Longing for the 'Good Tsar'
FELDMAN, JAN
IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE Longing for the 'Good Tsar' by JAN FELDMAN "I do not blame the Russians for being what they are," the Marquis de Custine remarked in 1839, "I blame them for pretending to...
...It should not shock, therefore, that no more than 20 per cent predicted a variant of democracy would be put in place within the next five years...
...In fact, 87 per cent said that most people would steal if they thought they could get away with it...
...Rather, much has been made of the easily accessible statements of their would-be representatives...
...But the vast majority of respondents, regardless of their level of education, did not rate their own comprehension of democracy or that of their fellow citizens very highly...
...Not surprisingly, the respondents were filled with self-doubt...
...Who, after all, wants to share the power of self-government with citizens viewed as immoral, irrational or witless...
...It is not enough that an apparently pragmatic crop of political elites promises to put democratic institutions in place...
...Thus after more than six years of perestroika and glasnost, even the people who expressed a strong preference for democracy or capitalism apparently had little concrete appreciation of either...
...For instance, democracy is widely presumed to require a fairly high level of mutual trust...
...Nor is it illogical for the elderly and workers in noncompetitive industries to seek protection from market forces...
...Democratic sloganeering in the former Soviet Union is now as ritualized as Communist sloganeering was in the era of Leonid I. Brezhnev...
...Sixteen per cent said that they expect to see either the return of the Communist Party, the rise of fascism or a military government before the decade is out...
...When asked to give the moral qualities they considered to be most important, honesty, sincerity, orderliness, and decency topped the list...
...One of the most remarkable replies was to the question: "How did you respond to the attempted coup of August 19, 1991...
...I only hope that it will be soon...
...36 per cent said that at present there was no one they esteemed—in or out of politics...
...But whether the political leaders are actually sincere about their conversion to democracy, or have merely perekrasilis (repainted themselves) is not the crucial issue...
...Yet respondents held their countrymen in low regard...
...Jan Feldman, a new contributor, is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont and a fellow of Harvard's Russian Research Center...
...Asked if their fellow citizens possessed these attributes, though, 76 per cent said no...
...Nearly one-third of those queried could not describe a single salient characteristic of democracy, while those who attempted to define it could do so only in rudimentary terms—such as equating it with freedom...
...The people themselves must decide whether they want genuine freedom, or simply a longer chain...
...But the question is whether the citizens of the former Soviet Union will bear with popular government through its infancy and adolescence...
...Meanwhile, 64 per cent felt completely uncertain about their political future...
...IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE Longing for the 'Good Tsar' by JAN FELDMAN "I do not blame the Russians for being what they are," the Marquis de Custine remarked in 1839, "I blame them for pretending to be what we are...
...The noted Sovietologist Stephen Cohen, for example, has told us that "Democratic forces do now have their best chance in Russian history," and that "the coup's defeat galvanized democratic attitudes and greatly weakened authoritarian institutions...
...Ninety-one per cent agreed with the statement, "There are political questions that are too complicated for the average person to understand,' and 77 per cent admitted that "most people who talk about democracy do not understand it...
...Simply desiring a liberal, self-governing society, of course, is not tantamount to having the ability to make it work...
...Although 93 per cent said that those in positions of political authority do not consider the opinions of the populace, 88 per cent felt strong leaders will always be necessary...
...Might they be pretending again...
...Assuming that the foundation of democracy and a lawful, limited government is a citizenry imbued with a sense of public efficacy, tolerance of dissent, and respect for minority rights, it would be hard to characterize contemporary Ukrainian and Russian political culture as democratic...
...The lack of enthusiasm for democracy can be explained in part by its association with chaos...
...A survey I did in Russia and Ukraine, however, reveals that the supposed authentic, spontaneous, grass-roots democracy in the making is neither as developed nor as universal as many believe...
...One person spoke for many when she said, "I have faith that God will send us a strong man...
...In time, even the most honest officials are likely to succumb to the temptations of power if they are not kept in check by the populace...
...But the survey suggests the pervasiveness of less rational attitudes, too, like envy for anyone who manages to get ahead, and the desire for revenge...
...More important are the standards the people are holding them to...
...The study provides a fairly comprehensive picture of the current political milieu...
...They were right...
...So it might appear...
...Because fear of disorder runs deep, times of transition and insecurity have historically bred support for dictators...
...Were he alive today, John Dewey might still contend that the only cure for inept democracy is more democracy...
...they were not required to detail their actions during the event, and given its outcome, I did not expect an abundance of accurate self-reporting from those who had supported or been disinterested in the failed takeover...
...In addition to trust and respect, a stable democracy relies on a basic understanding of how its institutions and processes function...
...And 38 per cent were unable to name any features that distinguish capitalism from socialism...
...Similarly, foreign affairs specialist Francis Fukuyama writes: "Instead of being passive and atomized objects, [the Russians] became increasingly participatory actors, creating a remarkably vigorous civil society virtually ex nihilo, electing Boris N. Yeltsin as their leader, and...
...Conducted among a cross-section of citizens of the two republics, the survey contained a series of open-ended and short-answer questions designed to test their general understanding of and attitude toward democratic principles...
...In short, Russia and Ukraine's material and spiritual preconditions, to borrow a phrase from classical Marxism, are not fully conducive to democracy as we in the West know it...
...In response to a question about people they respect, only 8 per cent named a contemporary political figure...
...As a political scientist recently returned from the former Soviet Union, I think Western analysts have failed to focus sufficient attention on the political mindset of average citizens in the newly independent republics...
...Of the 53 per cent who claimed to have had negative feelings, fear was most commonly cited, rather than anger or disgust...
...Nevertheless, 33 per cent of the people polled indicated complete indifference...
...Furthermore, to be fair, there are objective reasons not to trust Russia's majoritarian democracy, especially since it lacks guarantees of minority rights...
...Indeed, the longing for a "Good Tsar," which ironically might confer absolute power on a popularly elected leader, is compatible with the mentality Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought would lead people to willingly accept their chains provided they could impose them on others...
...defending their new democratic institutions...
...A mere 33 per cent thought that the majority ought to rule...
...Certainly there is something to the old adage "People get the government they deserve...
...The survey participants were asked solely about their thoughts and emotions...
Vol. 75 • April 1992 • No. 5
