To help the entrant-2015

Russia on the way of strengthening the state and modernization (2000 - 2014)

To help the entrant-2015

Annotation. After the collapse of the USSR, a new important period began in the history of Russian statehood. Modern historians conditionally divide this time into several chronological stages, in particular: 1991–1993, 1993–2000, 2000–2014. This article presents the third stage - the socio-political and socio-economic development of the country, foreign policy and defense construction of Russia.

Keywords: Russia, history, politics, president, V.V. Putin, D.A. Medvedev, crisis, Olympics, Crimea, NATO, sanctions.

summary. After the collapse of the Soviet Union entered a new important period in the history of Russian statehood. Modern historians conventionally divided this time into several chronological stages, in particular: in 1991-1993., 1993-2000 gg., 2000-2014 gg. This article presents the third stage - the socio-political and socio-economic development, foreign policy and defense construction in Russia.

keywords: Russia, history, politics, president, V.V. Putin, D.A. Medvedev, crisis, Olympiad, the Crimea, NATO, sanctions .

Socio-political development

Strengthening the vertical of power. On December 31, 1999, V.V. Putin, who took up this position after the March 2000 elections. For the new leadership of the country, the task of strengthening the Russian statehood came to the fore. In May 2000, 7 federal districts were created: Northwestern, Central, Volga, Ural, Southern, Siberian and Far Eastern. In each of them, a plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation (plenipotentiary representative) was appointed. The functions of the plenipotentiaries included organizing the work of local executive authorities, submitting regular reports to the president on ensuring national security in the federal district, etc.

In August 2000, the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian Federal Assembly, was reorganized. The place of the heads of regions in the Council was taken by persons appointed by them with experience in the legislative sphere. Former members of the upper house of parliament formed the basis of the advisory State Council under the President. (since 2012, it began to include the leaders of the Duma factions and plenipotentiaries). Since the end of 2004, a transition has been made from the popular election of governors to their approval by the federal parliaments on the proposal of the President of Russia.

In general, the reform enlarged the regions, reduced the bureaucracy of federal employees, and made it possible to place the regional executive power under the direct control of the government. The efficiency of the implementation of state programs has increased.

Changes in the symbols of the Russian Federation. In 2000, legislative acts were adopted that changed the symbolism of the Russian Federation. Parliament approved the constitutional laws on the Emblem, Flag and Anthem of the country.

Political parties. Steps were taken to develop and strengthen the new political order in the country, to improve the multi-party system. This was facilitated by the Law on Political Parties in Russia (July 2001). In general, it was aimed at liquidating parties with a small number of members and provided for the transformation of parties into federal organizations. During re-registration, some of the smaller parties ceased to exist, but new political associations were created. The largest and most influential among them was the United Russia party, which arose as a result of the merger of the socio-political movements Unity and Fatherland - All Russia. It was this party that was the main pillar of the ongoing political and economic transformations.

National Policy. For the country, the most important goal was to resolve the Chechen problem. The Russian government has relied on an uncompromising fight against terrorists, supporting leaders who reject armed struggle and advocate measures to restore the economy. Steps were taken to stabilize the lives of the civilian population. In March 2003, a referendum was held on the issue of unity with Russia and the Constitution of the Chechen Republic was adopted.

State Duma IV convocation. On December 7, 2003, elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the IV convocation were held. The overwhelming majority of the deputies of the renewed parliament represented the United Russia party. It also included deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Rodina party. There was a small group of independent deputies. Representatives of the opposition parties (Union of Right Forces, Yabloko) did not get into the State Duma without gaining the required number of votes. During the period of its activity, the Duma adopted a number of significant laws - on the transition to a fully proportional system of elections to the State Duma, on the monetization of benefits, on the abolition of elections of heads of regions, etc.

Public Chamber. In order to expand cooperation between government agencies and public organizations in 2005, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation was established. The Chamber received the right to conduct an examination of legislative projects discussed in the State Duma. Since 2013, this organization began to consist of representatives of regional public chambers, all-Russian public associations, as well as citizens approved by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. These are, as a rule, people who have special merits before the state and society.

Local government. To strengthen the economy of the regions, a merger of individual subjects of the Federation and the formation of new ones was carried out. Perm (2005) and Trans-Baikal Territories (2008) appeared. In 2009, the eighth federal district was created - the North Caucasus, and Plenipotentiary A. Khloponin combined this post with the post of Deputy Prime Minister. In October 2003, the Law "On the General Principles of Organization of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation" was adopted. Its implementation in subsequent years has become one of the priority tasks of the state.

State Duma of the 5th convocation. Elections to the State Duma of the 5th convocation were held in December 2007. They were held according to new rules - deputies were elected only on party lists. The deputies included representatives of United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party and Just Russia. United Russia's unconditional support for the government and the president made it difficult to have an effective opposition in the Duma.

Presidential elections. On March 2, 2008, due to the expiration of the term of office of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin held the election of a new head of state. They became D.A. Medvedev. Previously, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister. His Program justified the need to continue the course of reforms of recent years. The new president saw his tasks in the comprehensive modernization of the Russian economy; in the improvement of the legal system, the fight against corruption; in the development of democracy and civil society. V.V. became the chairman of the government. Putin. In May of this year, he headed the United Russia party. The subsequent transformations in the administrative sphere made it possible to more clearly distinguish between the circle of activities of the first persons of the state and federal authorities.

Amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. At the end of 2008, President of Russia D. Medvedev signed the law on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. They concerned an increase in the terms of office of the president (up to six years) and the State Duma (up to five years). In addition, a law was adopted on the control powers of the State Duma in relation to the government. Now the deputies were given the right to consider the annual reports of the government on the results of its activities.

Fight against corruption. Measures were taken to deprive officials of the opportunity to use their powers and rights for personal gain. In order to prevent corruption and other abuses in the field of procurement of goods, works, services to meet state and municipal needs, the relevant laws were adopted in 2005 and 2013. At the end of 2008, the law “On Combating Corruption” came into force, which laid the legal foundation in the fight against this evil.

Reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2009, at the initiative of the President of Russia, the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began. Its main goal was to increase the effectiveness of the Russian law enforcement system, fight corruption and improve the image of law enforcement agencies. In February 2011, the law "On the Police" was issued, thus the police in the Russian Federation officially ceased to exist.

State Duma of the VI convocation. On December 4, 2011, elections were held for deputies to the State Duma of the VI convocation. For the first time they were elected for five years. The same four parties that were in the Duma of the previous convocation entered the parliament. But the balance of power in parliament has changed. United Russia lost its constitutional majority (now it had to enter into a coalition with other factions in order to pass constitutional bills). Those who disagreed with the results of the elections held protest rallies. The most massive was the action on December 10, 2011 on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow. There were many members of the middle class in the audience. As it turned out, there was no political force in the country capable of representing their interests.

Putin's new presidency. In March 2012, elections were held for the post of President of Russia. Of the five contenders (V. Putin, G. Zyuganov, V. Zhirinovsky, S. Mironov, M. Prokhorov), V. Putin won in the first round. He received 63.60% of the popular vote. Former President D. Medvedev was appointed Prime Minister. In May 2012, he was elected chairman of United Russia.

The program of action for the next six years of his presidency was outlined by the head of state in a series of decrees (May 2012) that dealt with almost the entire spectrum of problems in modern Russia: from housing and communal services and healthcare to defense and foreign policy.

Development of the political system. The issues of improving the political system of the country were not ignored. Changes were made to the electoral legislation. They concerned guarantees of electoral rights, the status of members of the Federation Council and deputies of the State Duma, etc. In March 2012, the Law “On Political Parties” was amended. In particular, the requirements for the minimum number of members of a political party were reduced. Now this number was determined by the number 500 (previously 10,000). In Russia, elections of governors were held again.

The country's leadership has repeatedly stated that the political system should develop along the path of liberalization, but be resistant to all external threats. In 2013, the Law on Non-Commercial Organizations came into force. Now, if they receive funding from abroad while engaging in political activities within Russia, they must clearly state this. And register as a foreign agent.

Strengthening the fight against corruption. In 2013, the president issued a series of anti-corruption decrees. According to the new requirements, officials must report on expenses, purchases of foreign real estate and get rid of accounts in foreign banks. Otherwise, resignation. For more systematic work in this area, the Office for Combating Corruption was created as part of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

Establishment of the title Hero of Labor. In March 2013, by decree of the President of Russia, the honorary title Hero of Labor was established. It is awarded for special labor merits in production, in public life, for scientific discoveries and creative achievements. The first Heroes of Labor were five Russians: neurosurgeon A. Konovalov, conductor V. Gergiev, machine operator Yu. Konnov, turner K. Chumanov and machinist V. Melnik.

Sochi Olympics. The largest social and sporting event in the life of the country in 2014 was the holding of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. And sports facilities, and Olympic villages for athletes, and colorful opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics - everything was done at the highest level. The difficult task of ensuring the safety of guests and participants of the Games has also been successfully solved. These Games were also triumphant for the Russian team: the country took first place in the overall medal standings, winning 33 medals, 13 of which were gold.

Crimea within Russia. In 2014, changes were made to the state-territorial structure of the Russian Federation. On March 18, Russian President V. Putin signed an agreement on the admission of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation. The Federation Council ratified this treaty and approved the federal constitutional law on the formation of new constituent entities of the Russian Federation. After the President of Russia signed the relevant laws and published them, they entered into force. By Presidential Decree of March 21, 2014, the Crimean Federal District of the Russian Federation was established. All these decisions became possible after a referendum on the status of Crimea was held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in Sevastopol (Ukraine). According to the results of the referendum, 96.77% of the voters of the republic and 95.6% of the voters of Sevastopol chose reunification with Russia.

Results of the single voting day. Elections in 84 subjects of the Russian Federation on September 14, 2014 became an important event in the political life of the country. Candidates from the United Russia party were ahead in all campaigns for the elections of heads of regions in which they took part. This turned out to be characteristic of the elections to legislative assemblies held in 14 constituent entities of the Federation. The main reason for such an impressive result is the high degree of trust in V. Putin, the consolidation of Russian society around the president and his political course, which responds to complex international challenges.

Socio-economic development

Turning years. In the early 2000s the severe consequences of the economic crisis of 1998 were overcome, and a gradual revival of the entire economic system began. The stake was placed on the further formation and improvement of market relations. There was a gradual process of transformation of state property into collective and private forms.

Medium and small business. In 2003, 76.8% of all existing enterprises operated in the non-state sector of the Russian economy. There were over 280,000 small enterprises. They were distributed extremely unevenly across sectors of the economy. If, for example, in trade there were up to 47% of the total, then the agricultural sector accounted for only 2%. The government paid attention to this and tried to create appropriate conditions for the development of entrepreneurship in the countryside. Significant changes were made to the Land Code. The right to own land was established. Preferential loans for agricultural enterprises were established. Opportunities for the development of agricultural cooperation and farming (peasant) farms were expanded.

In subsequent years, there was a positive dynamics in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the country. Attention was paid to protecting the rights of small entrepreneurs. But the expected economic effect was not observed due to the underdevelopment of the mechanisms of its state support.

Big business. Large enterprises have taken strong positions in the gas and oil industries, and in the electric power industry. Among them, created back in the 1990s: LUKOIL, Sibneft, Gazprom, Yukos, Norilsk Nickel, RAO UES (Unified Energy System). Some industrialists and companies, in order to obtain super-profits, allowed various abuses. They violated tax laws, bribed officials, introduced their representatives into government bodies, etc. It was necessary to streamline relations between state power and business. In October 2002, the State Duma made significant changes and additions to the Law of the RSFSR "On Competition and Restriction of Monopoly Activities in Commodity Markets". The regulation of the activities of monopolies in the electric power sector has been strengthened. In order to prevent the merging of business and law enforcement agencies, the special services were forbidden to interfere excessively in the work of enterprises. Tax legislation was improved, and tough measures were applied to its violators. In 2003–2004 leaders of the Yukos oil company were brought to criminal responsibility for non-payment of taxes on a large scale. Yukos' main producing enterprise, Yuganskneft, went under the hammer and later became part of Gazprom. Strengthened the antimonopoly legislation adopted in July 2006, the Law "On Protection of Competition".

Oil and gas complex. Oil and gas production continued to play a priority role in the economy. The rise in oil prices on the world market required special attention to its development, improvement of production methods, and improvement of the quality of petroleum products. A large Vankor oil field in the Krasnoyarsk Territory was put into operation. If 2006–2008 oil production in the country gradually decreased, but over the next five years, an upward trend emerged. Exploration of "black gold" deposits was actively carried out. It was only in 2014 that new oil fields were discovered in the Astrakhan Region, the Komi Republic, and the Kara Sea.

Agriculture. Market reforms were carried out with difficulty in the agrarian sector of the economy. Farms developed slowly. The backlog of technologies for the production of agricultural products remained. The market for its sale has not been regulated. To overcome these and other difficulties, a state program for the development of agriculture for 2008–2012 was developed. This gave a positive effect.

Stabilization Fund of the Russian Federation. In early January 2004, a special government fund was set up to help stabilize the economy. Its appearance became possible due to the beginning of economic growth. In fact, these are financial assets that the government could directly dispose of.

Repayment of external debt. During 2004–2007 the country's leadership took a number of steps to early repay the significant external debt that had accumulated during the period of M. Gorbachev and B. Yeltsin in power. By 2008, external debt had fallen to what is considered one of the lowest levels in the world.

national projects. In 2005, the President of Russia formulated a program of priority national projects in the fields of education, housing construction, agriculture, and healthcare. Thus, within the framework of the national project "Education", the issues of timely payments to class teachers were resolved, competitions were held for innovative schools and universities. The regions were involved in financing the work of educational institutions. Within the framework of the national project “Healthcare”, 22 thousand 652 units of diagnostic equipment were delivered to medical institutions. The sanitary vehicle fleet has been updated by a third: 6,723 new vehicles have been put into operation. Physicians' salaries have increased.

Regional development programs. Federal programs for the economic and social development of the Chechen Republic, the Far East and Transbaikalia were implemented. Work was underway to turn Vladivostok into a center for international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. It was here in September 2012 that the twenty-fourth annual meeting of economic leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) took place. It was the first summit to be held in Russia. Preparations have been going on since 2007.

Government anti-crisis program. In 2008–2009 the global economic crisis broke out, engulfing the United States, developed countries of Europe and a number of Asian states. It also influenced the development of the Russian economy. Emergency measures were required to strengthen the financial system and relieve tensions in the area of ​​employment. The state provided significant loans to Russian banks. The subjects of the Federation received the right to independently decide on the introduction of a part-time working week and a reduction in the working day. But individual anti-crisis measures could not change the situation.

Production continued to decline, and the number of unemployed in the country grew. In April 2009, the federal anti-crisis budget was adopted, which became the core of the government's anti-crisis policy. According to the budget, 2,412 billion rubles were allocated for anti-crisis measures. The main investments were directed to support the banking system and certain sectors of the national economy. About 27% of the federal budget was allocated to social support for the population. Expenses for housing and road construction, for the development of the most efficient industrial, including defense, enterprises increased. The economic crisis had a particularly hard impact on the living standards of low-income families and pensioners. The state took several measures to improve their material well-being. The anti-crisis program made it possible to somewhat stabilize the social situation in the country.

By mid-2009, Russia's economic downturn had halted, and recovery growth continued the following year. In October 2010 V.V. Putin said that the global economic crisis was a serious test for Russia, but his lessons confirmed the correctness of the path chosen by the government, and "pre-accumulated reserves, responsible macroeconomic policy, successfully implemented anti-crisis program - all this made it possible to mitigate the consequences of the economic downturn for citizens and for businesses and return to a growth trajectory relatively quickly.” The leaders of the state highlighted the comprehensive modernization of the economy and the transition to an innovative development path - the path of new technologies and the creation of favorable conditions for their implementation

In 2011–2012 The growth of the Russian economy continued, but in the next two years stagnation set in - stagnation or almost imperceptible growth. It was associated with geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West, a decline in investment and a reduction in industrial production.

Economic sanctions. After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, and then the outbreak of hostilities in the southeast of Ukraine, the United States and the European Union introduced a number of restrictions on companies, banks and entire sectors of the Russian economy. In response, Russia has restricted the import of a number of agricultural products from countries that have imposed sanctions on it: the United States, EU states, Canada, Australia and Norway.

International relations and relations of Russia

Foreign policy concepts. Changes in the world and the Russian Federation itself could not but affect the determination of the priorities of the state's international policy. The role of Russia in international affairs and its responsibility for what is happening in the world increased. In this regard, in different periods: in 2000, 2008 and 2013, new concepts of the country's foreign policy were formulated.

Fight against international terrorism. After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, Russia supported the US efforts in the fight against international terrorism. In particular, they discussed the military operation of the United States and its allies against international terrorist groups that had established bases in Afghanistan. At the same time, Russia sought to ensure that the actions taken against terrorism were carried out on the basis of international legal norms and the UN Charter, and not unilateral US military actions at the choice of the president of this country. Within the framework of the UN, Russia has acceded to all 12 major international conventions and, in total, to 46 resolutions of the UN Security Council on the problem of combating terrorism. She took an active part in their practical implementation. The Russian leadership allowed the transportation of military cargo to Afghanistan through its territory. Russian warships, together with NATO forces, conducted operations against maritime piracy.

Cooperation with international organizations. The leaders of the Russian state have repeatedly stated that the UN will retain the role of guarantor of security in the world. Russia in every possible way contributed to the formation of mechanisms for the collective leadership of the leading states, designed to ensure the restoration of controllability of world development at the present stage. To achieve this goal, its participation in the work of the G8 (an informal forum of leaders of the leading industrialized countries and the G20 (an informal forum of the world's largest economies) was directed. As an equal partner, Russia was admitted to the G8 in 1997. In March 2014, the G8 countries expressed their unwillingness to continue cooperation with Russia in connection with the events in Ukraine.The leadership of the Russian Federation considered such unwillingness counterproductive.It stated that it would continue cooperation with those countries that are ready for such interaction.

Through the efforts of Russia and a number of other states, it continued to assert itself as a significant factor in peace and stability in Asia Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO). Established in 2001 (participants are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan; observers - India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan; partners - Sri Lanka and Belarus) since 2004 began to apply permanent mechanisms for policy coordination . In 2009, the Convention against Terrorism, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Ensuring International Information Security were signed. In 2012, the Program of Cooperation in Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for 2013–2015 was approved.

Russia's cooperation has expanded within the framework of BRICS is an international organization uniting Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa. Practical cooperation between these countries began in 2006 (South Africa joined in 2010). But already at the sixth summit of this organization in July 2014, at the suggestion of the Russian president, the question of a new level of this organization arose. This association, as noted, should become an integral part of the global governance system, a full-fledged counterbalance to the United States and its allies.

On August 22, 2012, the Russian Federation became a full member World Trade Organization(WTO). This expanded the possibilities of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and foreign partners. Membership in the WTO also contributed to the strengthening of Russia's prestige on the world stage, increased its influence in solving key economic issues.

Russia and Asia-Pacific countries. Much attention was paid to relations with countries and associations of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). Thus, within the framework of the Russian APEC chairmanship in 2012 and the APEC summit in Vladivostok, about 60 Russian initiatives and projects were approved. They were associated with the liberalization of trade and investment, regional economic integration, strengthening food security, supporting innovative growth, etc.

reached an unprecedented high level Russian-Chinese relations that have been developing from year to year in the direction of consistent deepening of partnership and strategic interaction. China has become one of Russia's key foreign trade partners. New trade contracts were signed with India. In April 2013, for the first time in the past ten years, an official visit to the Russian Federation by the Prime Minister of Japan took place, following which a joint statement on the development of partnership was adopted.

Relations with the US and the EU. Since the 2000s relations between Russia and Western countries were not easy. On the one hand, contacts in the sphere of energy, agriculture, transport and culture developed quite dynamically. On the other hand, the dialogue on the creation of a new Euro-Atlantic security architecture was difficult. Back in 2002, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. Then preparations began for the deployment of anti-missile systems on the territory of some states of Central and Eastern Europe. NATO countries actively discussed the issue of admitting Ukraine and Georgia to the membership of this organization. After the Georgian attack on South Ossetia in August 2008, the work of the Russia-NATO Council (established in May 2002) was interrupted. The interaction resumed in April 2009, but since April 2014, due to the events in Ukraine, it was again suspended.

The level of tension between Moscow and Washington eased somewhat when the administration of the new President Barack Obama in March 2009 announced a “reset” in relations with Russia. The global financial and economic crisis turned the attention of all states to the problems of the economy. This allowed Moscow and Washington to move on to practical cooperation in areas of coinciding interests. In April 2010, the Presidents of the United States and Russia signed the Treaty on Measures for Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.

In November 2010, at the summit of the Russia-NATO Council with the participation of the President of Russia, it was possible to outline guidelines for building partnerships on new principles. These are the principles of indivisibility of security, mutual trust, transparency and predictability. However, these principles have not been implemented in practice. Having declared victory in the Cold War, the US and the EU aimed at expanding their influence without taking into account the balance of the legitimate interests of all the peoples of Europe. A Russian proposal (November 2009) to develop a European Security Treaty was rejected. Washington openly declared its right to use military force unilaterally to defend its own interests.

With the bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq, the attack on Libya, the failure of the mission in Afghanistan, the US and its allies violated the stability of the international system. Only thanks to diplomatic efforts, first of all, Russia, the aggression against Syria in 2013 was prevented. By organizing various “color revolutions”, the United States sought to change objectionable regimes. Ukraine has become a victim of such a policy. The United States and the European Union supported the coup d'état in this country in February 2014, and began to recklessly justify any actions of the self-proclaimed Kyiv authorities.

Russia and post-Soviet states. As before, the leadership of the Russian Federation sought to expand relations with the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In October 2000, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). The purpose of this organization was to promote the formation of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. However, since the 2000s Russia began to pursue a more pragmatic course towards its neighbors. For example, in 2005 subsidies for Russian energy supplies to the CIS countries ceased.

A serious test for Russian foreign policy in the CIS countries in the 2000s. became the so-called color revolutions in Georgia (2003), Ukraine (2004) and Kyrgyzstan (2005), as well as a deep political crisis in Ukraine (2014)

In the summer of 2008, President of Georgia M. Saakashvili, who took a pro-Western orientation, tried to resolve the conflict with South Ossetia by force. The same fate awaited Abkhazia. This was done with the actual connivance of the George W. Bush administration in Washington. Russia provided military aid to South Ossetia and after the elimination of the conflict announced the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian military bases were placed on their territory. On November 24, 2014, the presidents of the Russian Federation and Abkhazia signed a new agreement on alliance and strategic partnership between the two states, which, in particular, implies the formation of a common defense and security space. At the end of 2014, a draft agreement on alliance and integration between Russia and South Ossetia was prepared.

There were complications in relations with Ukraine after the "orange" revolution and the coming to power of V. Yushchenko, known for his anti-Russian views. So, in 2005 - 2009. there was a series of economic conflicts over Russian supplies of natural gas to Ukraine, as well as gas transit to European consumers. After the victory of the candidate from the Party of Regions V. Yanukovych in the Ukrainian presidential elections in 2010, the tension in relations between the two countries decreased somewhat. But as a result of the coup d'état in February 2014, Yanukovych was removed from office and fled the country. Forces that relied on nationalist extremist groups came to power.

The coup was prepared and carried out not without the participation of Western countries. In the south-east of the country, a wave of protests began to spread against the actions of ultra-right nationalists, in defense of the status of the Russian language, under anti-government, federalist, pro-Russian slogans. Gradually, these protests turned into an armed confrontation. The slogans of the federalization of Ukraine were replaced by demands for the independence of the regions and led to the proclamation of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. The Ukrainian leadership began to conduct a so-called anti-terrorist operation to suppress separatist uprisings. But she did not reach her goal.

Russia, providing moral and humanitarian support to the residents of Donbass, sought to restore peace in the neighboring country. The path to a political settlement was outlined in the Geneva Statement of Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU (April 2014): immediately start a broad national dialogue with the participation of all regions and political forces of Ukraine to implement constitutional reform.

For the purpose of a ceasefire in two eastern regions of Ukraine September 5, 2014 in Minsk a Protocol was signed following the consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group (Russia, Ukraine, OSCE) on a number of joint steps. They were aimed at the practical implementation of the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine P. Poroshenko and the initiatives of the President of Russia V. Putin. However, despite the Protocol, armed clashes continued during the period of its operation.

Crimea, as is known, was annexed to Russia peacefully on the basis of the right to self-determination and the results of the all-Crimean referendum.

In the 2010s Russia's leadership has taken steps towards real integration with individual CIS countries. In 2010 earned Customs Union three countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Since 2012, the economies of these countries have formed the Common Economic Space. May 29, 2014 Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Eurasian Economic Union(EAEU), which entered into force on January 1, 2015. At the summit of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Minsk in October 2014, Armenia joined the EAEU. EurAsEC ceased its activities.

Economic integration combined with security integration. In May 2002, a decision was made to transform the Collective Security Treaty of the CIS countries into a full-fledged international regional organization - Organization of the Collective Security Treaty(CSTO). It includes almost the same countries that are participating in the process of economic integration: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan. (Uzbekistan either entered or left its composition). Since 2010s purposeful steps began to be taken to create a "security alliance" within the CSTO for close coordination of policies in relevant areas and the creation of common forces for action in various situations.

Modern construction of the armed forces

New requirements. Since 2000, the military-political leadership of the country has begun the next stage in the construction of the armed forces. The main approaches to the implementation of this process were outlined in a number of Decrees by President V. Putin. In particular: "On the concept of national security of the Russian Federation" (January 2000), "On the approval of the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation" (April 2000), "On ensuring the construction and development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, improving their structure" (March 2001). The "Plan for the Construction and Development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for 2001-2005" was also adopted.

The appearance of these documents was largely due to the new threats that Russia faced and to which it was necessary to respond adequately (events in the North Caucasus, NATO expansion to the east). The country's leadership set the task of ensuring that the army and navy meet the modern requirements of armed struggle, the level of threats of the Russian Federation and the economic capabilities of the state.

Program for the transition to a professional army. In March 2001, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was headed by S.B. Ivanov. Under his leadership, in the same year, a federal program was launched to switch to a professional army. According to this program, by 2010, military personnel serving on a contract basis were to be equipped with a rapid reaction force. It also provided for a reduction from 2008 of the term for conscription from two years to one year.

Transition to a three-species structure. In 2001, the Russian armed forces were transferred to a "three-service structure" - ground forces, air force and navy. This was justified by the need to implement the principle of the use of troops (forces) in the spheres of armed struggle: land, air-space and sea. The Strategic Rocket Forces were transformed from a branch of the Armed Forces into two independent branches of the military - the Strategic Missile Forces and the Space Forces.

Abbreviations and optimization. Appropriations for national defense only made it possible to stabilize the situation, but were insufficient to bring the armed forces and other military organizations of the state out of the crisis. In search of a way out, additional resources were sought in the activities of the armed forces themselves. Expensive structures and objects were liquidated. The radio-electronic center was decommissioned in Lourdes (Cuba), the logistics center for the fleet in Cam Ranh (Vietnam), etc. During 2001, more than 70 thousand positions of military personnel were reduced, including more than 25 thousand positions of officers and ensigns. Everything superfluous that did not work for defense, for the combat effectiveness of troops, that did not have specific functions and tasks, was abolished. The network and capacity of military educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense, the list of specialties for officer training were being optimized. On January 1, 2002, the Ministry of Defense switched to a unified system of orders for weapons and military equipment.

Presidential directives. In 2003, President Vladimir Putin demanded that by 2008 the conscription service be reduced to one year and that by 2009 the permanent readiness units, internal and border troops be staffed with contract servicemen. In 2004, he announced the start of mass rearmament, and in 2006 he assured that the size of the army would not decrease below 1 million people. In his 2007 annual address to the Federal Assembly, he called for housing for all military personnel by 2010. In March 2006, V. Putin signed amendments to the law "On Military Duty and Military Service", according to which, from 2008, the term of military service on conscription was reduced from 24 to 12 months.

Transformations under A.E. Serdyukov. In February 2007, A.E. was appointed the new Minister of Defense of Russia. Serdyukov. He was essentially the first truly civilian head of the military department. The main task set before him by the country's leadership was to further modernize the armed forces, which should be carried out progressively and with the most expedient spending of the allocated budget funds.

Lessons from the war with Georgia. The participation of the Russian army in the armed conflict in South Ossetia in August 2008 was a direct reason for the most fundamental reform in the development of the armed forces. In the course of repelling Georgia's aggression and conducting an operation to force the Georgian side to peace, its armed forces suffered a crushing defeat. The military and transport infrastructure suffered significant damage. But the conflict also revealed the shortcomings of the Russian troops, which primarily consist in a complex command and control system, low mobility, and insufficient technical equipment.

New stage of construction. In the fall of 2008, the creation of a new look for the Russian army was announced. Instead of six military districts, four were created - Western, Southern, Central and Eastern. The main groupings of all types of armed forces and branches of service were transferred to their subordination. In accordance with the military districts, four joint strategic commands were created: "West", "South", "Center" and "East". From the four-tier control system "military district - army - division - regiment" the armed forces moved to a three-tier system: "military district - operational command - brigade." A new branch of the military appeared - the Aerospace Defense (VKO). All troops located on their territory, except for the Strategic Missile Forces and Aerospace Defense, began to obey one commander. As a result of administrative changes, the number of military units was significantly reduced. An important part of the reform was the reduction in the number of personnel of the armed forces, which affected primarily officers. Instead of 365,000 officers in 2008, four years later, 142,000 officers remained in the Russian army.

A step towards the creation of a modern army was the increase in monetary allowances for the Russian military. Outsourcing was introduced. Conscripts have ceased to be involved in work in the soldiers' canteens, guarding warehouses and cleaning up territories. There were hours of afternoon rest, daily hours of physical training and sports. The program of rearmament of the army was launched. Exercises began to be systematically conducted with the participation of not only the ground forces, but also aviation, navy, air defense and airborne forces, marines, if this took place in the maritime sectors.

Along with the achievements of the military department, there were also shortcomings in the course of the transformations. They concerned, in particular, the ill-conceived reduction or transfer of military universities to other cities, the elimination of "extra" clinics and hospitals, the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen. Personnel were appointed to leading positions in the departments of the Ministry of Defense who had never had anything to do with military service, who did not understand it and did not want to understand it. In addition, they abused their official position. In November 2012, after a scandal involving criminal cases of fraud with lands and shares of OAO Oboronservis, A. Serdyukov was dismissed.

S. Shoigu at the head of the Ministry of Defense. Appointment as Minister of Defense S.K. Shoigu was received with approval in the army and society. He showed his best moral and business qualities when he led the department for combating emergencies in all structures of the Russian government from 1991 to 2012 and as governor of the Moscow region (2012). From the first steps in his new capacity, S. Shoigu began to eliminate the shortcomings of the previous leadership of the department and develop all the existing positive developments.

Increased focus on defense. At that time, especially close attention was paid to the issues of strengthening the country's defense by the top leadership of the state. President of the Russian Federation V. Putin during 2013–2014 held a series of meetings with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense and representatives of the military-industrial complex on the state and prospects for the development of the armed forces. The main directions for the further development of the army and navy were determined.

In January 2013, the Ministry of Defense submitted to the President the Defense Plan of the Russian Federation, for the first time drawn up taking into account all aspects. The document, which was worked on by 49 departments, takes into account the further development of the military sphere, including issues of rearmament. In 2014, the State Armaments Program until 2025 was prepared, which sets new guidelines for the creation of promising types of weapons. They are based on a forecast of military threats over the next 30 years.

The President of the Russian Federation headed military industrial commission(VPK) - a body for coordinating the activities of state structures on military-industrial issues and military-technical support for the country's defense.

Russia ranks third in the world in terms of military spending. In 2013, $68.8 billion was allocated from the Russian budget for military spending. This is two times less than that of China and almost nine times less than that of the United States.

In order to improve the system of command and control of the armed forces, as well as the military organization of the state as a whole, in accordance with April 1, 2014, the National Defense Control Center Russian Federation. A network of similar centers was being deployed at the regional and territorial levels in military districts, formations and formations.

The battle was intense military training. The strategic command and staff exercises "Kavkaz-2012" and "Vostok-2014" were held. Since February 2013, it has become a practice to conduct sudden checks of combat readiness not only of units and formations of military districts, but also of nuclear deterrence forces, aerospace defense and the fleet. With the inclusion of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, additional decisions were made to increase the combat capabilities of the Black Sea Fleet. On the territory of the peninsula, the formation of an interspecific grouping of troops and forces capable of guaranteeing military security in this region has begun.

In recent years, the country's leadership has carried out large-scale work to improve the Armed Forces, to bring them to a level that makes it possible to ensure Russia's military security in modern conditions. It was of a diverse nature and affected all aspects of the life of the army and navy.

In December 2014, President of the Russian Federation V. Putin approved a new version Russian military doctrine. The document takes into account the threats to the Russian Federation, which manifested themselves in the situation in Ukraine and around it, as well as the events in northern Africa, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The building up of NATO's offensive potential directly at the Russian borders and active measures to deploy a global missile defense system have also not been left without attention.

So, since the early 2000s. The country has entered a new stage of its development. V. Putin managed to stabilize the situation in the country during his first and second presidential terms. In general, favorable conditions contributed to economic growth in Russia, until the onset of the global economic crisis in 2008.

Under President D. Medvedev and Prime Minister V. Putin, the country as a whole managed to overcome the main wave of the economic crisis. Moreover, it was done more successfully than in most other countries of the world.

The return to the post of President of Russia V. Putin in 2012 confirmed the continuity of power. In subsequent years, the country faced new internal and external challenges that required balanced and adequate responses. But the goal of the reforms begun has remained unchanged, and it is aimed at strengthening and protecting Russia's national interests and increasing its role on the world stage.

Measures of the country's leadership to strengthen the Russian statehood.

The Russian state has been proclaimed and is being built as a democratic, federal, legal, with a republican form of government. These initial provisions reflect the most important and fundamental features of our state and constitute the foundations of its constitutional order. Under a democratic political regime acting in accordance with the constitution, the subordination of all members of society to state law must be ensured. For this, it is necessary that the state exercise its power in accordance with certain principles. The most important of these principles are elevated to the rank of constitutional and form the foundations of the system. Thus, the foundations of the constitutional system* are the basic principles, principles underlying the political system of society, the form of government and the state structure, relations between the state and the citizen.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation establishes an integral system of principles of the constitutional order:

the rights and freedoms of a person, a citizen as the highest value;

Democracy and republican form of government;

The federal structure

· separation of powers;

state sovereignty;

· the rule of law;

political and ideological diversity;

· unity of economic space and freedom of economic activity;

the social nature of the state;

the secular nature of the state;

· Recognition and guarantee of local self-government.

All these provisions are collected in Chapter I of the Constitution of the Russian Federation "Fundamentals of the Constitutional System". They determine the entire subsequent content of the Basic Law and no other of its norms can contradict them. The provisions of the chapter in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which establish the foundations of the constitutional system, are not subject to revision by introducing amendments and changes to the Constitution - only the adoption of a new Constitution is possible.

Article 1 of the Constitution defines The Russian Federation as a democratic federal legal state with a republican form of government.

Characteristic Russia as a democratic state expresses the need to ensure in the country real action of human rights and freedoms, democracy, ideological and political pluralism, separation of powers, as well as local self-government.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation establishes the basic political rights of a person and a citizen at the level of international standards (freedom of speech, the right to association, the right to participate in the management of state affairs, the right to elect and be elected, etc.). Human rights and freedoms are recognized as the highest value. The state is obliged to observe and protect them.

The only source of power in Russia, the bearer of its sovereignty is the multinational people. This means that our country is proclaimed state of democracy . Democracy means that all state power belongs to the people, as well as the free exercise of this power by the people in accordance with their sovereign will and specific interests. The people of Russia exercise their power directly, as well as through bodies of state power and local self-government.

The hallmark of a democratic state is ideological diversity . No ideology can be established as a state or mandatory. This principle is also supplemented by the constitutional recognition of a multi-party system. This principle helps to increase the effectiveness of democracy, to involve wider sections of the population in political activities, legalizes political opposition, and helps to overcome apathy and alienation of citizens from power.

State power in the Russian Federation is exercised on the basis of division into legislative, executive and judicial . Legislative, executive and judicial authorities are independent.

In order to ensure the implementation of the principle of separation of powers, not only in the upper echelons of power, but throughout its entire hierarchy, it is planned to combine this principle with the principle of delimitation of jurisdiction and powers between the Russian Federation and its republics, territories, regions, cities of federal significance, an autonomous region, autonomous counties and local governments.

Russia is a legal state. This means that the state limits itself by the legal norms in force in it, to which all state bodies, officials, public organizations and citizens are obliged to obey without exception.

The rule of law is a constitutional state. The Constitution is the center of the legal system, on its basis the entire mechanism of the legality of the state is built. It has the highest legal force, direct action and is applied throughout Russia.

The foundations of the state, territorial structure of Russia are defined in Article 5 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and are based on the principle of federalism.

Russian federalism- this is not only a form of resolving the national question in a multinational country, but also a form of democratization of government. The decentralization of state power and its distribution to the regions is an important guarantee of democracy. Based on the principle of federalism, the decentralization of a unified state power is ensured by the delimitation of the subjects of competence between the Russian Federation and its subjects and local governments.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation established in Russia republican form of government. The Russian Federation is a mixed (semi-presidential) republic, since it simultaneously has the features of both a presidential and a parliamentary republic. The supreme state power and local self-government in the country is exercised by elected bodies elected by the population for a fixed term, which provides ample opportunities for the real implementation of the principle of democracy.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation stipulates that Russia is a secular state. No religion can be established in the country as a state or mandatory. Religious associations are separated from the state and are equal before the law. Article 28 guarantees everyone freedom of conscience, freedom of religion.

Article 7 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation lays the concept of " welfare state", whose main task is to achieve such social progress, which would be characterized by an increase in the well-being of citizens, an improvement in their lives, satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs. At the same time, the Basic Law proceeds from the fact that ensuring a decent life and free development of a person should also be a matter his mind, hands, initiative, and the basis of social statehood is to create the necessary conditions for this.

The basis of the economic system of any state is regulation of property relations . In the Constitution of the Russian Federation, property is regulated much more widely than in most foreign constitutions. First of all, the presence of various forms of ownership, equally protected by the state, is fixed. In accordance with Art. 6 of the Constitution is: private, public, municipal and other forms of ownership. Of particular note is Art. 36, which secured the right of citizens and their associations to own land in private ownership, giving it the status of one of the fundamental constitutional rights of citizens and their associations.

The presence of a constitution in a state does not mean that a constitutional system has already been established in it. In a constitutional system, first of all, the subordination of the state to law must be ensured. As practice has shown, this is a long process, involving the conscious need of all Russian citizens to strictly comply with the Basic Law of the country.

Over the past decade, fundamental changes have taken place in the country - the Constitution guarantees the rights and freedoms of the individual, a democratic political system has been formed, and a multi-party system has become a reality. The Russians elect the President, deputies of the State Duma, governors, mayors, local governments.

However, only the framework of the rule of law has been built. Its further strengthening required the solution of a number of urgent tasks.

One of the first steps to strengthen Russian statehood was the creation of federal districts and the appointment of representatives of the President in them.

On May 13, 2000, in order to ensure the exercise by the head of state of his constitutional powers, increase the efficiency of the activities of federal government bodies and improve the system of control over the execution of their decisions, the President of the Russian Federation signed a Decree.

According to the Decree, seven federal districts have been formed on the territory of the country - structural units of the new political division of Russia: the Central Federal District, the North-Western Federal District, the North Caucasian Federal District, the Volga Federal District, the Urals Federal District, the Siberian Federal District, the Far Eastern Federal District.

In each district, the President appointed a plenipotentiary representative who is subordinate only to him. The plenipotentiary ensures the implementation of the constitutional powers of the head of state within his "domains". The tasks of this official include organizing control over the execution in the federal district of decisions of federal authorities, submitting regular reports to the President on ensuring national security in the district, as well as on the political, social and economic situation in it, mediating in the interaction of presidential structures with state bodies authorities of the subjects of the federation. The authorized representative must also ensure the implementation of the personnel policy of the head of state.

It is noteworthy that five of the seven representatives of the President come from law enforcement agencies. The nomination of this type of people to key positions in the state is undoubtedly justified. This is a special type of statesman, more disciplined, retaining management skills, believing that power is given not for selfish interests, but for the benefit of the whole country, the whole people. This is also evidence that both ordinary people and the authorities began to see their future in the military.

The second step in strengthening our statehood determines the possibility of federal intervention in a situation where local authorities violate the Constitution of Russia and federal laws, violate the common rights and freedoms of Russian citizens. After all, the absence of a single constitutional and legal space in the state is one of the most dangerous manifestations of disintegration. And such a space is formed, as you know, only if the legal system of the country ensures the real supremacy of the federal Constitution and federal law, the conformity of the constitutions, charters, laws of the subjects of the federation with them. This supremacy proclaimed in the Russian Constitution is torpedoed by numerous regional normative acts, including constitutions, that contradict federal constitutional principles and norms, federal laws, and frequent deviations from federal law in local law enforcement. Thus, in 1998, 2,000 discrepancies between regional legislation and federal norms were recorded, and in 2000, there were already 6,000 such discrepancies.

In most republics, constitutional changes have already been made. The main thing, however, is that ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution of Russia, the formation of a single constitutional space in which the rights and interests of the Federation and its subjects are guaranteed, the common rights and freedoms of man and citizen become the daily concern of all who are endowed with the relevant constitutional powers and duties,

The President, the Federal Assembly, the Government, the legislative and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Federation, the courts, the prosecutor's office.

As life has shown, the consequences of such violations are catastrophic. From such seemingly private issues, separatism gradually matures, which sometimes becomes a springboard for an even more dangerous evil - terrorism.

So it was in Chechnya. The situation in the republic has become so complicated that its territory has become such a springboard for the expansion of international terrorism into Russia. The initial reason here was also the lack of state unity. And Chechnya in 1999 reminded us of earlier mistakes. Only the counter-terrorist operation was able to avert the threat of the collapse of Russia. The dignity and integrity of the state helped to preserve the professional military.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop legal grounds for the introduction of direct federal government on the territory of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, where constitutional principles are violated, human rights and freedoms are violated. In addition, it is necessary to legislate as soon as possible the system of instruments of federal control over the legality of the normative acts of the constituent entities of the Federation, which, in particular, provides for the maintenance of the federal Register of legal acts of the constituent entities of the Federation and the imposition of sanctions for deliberate disobedience of officials to the legal acts of the federal authorities.

The next step in strengthening the power in the country- reform of the Federation Council. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that the government in the country must be working. Everyone must do their job. Legislators in both the upper and lower chambers make laws. And the governors, who have a huge responsibility for the social well-being of people, for the success of the regional economy, must do their job. The President of the Russian Federation signed the Law "On the procedure for the formation of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation". According to the law, the formation of the new composition of the Federation Council must be completed no later than January 1, 2002.

The new procedure for the formation of the Federation Council provides that it includes two representatives from each subject of the Russian Federation - from the legislative and executive authorities. The head of the executive branch, that is, the governor or the president of a subject of the Federation, independently appoints a member of the upper house. True, his decision comes into force only if at the next meeting of the regional parliament it is not protested by two-thirds of the votes. Legislative representatives are elected by the regional parliament for the term of that body.

The powers of a member of the Federation Council may be prematurely terminated by the body of state power of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation that elected or appointed him or her in the same manner in which he was elected or appointed.

The change in the principle of formation of the Federation Council raised the question of organizing a permanent dialogue between the subjects of the Russian Federation and the head of state on the main problems of state life, about the form of participation of the regions in the preparation and adoption of the most important national decisions. This form was the State Council of the Russian Federation. The new advisory body will include the heads of all 89 regions of the country. The Decree on the formation of the State Council of the Russian Federation was signed by the President of the Russian Federation on September 1, 2000.

All these measures are aimed primarily at restoring order in the authorities. But this is not the ultimate goal, but only the very first stage of state modernization. Combining the resources of the federal, regional and local authorities will be required to solve other complex problems. Chief among them are:

improving the political system and building an effective state as a guarantor of stable social development, a guarantor of the observance of individual rights;

the actual equalization of the possibilities of the subjects of the Federation in order to provide the citizens of the country with the fullness of political and socio-economic rights;

creation of legal guarantees for the development of the Russian economy as an economy of free enterprise and business initiative of citizens, ensuring the accurate and effective implementation of the economic strategy throughout Russia.

These tasks will be consistently addressed to strengthen Russian statehood.

In the presidential elections of March 26, 2000, VV Putin won in the first round and was elected the second President in the history of Russia.

On May 7, 2000, he took office. MM Kasyanov, First Deputy Prime Minister in Putin's Government, was approved as Head of the Government of the Russian Federation.

V.V. Putin showed himself to be a supporter of strong state power, which is the key to any progressive transformations in Russia, therefore the first steps of the new President were aimed at strengthening the authority and role of the state in the life of society, establishing proper order.

At the same time, the democratic choice made by the country in the 1990s has never been questioned.

Strengthening of the Russian statehood. political reforms. To strengthen the role of the federal Center, the President established 7 federal districts - Central, Northwestern, Southern, Volga, Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern, which was the beginning of the reform of the local government system. Plenipotentiary representatives of the President were appointed heads of districts. In a short time, we managed to solve an extremely important task: to bring local laws in line with the Constitution of Russia and federal legislation. In the districts, bodies of the prosecutor's office and internal affairs were created. More than 3.5 thousand normative acts adopted in the constituent entities of the Federation did not comply with the Constitution of Russia and federal laws, four-fifths of them were brought into line.

These measures made it possible to strengthen the role of the Center in the field, strengthen the Federation, and revive the unified legislative space of Russia.

At the initiative of the President, a reform of the Federal Assembly was carried out. The Federation Council began to be formed not from governors, but from representatives of the regions elected by their legislative bodies and appointed by the heads of administrations. These decisions improved the federal structure of Russia and made it possible to overcome the most acute contradictions that existed between the Center and the regions.

The Russian multi-party system was also improved. The adopted Law on Political Parties recognized as such only those organizations that have massive support from the population. As a result, the importance of political parties in the life of the country has increased.

Judicial reform was launched. One of its elements was the introduction of jury trials.

The military reform has been noticeably accelerated, the goal of which is to create a professional, well-armed and trained Russian army by 2015.

One of the main activities of President Vladimir Putin was to ensure social unity and harmony. Without dividing society into "us" and "them", supporters and opponents of reforms, he carried out a number of measures that contributed to the unification of society.

The fruitless struggle over the issues of state symbols of Russia continued for almost 10 years. The President proposed a compromise capable of bringing together the positions of various sections of society. In December 2000, the State Duma approved the law on the national symbols of Russia. The tricolor white-blue-red flag and the coat of arms in the form of a double-headed imperial eagle are reminiscent of the thousand-year history of Russia. The red flag of the Victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War became the flag of the Armed Forces. The national anthem, set to the music of the Anthem of the USSR, symbolizes the unity of generations, the inextricable link between the past, present and future of our country.

The activities of the new President evoked the approval of society: by the end of the first term in office, VV Putin was supported by about 80% of Russians. In the elections to the State Duma in December 2003, the voters gave the majority of their votes for the United Russia party, supported by the President.

Economic reforms. Economy and social sphere of the country at the beginning of the XXI century. Significant changes have taken place in the economic life of the country. Russia stopped external borrowing and began paying off its debts.

Today's economic indicators look optimistic only against the background of yesterday's... And they are very modest compared to other countries that are developing much faster and much more stable than we are. The current growth is only to a small extent due to the renewal of the economic mechanism. In many ways, it is the result of a favorable external economic environment...

Russia needs an economic system that is competitive, efficient, and socially fair; which ensures stable political development... The main obstacles to economic growth are high taxes, arbitrariness of officials, rampant crime. The solution of these problems depends on the state... An inefficient state... is the main cause of a long and deep economic crisis...

Unfortunately, the business climate in our country is improving too slowly and remains unfavorable. Entrepreneurial risks and taxes are high. Business registration mechanisms are complex, checks are endless...

At the beginning of the new millennium, the Russian economy showed growth rates that the country had not known for 30 years.

At the initiative of the President, a tax reform was carried out. In 2001, a single 13% tax on personal income was introduced, and the tax on profits of enterprises and organizations was reduced. As a result, the task of bringing real incomes of the population out of the shadow began to be gradually solved. Laws were adopted to support small and medium-sized businesses.

Agrarian reform has begun. Draft laws on the purchase and sale of land, a new order of inheritance of property, etc. were approved. This was an important step towards the formation of a market and a new social structure of society.

Measures were taken to limit the power of natural monopolies - giant associations that occupy an exclusive position in the production of the most important sources of raw materials, electricity, as well as in transport (these are primarily Gazprom, the Russian joint-stock company United Energy System of Russia, the Ministry of Railway Transport). The new course was pursued in relation to the "oligarchs", as from the 90s. It has become customary to call representatives of big business trying to determine the policy of the state. Cooperating with them, the state at the same time consistently deprived them of the opportunity to intervene in matters relating only to its jurisdiction, closely monitored compliance with the tax code.

In 2001, taking into account the unfavorable trends in the international situation, spending on the country's defense and the development of the latest models of weapons and equipment began to increase. In July 2001, Russia was the third in the world (after the United States and Japan) to create a supercomputer that performs 1 trillion. operations per second. The prospects for the development of the latest information technologies and means of communication are open. World oil prices in 2000-2003 kept at a high level. State budget revenues have grown. The government was able not only to settle accounts with international credit organizations, but also to solve a number of social problems. The draft budget for 2002 for the first time in the history of Russia provided for the excess of spending on education over military spending. In May 2002, the country's gold and foreign exchange reserves exceeded $40 billion for the first time in many years.

The Russian government has begun to implement measures to modernize (improve and renovate) the education and healthcare system. State spending on the development of science, especially its most promising areas, has increased. The old-age and disability pensions were repeatedly raised, and the minimum wage for public sector workers was increased.

For the first time in the years of reforms, the standard of living of the population began to rise gradually.

Strengthening the fight against terrorism. Chechen problem. VV Putin took office as head of government in August 1999. Literally a few days later, Chechen fighters invaded Dagestan, tried to capture the highlands and proclaim the creation of an Islamic state. At Putin's suggestion, a counter-terrorist operation began. The separatists were ousted from the territory of Dagestan. The monstrous response of the militants was the explosions of residential buildings in Buynaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk. Hundreds of innocent people died.

In the fall of 1999, federal troops again entered Chechnya and in a short time took control of the most important settlements. The terrorist leaders turned to international organizations for help, which began to offer intermediary services in solving the internal Russian problem. In Chechnya, along with military operations, the Russian Government launched work to restore the destroyed cities and villages, to establish a peaceful life. New governing bodies were formed, representative offices of federal authorities were opened, and local police detachments were created.

The separatist leaders switched to methods of guerrilla warfare. They tried to use the territory of Georgia for attacks on the federal forces, stepped up their attempts to win world public opinion over to their side. At their suggestion, the calls of international organizations for the observance of human rights in Chechnya sounded louder and louder. It seemed that the world community did not understand the danger of terror, did not see the connection between the events in Chechnya and the activities of world terrorist organizations. Only with the start of the international counter-terrorist operation against the Taliban in the fall of 2001 did the West ease pressure on Russia in the Chechen issue.

The reality of the persistence of a serious threat from terrorism was demonstrated by the events connected with the seizure of hostages by Chechen terrorists in the Theater Center in Moscow in October 2002, a series of terrorist attacks in various cities of Russia.

At a referendum in 2003, the inhabitants of Chechnya spoke in favor of keeping the republic within the Russian Federation. A. Kadyrov was elected President of Chechnya.

Development of a new foreign policy strategy. Foreign policy strategy of Russia in 2000-2004. has undergone major changes. It is based on the National Security Doctrine and Information Security Doctrine of Russia adopted at the initiative of the President.

Considerations related to obtaining new loans and attracting investments faded into the background. Russia defines its national interests more clearly than before and, proceeding from them, builds relations with the United States and the countries of Western Europe.

Russia's support for the United Nations is an important area of ​​foreign policy.

In 1999-2001 VV Putin has repeatedly called on the international community to unite efforts in the fight against international terrorism.

Russia joined the efforts of the United States and other countries of the world community to prepare and conduct a counter-revolutionary operation in Afghanistan. Russia's relations with NATO, interrupted in 1999, were restored. In October 2001, speaking in the German Bundestag (parliament of the FRG), President Vladimir Putin again drew attention to the fact that the threat to the modern world lies not so much in the confrontation of the great powers, but in the challenge of international terrorist organizations. This required a change in the system of ensuring international security.

In May 2002, in Rome, Russia signed an agreement with NATO on the coordination of actions in ensuring international security. An agreement was signed between Russia and the United States on strategic offensive weapons on their reduction by each side by 75%.

Russia's relations with its CIS partners are developing more vigorously. Top-level meetings with their leaders have become regular. A new impetus was given to relations with Ukraine and Belarus.

Strategic partnership relations have been established with China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and India. Relations were resumed at the highest level with Cuba and North Korea.

The sharp aggravation of the conflict in the Middle East in the autumn of 2000 confirmed the effectiveness of Russia's position in favor of dialogue with both opposing sides. Russia's position on preventing the war in Iraq (2003) and its actions to overcome the new international crisis received support all over the world.

The participation of the President of Russia in the work of not only the G8, but also other international forums has become permanent and effective.

There is less mutual suspicion and distrust in Russia's relations with the West.

Elections 2003-2004 On December 7, 2003 elections to the State Duma were held. 37.57% were given for the United Russia party supported by the President of Russia. 12.61% voted for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, 11.45% for the Liberal Democratic Party, and 9.02% for the Rodina bloc. Taking into account seats in single-mandate constituencies, United Russia won more than 300 seats in the Duma (a constitutional majority). B. V. Gryzlov, leader of United Russia, was elected Chairman of the Duma.

On February 24, 2004, the President fired the Kasyanov government. M. E. Fradkov became the chairman of the government and proposed a new government structure. This meant a significant step towards the implementation of the administrative reform announced by V.V. Putin back in 2003. Its main directions should be to limit state interference in economic activity; exclusion of duplication of functions and powers of federal executive bodies.

On March 14, 2004, elections of the President of Russia were held. The victory in the first round was won by V. V. Putin, for whom 71.22% of the voters voted. The election of V. V. Putin meant the support of the population for the course pursued by him in his first presidential term.

Thus, the course towards the consolidation of Russian society, the strengthening of the role of the state in the economy and the social sphere, the establishment of equal partnerships with Western countries contributed to the revival of Russia and received the support of the population.

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Strengthening constitutional legality in the sphere of delineation of powersm between the federal center and subjects of the Federation

With the election of V. Putin as President of the Russian Federation, the process of modernization of federal relations began in Russia. It included such an important problem as the relationship between the federal Center and the subjects of the Federation.

The treaties of the Federation and its constituent entities on the delimitation of jurisdiction played a certain positive role in maintaining stability in the country. However, such agreements, concluded by the Center with a number of subjects of the Federation, including Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Kabardino-Balkaria, the Republic of Tuva, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), etc., secured for them powers that contradicted the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the treaties had a negative impact on the state of constitutional legality. The agreements concluded in the mid-1990s provided not for the delimitation, but for the redistribution of subjects of jurisdiction. Agreements between the state authorities of the Federation and these republics, as well as some other subjects (Krasnoyarsk, Altai and Krasnodar territories, Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Kaliningrad, Omsk, Irkutsk regions) legally led to the hypertrophy of the features of regional legal systems, contradicted the model and the very foundations of Russian federalism enshrined in the Constitution. Therefore, the authorities have taken a number of measures aimed at strengthening the constitutional legality.

1. First of all, a system of measures was adopted, which included a well-functioning executive vertical of power, designed, among other things, to help ensure a unified constitutional and legal order in the country. In the same context, we note the expediency of creating a State Council consisting of the chairman - the President of the Russian Federation and members - the heads of administration of the subjects of the Federation, as well as the activities of the plenipotentiary representatives of the President of the Russian Federation in the federal districts, which were entrusted, among other things, with the task of organizing control over the execution of decisions in the federal district federal authorities.

2. The system of measures has been enshrined in the regulatory framework. The adopted federal laws introduced the development of federal relations into a normal course, increased the responsibility of the subjects of the Federation for the adoption of regulatory legal acts that contradicted the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal legislation, up to the dissolution of legislative bodies and the dismissal of heads of administrations. Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation suspended the actions of unconstitutional decisions taken by some heads of administrations. In 2002, the validity of bilateral agreements on the delimitation of subjects of jurisdiction between the Center and the subjects of the Federation expired. Economically strong regions that received certain privileges from the Center (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Yakutia, Sverdlovsk Region) insisted on their preservation. The central government refused to conclude bilateral agreements as documents providing for the redistribution of powers enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

3. A federal bank of normative legal acts of the subjects of the Federation was created. On the basis of the Decree of the President of May 10, 2000 "On additional measures to ensure the unity of the legal space of the Russian Federation". Within a week after the adoption, the heads of administrations were supposed to send regulatory legal acts to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for their inclusion in the Federal Register and for an appropriate legal examination for compliance with their content with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal legislation, constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens.

4. The activities of the Federal Assembly, aimed at the legislative strengthening of public administration, ensuring state and legal discipline, have intensified. The State Duma of the Russian Federation supported the presidential course of strengthening Russian statehood, bringing Constitutions, statutes, laws, bilateral treaties, agreements and other legal acts of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation into line with the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

5. The Constitutional Court played an important role in ensuring a single constitutional and legal space in the country. Its decisions contained arguments, conclusions, interpretations of constitutional norms, revealed the constitutional meaning of the law on which the decisions of the Constitutional Court are based, binding on all state bodies and officials. During 2000-2001 it issued over 50 resolutions and rulings on the constitutionality of laws in cases on the verification of individual complaints of citizens, at the request of the courts or at the request of deputies of the State Duma and state authorities of the constituent entities of the Federation. In accordance with the ruling and resolution of the Constitutional Court, those provisions of the constitutions of the republics that undermined such fundamental principles of Russian federalism as sovereignty(fullness of power) of the Russian Federation, the supremacy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the integrity and inviolability of the territory of Russia. In this regard, it should be noted, for example, the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the case on checking the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Altai of June 7, 2000 and the ruling of the Court on the case on checking the compliance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation of certain provisions of the Constitutions of the Republics of Adygea, Bashkortostan, Ingushetia, Komi, North Ossetia-Alania and Tatarstan dated June 27, 2000.

An important role in enhancing the significance of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation was played by the Federal Constitutional Law “On Amendments and Additions to the Federal Constitutional Law “On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation” dated December 15, 2001. This Law establishes a rule according to which, in connection with the decision of the Constitutional Court Courts of the Russian Federation state bodies and officials are obliged to bring laws and other normative acts in line with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. At the same time, it determines the deadlines for bringing normative acts recognized as unconstitutional into conformity with the Constitution and provides for an appropriate liability mechanism after the expiration of the deadlines established by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for amending legislation. Art. 87 of the Law was supplemented by a rule according to which the recognition of normative acts or concluded agreements of a constituent entity of the Federation or their individual provisions as not complying with the Constitution of the Russian Federation constitutes the basis for the cancellation of similar normative acts or treaties in other constituent entities of the Federation.

6. In solving the problem of strengthening the legal foundations of the state, an important place was occupied by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, which acted in line with the ongoing state-legal reform. The system of measures to achieve this goal was enshrined in a number of documents: in the Federal Law of November 17, 1995 "On the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation" with amendments made to it during 1999-2002. amendments to the Regulations on the Departments of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in the federal districts of July 25, 2000, as well as the instructions of the Prosecutor General on additional measures to strengthen prosecutorial supervision over the legality of legal acts of state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, on the organization of prosecutorial supervision over compliance with the federal legislation of the Constitutions and charters of subjects of the Russian Federation, etc.

In 2000, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation initiated a study of the Constitutions and statutes of all 89 subjects of the Federation, 46 agreements on the delimitation of jurisdiction and powers between state authorities of the Federation and its subjects, and 160 agreements on the transfer of part of the powers to them. It was expected that appropriate action would be taken as a result of these actions. Thanks to the strengthening of the control and protective functions of the state, as of January 2001, it was possible to bring 60 constitutions and statutes of the constituent entities of the Federation and 2312 legal acts into line with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal laws. By the end of the same year, in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal legislation, it was possible to bring the provisions of already 66 constitutions and charters of the constituent entities of the Federation. But this process is difficult, sometimes with the opposition of local elites. As of February 2002, according to the General Prosecutor's Office, 58 normative legal acts of the Republic of Bashkortostan, 34 - Tatarstan, 30 - Adygea, 32 - Komi, 46 - Moscow have not yet been brought into line with federal legislation. Thus, there are still many problems to be solved in this area of ​​state policy, to design an effective mechanism of Russian power that meets the requirements of modern federalism.

Currently, in the context of the delimitation of powers, the problem of consolidation of the regions of the Russian Federation is being raised. Certain measures have already been taken in this regard. This is a complex problem that requires an integrated approach.

Material index
Course: Russia at the Beginning of the New Millennium (2000-2004)
Didactic plan
Economic situation and development strategy
tax reform
Privatization
Development of small business
Creation of a land market
banking reform
Corporate Governance Reforms
Social sphere
State of the economy in late 1999 - early 2004
Energy
Industry
Agriculture
Financial and industrial groups
Economic situation in the regions
Problems of economic growth
Political process
Political state (late 1999 - early 2000)
2000 presidential election
The main directions of state reform
New state symbols
Formation of a new cabinet of ministers
Establishment of federal districts
Reform of the Federal Assembly
Local government reform
Creation of the State Council of the Russian Federation
Judicial reform
Optimization of government functions
Strengthening constitutional legality in the sphere of delineation of powers between the federal Center and the subjects of the Federation
Development of civil society
Party system
Chechen problem
Power and "oligarchic capital"
2003 State Duma elections
Fourth presidential election in Russia
Political life after the elections: development trends

Russia at the beginning of the XXI century

President of Russia V.V. Putin, strengthening of Russian statehood, political reforms, ensuring civil harmony and unity of society, new state symbols of Russia, economic reforms, the economy and social sphere of the country at the beginning of the 21st century, strengthening the fight against terrorism, the Chechen problem, the development of a new foreign policy strategy, elections of 2003-2004, development of Russia's development strategy until 2020, presidential elections of 2008.

President of Russia V. V. Putin.

The second President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, was born on October 7, 1952. After graduating from the Faculty of Law of the Leningrad State University, from 1975 to 1991 he served in the state security agencies. In 1991–1996 worked in the mayor's office of St. Petersburg, was the vice-mayor of the city, then moved to the Office of the President of Russia, where in a short time he rose to the first deputy head of the administration.

In 1998, Putin was appointed director of the FSB. In the summer of 1999, he was approved by the chairman of the Russian government. In the presidential elections of March 26, 2000, VV Putin won in the first round and was elected President. On May 7, 2000, he took office. M. M. Kasyanov, the first vice-premier in Putin's government, was approved as the head of the government of the Russian Federation. V.V. Putin showed himself to be a supporter of strong state power, which is the key to any progressive transformations in Russia, therefore the first steps of the new President were aimed at strengthening the authority and role of the state in the life of society, establishing proper order.

At the same time, the democratic choice made by the country in the 1990s has never been questioned.

Strengthening of the Russian statehood. political reforms.

To strengthen the role of the federal Center, the President established 7 federal districts - Central, Northwestern, Southern, Volga, Urals, Siberian and Far East, which was the beginning of the reform of the local government system. Plenipotentiary representatives of the President were appointed heads of districts. In a short time, we managed to solve an extremely important task: to bring local laws into line with the Constitution of Russia and federal legislation. In the districts, bodies of the prosecutor's office and internal affairs were created. More than 3.5 thousand normative acts adopted in the constituent entities of the Federation did not comply with the Constitution of Russia and federal laws, 4/5 of them were brought into line.

These measures made it possible to strengthen the role of the Center in the field, strengthen the Federation, and revive the unified legislative space of Russia. At the initiative of the President, a reform of the Federal Assembly was carried out. The Federation Council began to be formed not from governors, but from representatives of the regions elected by their legislative bodies and appointed by the heads of administrations. These decisions improved the federal structure of Russia and made it possible to overcome the most acute contradictions that existed between the Center and the regions.

The State Council was created, which included the heads of the regions. Its purpose was to put forward and discuss national projects. The Russian multi-party system was also improved. The adopted Law on Political Parties recognized as such only those organizations that have massive support from the population. As a result, the importance of political parties in the life of the country has increased.

A judicial reform was launched, during which a jury, the institution of magistrates and bailiffs appeared, and people's assessors were removed from the trial. In a short time, work was completed on the codification of Russian legislation.

The military reform was noticeably accelerated, the goal of which was proclaimed the creation of a professional, well-armed and trained Russian army by 2015.

From the message of the President of Russia VV Putin to the Federal Assembly. 2002

...We have been talking about reducing the redundant functions of the state apparatus for two years now. The departments, for quite understandable reasons, cling and will cling to these functions. But this, of course, is no reason to postpone the reform... The Chairman of the Government should submit substantiated proposals for restructuring the system of executive power... It is necessary to eliminate what still prevents people from living and working. And above all, it will be necessary to significantly change the very system of work of state institutions.

Ensuring civil harmony and unity of society. New state symbols of Russia.

One of the main activities of President Vladimir Putin was to ensure social unity and harmony. Without dividing society into "us" and "them", supporters and opponents of reforms, he carried out a number of measures that contributed to the unification of society. The fruitless struggle over the issues of state symbols of Russia continued for almost 10 years. The President proposed a compromise capable of bringing together the positions of various sections of society. In December 2000, the State Duma approved the law on the national symbols of Russia. The tricolor white-blue-red flag and the coat of arms in the form of a double-headed imperial eagle are reminiscent of the thousand-year history of Russia. The red flag of the Victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War became the flag of the Armed Forces. The national anthem, set to the music of the Anthem of the USSR, symbolizes the unity of generations, the inextricable link between the past, present and future of our country.

Meetings of the President with the leaders of the Duma factions are held regularly. The exchange of information about the actions and plans of the highest authorities, the joint search for political solutions increase the efficiency of the state.

The activities of the President caused the approval of the society: by the end of the first term of tenure in the highest state post, V. V. Putin was supported by about 80% of Russians. In the elections to the State Duma in December 2003, the voters gave the majority of their votes for the United Russia party, supported by the President.

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