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Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life
The first freely elected head of state of Russia' some thousand year history, Boris Yeltsin ended Soviet military occupation of Eastern Europe, dissovled the Russian domestic empire introduced the free-market economy and private property, and most important, forged and presied over the most open and tolerant regime Russia has ever known.
934 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 11, 2025
Very thorough and informative biography. And you have to agree with it - never after the first phase of Russian revolution in 1917 has there been so much freedom in Russia as in in Yeltsin's state.
October 6, 2025
Sometimes a slog to get through, other times dazzling - highs and lows which certainly reflect its subject ;) A partisan but emotionally compelling read.
Aron's heavy touch cannot go unacknowledged. I would not recommend this as anybody's first read on Yeltsin because you *will* walk away wanting to write a musical about him. Though never said out loud, it very much reads as an effort to facilitate Yeltsin's 'political rehabilitation' after his spectacular plummet from popular esteem throughout the 90s. Aside from obligatory acknowledgements of his alcoholism and the horrors of his war in Chechnya - Yeltsin at his absolute worst, and impossible to ignore while maintaining credibility - Aron puts in a hell of a lot of legwork towards this goal. Yeltsin shines in extended passages dedicated to his brightest moments, while more unflattering vignettes are glossed over or simply omitted. Aron's framing of the 1996 presidential election is particularly wild for this - concerns about campaign finance violations and abuse of incumbency are generally handwaved away with a 'What, as if American presidents never spend money on elections!'. Meanwhile his fiercest opponents are cast in the worst possible light (see in particular the chapter on the 1993 constitutional crisis). A Revolutionary Life isn't quite hagiographic, but it's certainly flattering.
Why the 4-star review despite the partiality? If you've already grounded yourself in more level-headed discussions of Yeltsin (personally I enjoyed Breslauer's Gorbachev and Yeltsin as Leaders), then Aron's masterful storytelling makes this a more than worthwhile read. His narrative is emotionally gripping. The chapters on the 1991 coup & 1993 constitutional crisis were highlights. Both got the heart racing, but the former was also genuinely moving; its descriptions of the budding Russian civil society, their newfound human dignity, had me crying a little. (I wish I was exaggerating!! I have GOT to stop shedding tears over biographies of Russian politicians!!!!)
The decline of Russia back into authoritarianism since the book's publication in 2000 has imbued it with a sense of melancholy which make it all the more moving to read - especially since it ends on such a painfully hopeful note for Russian society. What of this optimism can we recapture in 2025, if any? It's not a pleasant question to think through. Yeltsin, for all his catastrophic flaws, at least seemed - at his best - to sincerely desire a freer, brighter future for his country; to say the same of Putin would be absurd. At least A Revolutionary Life can provide a glimmer of hope. If a construction boss from the Communist Party can become Russia's first popular-democratic politician, we can't give up on the fractured nation he left behind just yet.
Aron's heavy touch cannot go unacknowledged. I would not recommend this as anybody's first read on Yeltsin because you *will* walk away wanting to write a musical about him. Though never said out loud, it very much reads as an effort to facilitate Yeltsin's 'political rehabilitation' after his spectacular plummet from popular esteem throughout the 90s. Aside from obligatory acknowledgements of his alcoholism and the horrors of his war in Chechnya - Yeltsin at his absolute worst, and impossible to ignore while maintaining credibility - Aron puts in a hell of a lot of legwork towards this goal. Yeltsin shines in extended passages dedicated to his brightest moments, while more unflattering vignettes are glossed over or simply omitted. Aron's framing of the 1996 presidential election is particularly wild for this - concerns about campaign finance violations and abuse of incumbency are generally handwaved away with a 'What, as if American presidents never spend money on elections!'. Meanwhile his fiercest opponents are cast in the worst possible light (see in particular the chapter on the 1993 constitutional crisis). A Revolutionary Life isn't quite hagiographic, but it's certainly flattering.
Why the 4-star review despite the partiality? If you've already grounded yourself in more level-headed discussions of Yeltsin (personally I enjoyed Breslauer's Gorbachev and Yeltsin as Leaders), then Aron's masterful storytelling makes this a more than worthwhile read. His narrative is emotionally gripping. The chapters on the 1991 coup & 1993 constitutional crisis were highlights. Both got the heart racing, but the former was also genuinely moving; its descriptions of the budding Russian civil society, their newfound human dignity, had me crying a little. (I wish I was exaggerating!! I have GOT to stop shedding tears over biographies of Russian politicians!!!!)
The decline of Russia back into authoritarianism since the book's publication in 2000 has imbued it with a sense of melancholy which make it all the more moving to read - especially since it ends on such a painfully hopeful note for Russian society. What of this optimism can we recapture in 2025, if any? It's not a pleasant question to think through. Yeltsin, for all his catastrophic flaws, at least seemed - at his best - to sincerely desire a freer, brighter future for his country; to say the same of Putin would be absurd. At least A Revolutionary Life can provide a glimmer of hope. If a construction boss from the Communist Party can become Russia's first popular-democratic politician, we can't give up on the fractured nation he left behind just yet.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews