps it was simply a “payback” stemming from his anger at being casted aside completely. Had Gorbachev and his fellow Communists forgave Yeltsin and restored his prestigious position, maybe Yeltsin would have showed compassion towards the preservation of socialism and by extension, the Soviet Union. But that did not happen and Yeltsin was most likely elated upon witnessing the fall of a system that rejected him outright.