"Police state": does Russia fall under this definition

In order to understand whether it is possible to name the regime of government established in the Russian Federation from the moment of leaving Yeltsin's policy to a policeman, let's try to impartially determine what a police state is, what are its main features, how such forms of government are established and, most importantly, how they Manages to hold on so long.

Description of such modes appeared in the XVIII-XIX centuries. The so-called countries in which all the levers of government were in the hands of the elite, which used various power structures (no matter what they were called: the police, the security service, the carabinieri, or the police) to keep control of all authorities.

Under what conditions does the police state arise? Historical examples show that the environment for general anarchy and chaos is very favorable for its creation. "The war of all against all" leads to a catastrophic stratification of society. Those who can not "fish in muddy water" begin to feel nostalgic for the times of tranquility and long for the "strong hand". At this point, yesterday's Mafiosi / racketeers come to power under the slogans "Stability and Order". Such statements, as a rule, impress the majority of the population.

The police state can declare respect for human rights and democratic freedoms. However, increasingly in the rhetoric of the rulers sound the words about "harsh ordering", "discipline" and "clear vertical management." Tired of "lawlessness," society agrees with this. The role of the police and other security forces seems to be very important in this process: who will "squeeze" the gangster, if not the person whose duties include protecting the law? True, over time strict control covers all spheres of public life.

The desired stability is still not coming. This is caused, of course, by external enemies "who are trying to put us on their knees", as well as "saboteurs-saboteurs" acting from within. The police state calls on citizens to be vigilant and cooperate in every way with security agencies. You can recall the phrase of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I: "The revolution is on the threshold of Russia, but I will not let it inside". Similarly, Vladimir Putin also spoke about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.

An example of the classical states where the "power structures" ruled the ball are Spain of the times of Franco, Chile under Pinochet's heel, the regime of "Kemalism" in Turkey. There is no doubt that such a form of government opposes civil society. More attractive this kind of country will not make either the slogans of adherence to democracy, nor the coquettish new police uniform (especially sexy in women). The population pays too much for "stability": state structures tightly control the political and public life of the country, the laws are interpreted quite freely, a simplified practice of leadership of the judiciary is created, the disliked media are emasculated, and the opposition is suppressed.

So what is modern Russia? Police state, authoritarianism, oligarchy or something in between? The most striking examples of police regimes show that all the power of the power apparatus was aimed at protecting the ruling elite (usually businessmen, big monopolists, sometimes the middle class). Representatives of these strata can feel very comfortable, for which they support it. In Russia, the fate of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev showed that class affiliation is not an "inoculation" of repression. Most likely, here we are dealing with the oligarchy, which removes competitors or unwanted persons from the path of the power structures.