The People Of Russia Were Deprived Of A Choice Between Plague And Cholera

"In the name of the Benefactor..."

"We," the dystopian novel written in 1920-1921 by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin.

"What a bad nation we have," was sung in a satirical song written a quarter of a century ago.[1] This is the true history of Russian democracy: The leaders were always dissatisfied with the people and tried to explain to them that they knew better who should rule (themselves, of course). The USSR, with its unbreakable bloc of communists and non-partisans, consistently giving 99 percent for a single candidate in elections, was comical, but obvious.

The manuals given to propagandists for discussions with foreigners explained why a unanimous vote for the leader is the highest form of democracy. The dystopia was built in a single country,[2] because the leader was always a Benefactor – both with a small and a capital letter, just like in the dystopian novel "We," by the Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin, ("We" is a dystopian novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin, written in 1920. It was not published in the USSR until 1988, because it was considered "ideologically hostile" and "slanderous." It influenced the work of many famous writers of the 20th century, including Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, and Vladimir Nabokov). There, in this novel, the head of society – the executioner – was called a Benefactor.

But okay, why are we talking about the old and gloomy times? Here it is – the new beautiful Russia, which Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin distorted and vulgarized with his dictatorship.

Elvira Vikhareva

"Russia, You've Gone Crazy"

Anyone familiar with Russian history probably remembers the elections of the 90s, right? The famous slogan of those elections was "Russia, you've gone crazy."[3] The year was 1993: the LDPR (a political party in the USSR and Russian Federation founded on December 13, 1989) won the elections. And then, steadily, the CPRF (an officially registered party in Russia, founded in 1993) [wins the elections] – communists with a clown nose.[4] And the cherry on the electoral cake is Grandpa Yeltsin (a Soviet and Russian party, state and political figure, the first popularly elected President of the Russian Federation (1991-1999), who, being constantly inebriated with vodka, distributed the country among the coffers of his family and close oligarchs, and later practically handed the country over to Vladimir Putin.

Was this already a triumph of democracy, or should we have waited a little longer [with this title] – until the current Grandpa, Putin?

The problem with Russia is that it was simply not given a chance to breathe. And from the political vacuum of the USSR, the country was plunged into the heavy waters of the most riotous politics. Without experience of swimming even in regular water.

If one asks the starving people and those who have only recently lost everything, for whom they will vote – the answer will be obvious. Firstly, [they will vote] for power, because it is a habit, and secondly, for those who will deceive more sweetly. Between these two poles, the "dear Russians" (Boris Yeltsin's favorite expression) rushed until the elections were over for them.

There was no third option, because if there were any truly democratic parties with their European ideals in Russia, they could offer nothing but pain, tears, and humiliation for the next coming years. Moses, you know, did not tell the Jews how many (how many?!) years he would be leading them through the desert. Unlike our democrats, he was wise.

What did we get in the end? – Putin.

Who Will Outlive Whom

Surely you have read The Brothers Karamazov, haven't you? You haven't? You should: Fyodor Mikhailovich wrote everything there in an accessible way, in a poem called "The Legend Of The Grand Inquisitor." He, the inquisitor, popularly explained to Christ that humanity does not need the choice that freedom gives. Freedom is a curse, choice is torture.

Take away our freedom, but do not make us choose.

For detailed explanations, artistic style and a detailed story about Satan's temptations, I will refer you to Dostoevsky, but for now I will simply state: Yes, Putin, as a small but quite real inquisitor, took away choice and freedom, got rid of them as a Benefactor.

The people of Russia were deprived of a choice between plague and cholera: the Communist Party and power. Is it surprising, however, that everything ended in war? No, because all this logic about a painful and unnecessary choice, according to Dostoevsky, comes precisely from Satan.

The question remains: Could the Russians back then, in the 90s, have made the right political choice? Well, we (my generation) certainly could not have; we were not mature enough. All we could do was watch on TV as our future was buried – in elections, in Chechen wars, in other "historical events."

And what about our parents? – I doubt it. A jump from one type of state to another, without historical experience, without property, without levers of influence on the government could not be successful.

The redistribution of property in Russia worked, but everything else did not. The economy ran ahead of politics and as expected, it has now stumbled on the rails of war.

What to do next, after 25 years of dictatorship?

Strangely enough, a generation has grown up that has managed to understand what elections are and is angry now that we do not have them, that these youth were not even asked. A well-fed generation, a generation tired of dictatorship. A generation that cannot yet break the dictatorship but understands what needs to be done when the regime disappears.

There is only one question left: Who will outlive whom? Will we outlive the dictatorship, or will the dictatorship outlive us?

*Elvira Vikhareva is a renowned Russian opposition politician based in Russia. In 2023, she was poisoned with heavy metal salts.