About the Book

Communism collapsed in Russia in December, 1991 and was replaced by a rambunctious democracy overseen by Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin achieved a great deal as a wrecker of the old order, but lacked the temperament and good health to bring about a successful economy and workable democracy demanded by Russian citizens. Since becoming President of Russia through appointment, Vladimir Putin has brought order out of chaos and prosperity for increasing numbers out of penury. This book explores the steps Putin and Medvedev have taken to reach this mark in the Russian journey towards peace and prosperity; and whether and to what extent they have sacrificed democracy along the way. Perhaps there is no direct path from Russia in its present state to the Russia of peace and prosperity.

The Author has reviewed new and developing ideas floated by the Russian leaders to mark their proposed path forward. Putin wants to make Russia a modern country and in doing so provide a successful fight against crime and corruption. He and Medvedev, both of whom are graduate lawyers, say they want to strengthen the rule of law. Putin also is seeking acceptance of a new political concept called sovereign democracy which is a form approved by a country’s own internal electorate, but not necessarily by any other country. They want to continue to wrest control of national assets from the oligarchs which they propose to operate for the benefit of the nation as a whole under a system call State Capitalism.

Many of the objectives sought by Putin and Medvedev sound a lot like communism and a command economy. This book will discuss the significance of these totalitarian detours from the road toward democracy.

About the Author

The author, Harold E. Rogers, Jr. earned both history (1952) and law (1955) degrees at Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.  Following military service in Italy as a first lieutenant in the Army JAGC, Mr. Rogers organized a law firm in San Francisco specializing in public finance and litigation.  He thereafter founded regional finance practices for two nationally recognized law firms.  In the meantime he continued his career in writing which he had begun with a publication in the Stanford Law Review.  This was followed by articles published on a wide variety of subjects, including volumes on California water history, and development in Russia and China.  Mr. Rogers was a lecturer at the Stanford Law and Business schools where he developed and delivered a semester course entitled “Problems of Doing Business in Russia and the CIS”.  He has been a member of San Francisco Trade delegations to both China and Russia.  He learned something of the practical side of American politics in supporting the election campaigns of President Jimmy Carter.  Carter appointed Mr. Rogers chairman of the Commission on the Review of the Federal Impact Aid Program

Since publication in 2007 of The History of Democracy from the Middle East to Western Civilization in both English and Russian, Mr. Rogers has written for publication in 2009 a volume entitled Democracy Today in Russia..