Boris Yeltsin: A Man of Mixed Legacy

On Sunday, April 22, Boris Yeltsin died at age 76. Yeltsin, the successor to Gorbachev, and the first president after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, leaves a legacy of very mixed feelings, both in the United States and in Russia. Yeltsin was once asked what his greatest goal as president was; he responded, "tranquility for Russia." Ultimately, it eluded him. He was responsible for launching a violent, nasty war in the southern breakaway region of Chechnya, and, despite the fact that he sought liberal reforms, he tolerated a lot of political corruption within the system (arguably, a system more corrupt than that which it replaced).

On the other hand, the bombastic Siberian's political reforms went above and beyond those of former leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In the early '90s, millions of Russians went abroad for the first time, voted in elections, and relied on themselves as opposed to the state.

Many paid tribute, including former president Bill Clinton, whose mostly good-natured sparring with Yeltsin earned them the title "The Boris and Bill Show." Clinton commented, "Fate gave him a tough time in which to govern, but history will be kind to him because he was courageous and steadfast on the big issues: Peace, freedom, and progress."