Putin and Authoritarianism in Russia

In his speech on Russia's transition to autocracy, Pierre Hassner says of Vladimir Putin, "For my part, I shall concentrate on the role of politics and especially of a single person—Vladimir Putin. Although he is neither the beginning nor the end of the story of democracy and capitalism in Russia, he does play a crucial role"(Hassner 7). For Hassner, Putin plays a crucial role, because of the immense power he has in Russian politics. Hassner points out that he has "led Russia into a harsh brand of authoritarianism with some fascist features," but "is full of contradictions and, while it has some extremely ominous aspects, he cannot be said to have burned all his bridges or to have made it impossible for Russia to evolve in a more positive direction once circumstances change" (Hassner 7). Essentially, Pierre Hassner is arguing that Putin, while having many times erred on the side of authoritarianism it does not mean that he has eliminated any hope for a prosperous and democratic Russia for, "we must not close our minds to the case made by his defenders, who stress his popular support among the Russian people" (Hassner 7). Putin does have popular support, even if his policies are seeming to become more an more authoritarian.

While Putin is no longer president, because that position is currently held by Dmitry Medvedev, he still exercises great influence over Russian politics. A recent BBC News article, "Putin Rules out early Kremlin bid", discusses the fact efforts have been made to increase a presidential term from four to six terms and that this has aroused speculation that Putin will run for president again soon. Putin himself told BBC, "The next presidential election will take place in 2012... For now, everyone must fulfill his duties in his place" (BBC News 12/4/2008). Essentially, Putin is saying that he is not going to make a decision until 2012. However, he did not rule out a potential election bid. If Putin were to run again and win he would not only be President again after a short interlude, but he would also hold the position for a six year term allowing him to be president for a total of fourteen years in his political career. This clearly lines up with the authoritarianism in Russia caused by Putin's immense power, which Hassner discusses. Putin also says that he has a "very effective tandem" (BBC News 12/4/2008) with Medvedev. This statement is important, because it brings up the question of whether it is necessary for Putin to run for president, because he may be satisfied with his influence over Medvedev and the power that he derives from his position of prime minister. Whether or not this is the case, the news that the article reports about Putin reveals the authoritarianism that Putin has created in Russia as he continues maintain a stranglehold on Russian politics.