Framväxten utav en oligarki : Elitism och kontraktsteori i en rysk kontext

Sammanfattning: When the Soviet Union fell it marked the end of an era the ones totalitarian communist state collapsed and, in its place, a new state called Russa emerged with a new leader Boris Yeltsin as the great reformer who had a mission of making Russia a country similar to those int the west. This dream was not to last long soon after his arrival the economy crashed, inflation had skyrocketed, and crime and unemployment struck the country. Boris Yeltsin started privatizing vast numbers of previously state-owned industries which helped create a new elitist class in the oligarchs.    The purpose of this essay is to analyze the post-soviet state of Russia and its social and economic elements to determine when an oligarchic structure emerged and how this oligarchy was able to establish a social contract with the Russian people. This will be done with the help of the essays two theories surrounding elitism and conractualism.    The result this essay reached was that there are two significant decisions taken by the Yeltsin administration which led to the creation of an oligarchic state these are the two privatization waves. These privatizations made a few men very powerful and we can see the extent of their power and influence in the presidential election of 1997. Were they managed to get Yeltsin reelected even though his popularity was at its lowest by using their massive influence such as their media empire. When Putin got elected it represented a new era of Russian politics, he promised to end the chaos of the 1990s and reestablish security in Russia and put the oligarchs in line. He was able to do this much because of the rising oil prices and the use of Russian nationalism to his advantage. He was able to restore a social contract with the Russian people in turn for less freedom he would guarantee them security and stability