Before the Bolshevik revolution people could move freely, own guns without limit, entrepreneurial class was growing under negligible taxation and the country wielded a world class cultural influence. No one doubted that the Russian Empire belonged to the enlightened (as was thought) Europe. Russia always had a strong local-government democracy and with His Majesty’s political reform also had a parliament and a constitution. Courts were by jury and often resulted in acquittals (something virtually impossible under the RF’s judicial system). Putin’s RF has a long time to grow to that level of individual freedom, prosperity and democratic development.
But more importantly, Putin’s system inherits from the Soviet Union and not from the Russian Empire spiritually: it is a top-down system of one-party control and universal top-down criminality. It is not marxist, true, but marxism there was replaced not by free enterprise but by universal government corruption.
>>>Before the Bolshevik revolution people could move freely, own guns without limit, entrepreneurial class was growing under negligible taxation and the country wielded a world class cultural influence. No one doubted that the Russian Empire belonged to the enlightened (as was thought) Europe. Russia always had a strong local-government democracy and with His Majesty’s political reform also had a parliament and a constitution. Courts were by jury and often resulted in acquittals (something virtually impossible under the RF’s judicial system). Putin’s RF has a long time to grow to that level of individual freedom, prosperity and democratic development.
But more importantly, Putin’s system inherits from the Soviet Union and not from the Russian Empire spiritually: it is a top-down system of one-party control and universal top-down criminality. It is not marxist, true, but marxism there was replaced not by free enterprise but by universal government corruption.<<<
I only disagree on two points.
First is a perception of modern Russian judicial system. Yes, it is heavily flawed but not a low acquittal rate is a problem.
In general it is an Inquisition type proceeding, heavily dependent on written testimonies of a victim, witnesses, and first of all a written confession of defendant himself. You probably don’t want to know how these confessions were taken before 2002 reform (it was codified into a more pro-defendant with an independent defence attorney as a must). Anyway, it is a four-layer system starting with an initial complain or report with a patrolman, detective or sheriff (uchastkoviy). The powers of said officials were and still quite limited but it is their duty to perform a ‘pre-investigation’ inquiry and decide is there a case or it is not worth it. They can’t arrest one or search a home etc at that stage. If they fond there is a case, it is getting submitted to the next stage - intestigation. A copy of such a statement goes to a district attorney to check is it groundless or not and said official has a power to dismiss a case. About 95% of all cases are finished at first stage as soon as detectives or sheriffs decided there is no crime or simply there is no resources to make it. Another 2% dismissed by public attorneys who sees no perspective since the early stage. Of only 3% which makes it’s way to investigators who actually has power to arrest a suspect or search his home etc about 20% are closed. You can imagine they have serious problems with confessions on that stage as soon as there is a defence attorney present during interrogation and no tortures available. After the rest 80% cases are finished (and it is a long scrupulous business there) they have to be submitted back to a public attorney who is deciding is it worth to bring it to a judge and jury or not. Another 10% cases are getting closed at that stage. Acquittal is a court is an effective career killer for every of said officials. It is also an at least a million ruble lawsuit paid by the government from the pocket or this sheriff, investigator and district attorney.
Here is the key to low acquittal level in Russia. The problem are criminals who are walking freely. No risky cases are ever going to court unless there is a heavy pressure from public through media.
Interesting. But I suspect if you add up freedom, opportunity, and standard of living, average Russians are doing better now than at any time in the county's history.
Russia always had a strong local-government democracy and with His Majesty’s political reform also had a parliament and a constitution.
I don't want to have to look all this up again, but I think the local government tradition goes back to the 1860s and the last tsar wasn't much of a fan of parliamentary government and constitutions. That's not the point I was trying to make, though.
But more importantly, Putin’s system inherits from the Soviet Union and not from the Russian Empire spiritually: it is a top-down system of one-party control and universal top-down criminality.
After 75 years of Communist dictatorship Russia didn't really have much else to build on or to start from. It's not surprising that today's Russia should be more marked by corruption and authoritarianism than other countries that were Communist for a shorter period.
Until recently it was more likely that Russian would relapse into some form of dictatorship than that it would move on to some freer, less corrupt form of representative democracy. I don't know how things are now. If dictatorship is still a real prospect maybe Putin is the least of evils. If Russian does have a good chance of moving beyond Putinism, possibly Putin deserves a little credit.
But my point wasn't to defend Putin. I was never that crazy about the guy, and I agree that he is marked by his participation in the tyrannical and corrupt Soviet regime.
What I would like to say is that our understanding of the world has been very shaped by the conditions of 1933-1945 or 1917-1991 -- that is to say, by mammoth battles between good and evil. I'd say that our situation now is more similar to how things were before 1914 -- a variety of competing regimes none of which is wholly good or wholly evil.
You could draw closer parallels between the tsarist regime itself or the German Empire of the Kaiser or the British or French Empires and states like Russia or China (or the US?) today than to those governments and 20th century totalitarianisms.
I understand very well that China is still officially Communist and that Putin's Russia is the heir to the Soviets, but the international scene is very different from what it was a half-century ago.