Boris Yeltsin
Soviet and Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (1931–2007)
Boris Yeltsin and Russia’s turbulent transition
Construction and party leadership
Boris Yeltsin trained as a civil engineer and worked in construction before rising through the Communist Party in Sverdlovsk. He led the regional party organization from 1976 to 1985, then moved to Moscow under Mikhail Gorbachev. His public criticism of corruption and the slow pace of reform cost him senior party posts but increased his visibility.
Election and the Soviet collapse
Yeltsin returned through electoral politics in 1989 and became chair of Russia’s parliament in 1990. He won the Russian presidential election in June 1991. During the failed August coup, he openly opposed its organizers; by the end of that year the Soviet Union had dissolved, leaving him to lead an independent Russian state.
Reform, conflict and resignation
His presidency brought rapid market reforms and privatization, alongside inflation and severe hardship for many citizens. A constitutional confrontation in 1993 ended in armed violence, and the war in Chechnya began the following year. Reelected in 1996, Yeltsin faced further political and economic crises before resigning on December 31, 1999, with Vladimir Putin succeeding him.