I mean, the guy is no longer in government (officially)-his successor seems to be a real figure. So why is putin popping up everywhere? What is his offical status? And, does he really control GAZPROM (the world’s largest energy firm)?
Vladimir Putin is the current Prime Minister of Russia. I think that counts very much as being currently in government (officially).
Putin used to be one of the key figures in the security establishment and did a lot to benefit them. So at present, in part thanks to his work, these guys have enormous power in the country and so does he, as long as he keeps their loyalty.
It also helps that the guy he picked as the president is generally seen as a non-entity - no meaningful agenda, no influential friends and supporters, nothing to recommend him whatsoever. He does not even have Obama’s uncanny ability to serve as a target of love or hatred while reading glittering generalities from the teleprompter.
Oops. deleted.
My understanding is that Putin is the real power and that Medvedev is a figure head, although from what I’ve heard recently it seems he is trying to break out of that and become a legitimate leader.
In the next election Putin is eligible to run for President again. I’m interested to see if Medvedev will run against him.
This is the western view all right. The Russian people don’t necessarily think the same way. Two years before Medvedev became president he was running in second place in opinion polls (behind Putin) as the popular choice for the job. This was way before Putin himself identified Medvedev as his preferred successor.
BTW, Medvedev was Putin’s First Deputy PM and head of Gazprom, so calling him a “non-entity” is a bit harsh. He wasn’t just plucked out of obscurity.
Again, a popular western view, not necessarily shared in Russia. I’ve seen a few independent Russian polls in which people were asked who did they think held the real power, and a significant plurality always says it is shared equally (though Putin comes out ahead of Medvedev among those who think it’s either one or the other).
Why assume Putin will run at all?
Josef Stalin was never officially the ruler of the Soviet Union - didn’t seem to bother him.
Will you elaborate please?
List of heads of state of the Soviet Union.
Stalin was the First Secretary of the Communist Party, and served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (head of government) between 1946 and 1953. His powers as dictator were entirely unofficial.
Russia has always concentrated all power in the hands of a single individual - the “father of the Russian people”. It was that way with the Tsars, it was that way with the communists, it’s that way now. The various trappings of legality and government have always been irrelevant.
Huh, I don’t see Lenin listed either.
But here Stalin is listed as a leader of the Soviet Union
I noticed this tidbit after the list of the USSR heads of state under Stalin :
So, being picked as the nominal head of state apparently wasn’t good news
I think you have that backwards. The head of government has the ultimate say in how a nation should be governed through appointing ministers and veto powers, and there’s nothing unofficial about that. The head of state may be without parliamentary powers however, as is the case in most modern European monarchies.
It depends on the nation, I think. In France, for instance, the head of state has executive power; in the UK it’s the opposite. I think in Russia/the USSR, the head of state has more power.
Regradless, Stalin was only head of government for his last 7 years in power; from 1922-1946 his sole position was Secretary of the Communist Party, with others serving as president and prime minister. I’m not sure what “Leader of the Soviet Union” was - if it was an actual position, then I’ve obviously been mistaken.
I kind of doubt that, Wikipedia had this to say on the subject:
“Since real political power belongs to the head of the sole legal party, in certain states under Marxist constitutions of the constitutionally socialist state type inspired by the former USSR and its constitutive Soviet republics, there was no formal office of head of state, but rather the head of the legislative “soviet” branch of power was considered the head of state. In the Soviet Union this office carried such titles as “Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR,” “Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council” and “Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets” in the case of Soviet Russia (until 1922). This position may or may not have been held by the de facto Soviet leader at the moment. For example, Nikita Khruschov never headed the Supreme Soviet but ruled as Secretary General of party and prime minister.”
I think this proves my point that in the USSR - and perhaps today - power derived from the individual, not the office.
Reminds me of an exchange Stalin had with his mother:
M: So Josef what is your job now?
S: Do you remember the Czar?
M: Yes
S: Well I am sort of like the Czar.
M: I think you would have been better if you were a priest.
OK, I can’t resist trotting this out:
Putin and Medvedev go out for dinner. The waiter asks Putin for his order, and he says, “I’ll have the steak.” The waiter says, “And for the vegetable?” Putin says “He’ll have the steak too.”
You also must remember that Stalin also had no official government position either. However, he controlled the membership list of the Communist Party and thus was able to seize and hold real power. The real premier of the Soviet Union was a mere figurehead who was controlled by Stalin.
Putin has a lot of connections all over the place and the people who are currently in power owe their positions to Putin. Putin is currently Prime Minister, but will probably run for President again in a few years.
It isn’t unusual for those who hold real power not to be in actual positions of power, but be able to pull various strings and command the loyalty of those who can make trouble. This happens not just in Russia, but all over the place. Back in the early 20th century, many Southern counties in the U.S. were controlled by a boss who held no official power. He simply controlled the political machine that was in office.
no, this is not a “Western view”, it’s purely my personal view. I am yet to see any Russian opinion piece claiming that Medvedev has any agenda of his own or capability to put it in practice if he were to get one. Medvedev’s own writings in the internet are indicative of the same.
So what if he was head of Gazprom or whatever? Maybe he was a figurehead head. Or maybe he was a “real” head who was clueless - not an uncommon thing nowadays in management, whether in Russia or in the West.
As far as opinion polls go, if the ruling party tells people the Earth is flat, Medvedev is ruler and Obamacare is good for the working class, you will see this belief to some extent reflected in the polls. The more outlandishly false the claim, the fewer believe it, but some always do.