Russian oligarchs
Most textbooks I recall, usually discuss the Russian oligarchs in a paragraph or two, citing Berezovsky and Khodorkovsky [right] as examples. But as important players in the Russian state, I've thought more attention should be paid to these "movers and shakers."The BBC feature by James Rodgers begins (but doesn't finish) that "more attention." It might be a place for you and your students to begin. Then, I'd suggest, you look send your students out for more information.
The decline of Russia's oligarchs
If you look up the word "oligarch" in the dictionary, you will find it means a member of a small group holding power in a state.
Today, though, it usually refers to the super-rich Russians who made their fortunes in the sometimes barbaric business world of their country in the 1990s...
There is no formal oligarchs' club or association - and the way individuals have fared has varied depending on where their money was invested...
This shift in power did not just come with the economic crisis. Vladimir Putin seems to have decided, as soon as he first rose to political prominence ten years ago, to rein in the oligarchs.
"He's made it very clear that he expects the oligarchs to look after the workers, to help the government in terms of the stimulus package," says Chris Weafer. "And today I think it's very, very clear who's calling the shots, and it's not the oligarchs."...
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Labels: economics, leadership, politics, Russia
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:40 AM
2 Comments:
Have oligarchs lost out to the Kremlin?
"Its sudden appearance and severity ambushed... many of the country's super-rich businessmen - the so-called oligarchs.
"Their wealth shrank by many billions and some analysts started to predict the demise of the top Russian businessmen.
"So has the relationship between the oligarchs and the Kremlin changed drastically?...
"It seems to many that the oligarchs have lost much of the power they had that allowed them to define the country's political landscape in President Boris Yeltsin's time...
"In theory, the oligarchs are now more dependant on the Kremlin because the state is now their biggest creditor..."
October 23, 2009:
Oligarchs Get an Earful From Russian President
"President Dmitri A. Medvedev on Wednesday used a now-traditional annual meeting with Russian oligarchs to scold them for their corporate missteps and for corruption, while also demanding that they take a more patriotic approach to conducting business affairs..."
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