1991 was a year not to forget for the presidency of Mikhail Gorbachev as the hard-line elements of the Soviet government and the military attempted a coup against him. The attempted coup had a great significance since it marked a decline in Gorbachev’s power and influence as that of his opponent, Boris Yeltsin, rose immensely. During his reign in power, Gorbachev had strived for two major reforms. First, he was concerned with the liberalization of his country’s economic and political policies. Gorbachev strived for free market policies and was to the opinion that closed communist political system would need to be democratized. He also advocated for better relations with the West and United States in particular (Danks, 137). His close affiliation with the West made him friends with the western leaders especially President Ronald Reagan. However, these policies found criticism and contempt from within. To start with, the hard-line communists were to the opinion that the policies were leading the Soviet Union to ruin and a status of second-class world power. Other reformers such as Boris Yeltsin, was to the opinion that Gorbachev was not moving fast enough with his reforms thus prompting his resignation from the Communist party. By August 1991, there was a staged coup by the hard-line elements and the military. Though the coup was short lived, the damage to his regime was disastrous, and he opted to resign in December 1991 after crumbling of the union.

The failed 1991 coup is of major concern to Vladimir Putin and his reign. Most of the Russian population including Gorbachev is to the opinion that Putin is a major hindrance to the modernization of the Russian economy.  Gorbachev has even claimed that Dmitry Medvedev is a better leader than Putin (Soldatov, Andrei and Borogan, 79). This should prompt the current prime minister to be worried since the sword against Gorbachev can be used against him. The need for modern democracy by the Russian people should be of concern since they can be tempted to stage a coup if they fail.

In reaction to the failed coup of 1991, Putin has been on the forefront of implementing the modernization plan put forward by the Presidency. He has taken advantage of the president’s limited possibilities to implement economical, political and other spheres of leadership to ensure that he outsmarts the president (Treisman, 115).  Putin has over the years advocated for stability in the Russian government which will be essential to good governance.

Putin has also been a self-critic as was the case with Gorbachev. There are rumors that he has squandered the windfalls resulting from sales of highly priced oil. It is argued that if the resources and opportunities were properly utilized, then Russia would not be facing the tide of the social problems they are currently facing.  Putin has put more emphasis on improving education, healthcare and other important social amenities which he believes holds the future of the country (Dawisha, n.p). According to Putin, addressing these issues will be critical in realizing modernization in Russia. Although Putin has had close ties with the western countries, he has strived to ensure that the kind of relationship between Russia and the West is a mutually beneficial. Lack of respect from the West especially the United States has made the relationship between the two countries to be at loggerheads. The country’s position in world power and modernization of Russian democracy has been the major reactions from the Putin’s administration. Putin has also been firm on his decision making since he also thinks that Gorbachev was too soft on Yeltsin.

Work Cited

Danks, Catherine. Politics Russia. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014. Print.

Dawisha, Karen. Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? Print.

“On the Edge of Peace – or Catastrophe – in Ukraine.” IPolitics. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

“Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? (Excerpt) – War Is Crime.” War Is Crime. 2 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Soldatov, Andrei, and I. Borogan. The New Nobility: The Restoration of Russia’s Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB. New York, NY: PublicAffairs, 2010. Print.

Treisman, Daniel. The Return: Russia’s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev. New York: Free, 2011. Print.

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