Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, the world's most powerful man, is a man everyone should know about. Whether you like him or not, it's vital that we see how he rose to power and how he revived Russia to become a world power once again.
Early Life:
Vladimir Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952, to a factory worker and a conscript in the Soviet Navy. In the Russia Putin grew up in, Eastern Orthodox Christianity was outlawed. Nonetheless, his extremely devout mother baptized him no matter how illegal it was.
From a young age, he was interested in sports, martial arts, and he wanted to become a secret service officer. In sixth grade, he realized he needed to get good grades in order to become something big; through his persistence, he eventually did so.
After graduating from a chemistry-centered school, Putin attended Leningrad State University, from which he graduated with a law degree. Fulfilling his childhood dream, he applied for the KGB (Russian secret service) and was one of very few people to successfully get in.
Not very much is known about Putin's early life. He has always wanted to keep it hidden. Even his family is seen very rarely. When asked why he keeps his early and personal life in the dark, he said that many people have ruined their political careers by flaunting their past and personal selves.
Career in the KGB:
Fresh out of training, he was assigned to the foreign service branch, which recruits foreigners to join Russian secret service. But, before he did so, he got married in the early 1980s.
He was assigned to East Germany. He was one of very few servicemen to enjoy the Germans' company and culture. He genuinely enjoyed conversing with them and grew to respect Germany as a country.
The most striking event during Putin's assignment in East Germany was the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Russia was being led by Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Putin grew to admire and support. During the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, there was much rioting and many demonstrations in the streets. Because of the great threat the disorganization posed, Putin burned KGB documents to prevent them from being captured by rioters.
Eventually, he was to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He was then assigned to St. Petersburg University serving as a foreign relations officer. There was an attempted coup d'etat against President Gorbachev and Putin then had to choose a side, the communist rebels or the democratically-elected Russian government. He made his choice; he immediately came to the aid of President Gorbachev which led to his becoming Deputy Prime Minister.
Presidency:
Suddenly, with no warning, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of Russia. Putin, being the next in line, immediately took up the presidency in 2000.
Military:
Mr. Putin's goal was to revive Russia as a world power. He immediately took steps to organize and professionalize Russia's conscript force. Russia now spends more of its GDP on its military than the U.S. does. Russia's military is now one of the largest, most organized, and most powerful in the world.
Foreign Policy:
As President, he has made many foreign policy moves that had polar reactions. He has shown good will to Israel by being one of the first Russian politicians to ever visit the Middle Eastern state. He has also shown good will to Bashar al-Assad of Syria and the government of Iran, which has been criticized the world over. When President Obama lashed out against Assad over use of chemical weapons on Syrian rebels, Putin came to Assad's defense, claiming that accusations of use of chemical weapons on his people were unsupported.
Putin has improved relations with many Asian countries like China, Iran, and Syria at the price of good relations with the European Union. While political unrest was rampant in Ukraine, Putin sent in roughly 16,000 military personnel to seize land. He has defended the action claiming that they were not invading troops.
In 2015, Russia shocked the world by beginning strategic airstrikes in Syria. While Russia says these airstrikes are focused against ISIL, there are some who claim that some of these strikes are actually targeted against Syrian rebels.
Domestic Policy:
To the West's dismay, Putin severely limited the rights of gay couples, completely ridding them of adoption rights and freedom of expression. Putin wants children in Russia to have Russian parents, so he passed a law saying that U.S. parents cannot adopt Russian children.
He has increased central control over media and big corporations in Russia. He has had many reporters arrested and he was in charge of the demise of many influential Russian business leaders.
Under his leadership, the Russian parliament passed laws extending the Russian presidency from four to six years. Yet, he retains one of the highest approval ratings by his people in the world.
Conclusion:
Vladimir Putin's persistence, resolve, and political brilliance makes him one of the most feared men in the world. He has no intention of backing down from power any time soon, and you can be assured that Putin will be in world news again soon.
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