Life in Russia in the 90's. 90th years of the twentieth century: the history of Russia

Every decade of the 20th century in the eyes of an ordinary citizen is painted in some of its colors, shimmering in many shades. Twenties and thirties for someone - the time of five-year plans, enthusiasm and intercontinental flights, for others it is overshadowed by mass repression. The forties are rhymed with "fatal", they are painted white whites and bandages of field hospitals, black smoke and orange flames of burning cities. Fiftieth - virgin and styli. The sixties are a quiet, but not wealthy life. Seventies - grated brick flared jeans, hippies and sexual revolution. Eighties - sneakers, pants, "bananas" and "Felicita." And then began a nightmarish life in Russia. In the 90 years it was not easy to survive. Here we stop.

Illusions

Decade is counted from the first year. For example, 1970 refers to the sixties. Therefore, the first in this eerily interesting era is the year of the disintegration (or collapse) of the Soviet Union. After what happened in August 1991, the leading role of the CPSU could not be discussed. It became impossible to smoothly slip to the market, characteristic of many world economies after the collapse of the socialist system (as, for example, in China). But almost nobody wanted him. People demanded changes - and immediate. Life in Russia in the 90s began with the illusion that it was worth taking a small step, and the country would heal just as luxuriously as the prosperous West, which became a model for the majority of the population in everything. Few people imagined the depth of the abyss lying ahead. It seemed that America would stop "fooling around", help with advice and money, and the Russians would join the "civilized nations" who drive expensive cars, living in cottages, wearing prestigious clothes and traveling around the world. It happened, but not at all.

Shock

Instant transition to the market caused a shock (English The Shock). This psychological phenomenon was called "shock therapy", but it had nothing to do with medical processes. Released prices in the 90 years began to grow at times more rapidly than the income of most of the population. Sberbank's deposits lost their value, they were often told that they "disappeared," but the laws of conservation of matter also act in the economy. Nothing disappears, including money, which simply changed their owners. But savings accounts did not stop there: since the summer of 1992, the privatization of all people's property began. Legally, this process was designed as a free distribution of ten thousand checks, for which you could formally purchase shares of enterprises. In fact, this method suffered an important vice. The so-called "vouchers" were massively bought by those who had the means and capabilities, and soon the factories, factories, collective farms and other subjects of Soviet management passed into private hands. Workers and peasants again got nothing. This surprised no one.

Political changes

In 1991, American correspondents in the office of the former president of the USSR (at that moment already timidly retired) expressed their joy over the victory over the "evil empire" with loud shouts of "wow!" And similar exclamations. They had reason to believe that the world's only counterweight to the all-planetary dominance of the US has been successfully eliminated. They believed that, after the Soviet Union, and Russia would soon disappear from the map, it would fall into pieces easily patched from outside, populated by a demoralized rabble. Although most of the subjects of the RSFSR (with the exception of Chechnya and Tatarstan) expressed a desire to remain in the common state, the destructive tendencies were quite clear. Russia's domestic policy in the 1990s was formulated by President Yeltsin, who called for former autonomies to take as much sovereignty as they wanted.

Twilight realities were able to convert the separatist of the most ardent supporter of unity. The shelling of the tanks of the Supreme Council building (October 1993), the numerous sacrifices, the arrest of delegates and other circumstances that contributed to the flourishing of democracy, did not raise any objections from foreign partners. After that, the Constitution of the Russian Federation was legislated, as a whole with a perfectly acceptable text, but placing the norms of international law above national interests. Yes, the Parliament now consisted of two chambers, the Federation Council and the State Duma. It's quite another matter.

Culture

Nothing characterizes the atmosphere of the epoch as much as the spiritual life of Russia. In the 1990s, state funding for cultural programs was curtailed, in exchange for which sponsorship became widespread. The notorious "crimson jackets" paused between shooting and undermining their own kind, allocated funds for projects that corresponded to their tastes, which certainly affected the quality of cinema, music, literature, theatrical productions and even painting. Outflow of talented figures abroad began in search of a better life. At the same time, freedom of expression had a positive side. The broad popular masses realized the healing role of religion in general and Orthodoxy in particular, new temples were built. Some cultural figures (N. Mikhalkov, V. Todorovsky, N. Tsiskaridze, N. Safronov, A. Shilov) contrived to create true masterpieces at this difficult time.

Chechnya

The development of Russia in the 1990s was complicated by a large-scale internal armed conflict. In 1992, the Republic of Tatarstan did not want to recognize itself as a federal part of a common country, but this conflict was kept in peace. Otherwise it happened with Chechnya. An attempt to resolve the issue by force became a tragedy of a national scale, accompanied by terrorist acts, hostage-taking and hostilities. In fact, at the first stage of the war, Russia was defeated, having documented it in 1996 as a conclusion of the Khasavyurt agreement. This forced move only gave a temporary respite, on the whole, the situation threatened to move into an uncontrolled phase. Only in the next decade during the second phase of the military operation and after clever political combinations it was possible to eliminate the danger of the collapse of the country.

Party life

After the abolition of the monopoly of the CPSU, the time of "pluralism" came. Russia in the 90 years of the 20th century became a multi-party country. The most popular public organizations that emerged in the country were the LDPR (liberal democrats), the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (Communists), Yabloko (they advocated private property, market economy and all kinds of democracy), "Our Home is Russia" (Chernomyrdin with a folded "house" Palms embodying the true financial elite). There was also Gaidar's Democratic Choice, "Just Cause" (as is clear from the title - the opposite of the left) and dozens of parties. They united, disunited, conflicted, argued, but, in general, externally differed little from each other, although they diversified political life in Russia in the 90s. All promised that soon it will be good. The people did not believe.

Elections-96

The task of the politician is to create illusions, this is how he differs from the real statesman, but at the same time is similar to the film director. Exploitation of visual images is a favorite technique for those who seek to master the souls, emotions and voices of voters. The Communist Party skillfully exploited nostalgic moods, idealizing Soviet life. In Russia in the 90s, quite a wide range of people remembered the best times when there was no war, the issue of obtaining daily bread was not so acute, as there were no unemployed, etc. The Communist Party leader G. Zyuganov, who promised to return all this, Had every chance to become president of Russia. Strangely enough, this did not happen. Obviously, the people still understood that there would still be no return to the socialist order. The point of no return is passed. But the elections were dramatic.

The end of the nineties

Surviving the nineties in Russia and other post-Soviet countries was not easy, and not everyone succeeded. But everything ends sooner or later. The era of Yeltsin came to an end, and it's good that the change of course was bloodless without being accompanied by one of the terrible internecine strife that is so rich in our history. After a long stagnation, the economy, culture and spiritual life began to revive, timidly and slowly. Russia in the 90's got a very painful and dangerous vaccination for the whole state body, but the country withstood it, although not without complications. God willing, the lesson will go on for future use.