Liberalism in Russia

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Within Russian political parties, liberal parties advocate the expansion of political and civil freedoms and mostly oppose Vladimir Putin. In Russia, the term "liberal" can refer to wide range of politicians, from the centre-right and proponents of shock therapy to left-liberals and progressives. The term "liberal democrats" is often used for members of the far-right nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. There are Russian opposition and pro-government liberal political parties in Russia. Pro-government liberal politicians support Putin's policy in economics.

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There are no liberal factions in Russian parliament at the moment. Centre-left liberalism was represented in the State Duma of Russian parliament by the Russian United Democratic Party "Yabloko" (7.86% in 1993 election, 6.89% in 1995, 5.93% in 1999). Pro-government liberalism was represented by the Our Home – Russia (10.13% in 1995 election), the liberal political party founded by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Centre-right liberalism was represented by the pro-capitalist party Democratic Choice of Russia (15.51% in 1993) and its successor, the Union of Right Forces (8.52% in 1999 election). Yabloko and the Republican Party of Russia – People's Freedom Party are members of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. [1] Yabloko is also a member of Liberal International. Since Vladimir Putin's rise to power in 2000, many liberal parties and politician has been persecuted.

Liberalism in the Russian Federation

History

Liberalism emerged in Russia before the Russian Revolution and continued to develop among Constitutional Democrats such as Pavel Milyukov living in exile after 1917. [2] After the fall of communism, several new liberal parties were formed, but only one of them Yabloko (Yabloko – Rosiyskaya Demokraticheskaya Partiya, a member of Liberal International) succeeded in becoming a relevant force. This is a left-of-center liberal party. The Union of Right Forces (Soyuz Pravykh Sil, a member of International Democrat Union) is a right-of-center liberal party. It can also be seen as a democratic conservative market party. In this scheme, the party is not included as liberal, being considered a democratic conservative party, but it can also be called liberal because of its pro-free-market and anti-authoritarianism stances. The so-called Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is not at all "liberal" – it is a nationalist, right-wing, populist party.

Yabloko (1993–)

The Yabloko is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and Liberal International.

Pro-Chernomyrdin and regional party (1995–2000)

Democratic Russia

Party family tree

The Democratic Choice of Russia was a centre-right liberal pro-capitalist political party.

The Union of Right Forces was a Russian centre-right liberal opposition political party.

Solidarnost wide movement (2008–)

Solidarnost is a liberal democratic political movement founded in 2008 by a number of well-known members of the liberal democratic opposition, including Garry Kasparov, Boris Nemtsov and others from the Yabloko and former Union of Right Forces (which had just merged with two pro-Kremlin parties).

Republican Party of Russia – People's Freedom Party (de facto 2010–)

2017 Russian protests, organized by Russia's liberal opposition Saint Petersburg. Anti-Corruption Rally (26 March 2017).jpg
2017 Russian protests, organized by Russia's liberal opposition

People's Freedom Party "For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption" is a liberal democratic coalition founded in 2010 by opposition politicians Vladimir Ryzhkov, Boris Nemtsov, Mikhail Kasyanov and Vladimir Milov and their organisations Republican Party of Russia, Solidarnost, Russian People's Democratic Union and Democratic Choice. The RPR-PARNAS is a member of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. [1]

In 2012, the coalition merged into the officially registered Russian political party RPR-PARNAS (Republican Party of Russia – People's Freedom Party).

The RPR-PARNAS is a centre-right liberal opposition political party and it represented in regional parliament in Yaroslavl Oblast.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Most liberal parties, namely Yabloko, People's Freedom Party and Russia of the Future, condemned Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Parts of the movement like New People, however, supported the war which was condemned by majority liberal activists.

Russian Empire

Background

Mikhail Speransky is sometimes called the father of Russian liberalism.[ citation needed ] His ideas were discussed and elaborated by such 19th-century liberal republican radicals as Alexander Herzen, Boris Chicherin, and Konstantin Kavelin. Based on their ideals, various early 20th-century liberal parties evolved, the most important of them being the Constitutional-Democratic Party, headed by Pavel Milyukov.

From Liberation Union to Constitutional Democratic Party

Union of October 17

Moderate Progressive Party

Party of Democratic Reform

From Party of Peaceful Renovation to Progressist Party

List of various liberal leaders

Conclusion

Liberalism in Russia has undergone significant transformations from its early roots to contemporary challenges. While it has faced considerable obstacles from authoritarian regimes, it remains an essential part of Russia's political discourse. The ongoing struggle for civil rights, democratic governance, and economic freedom continues to define the trajectory of liberal movements within the country.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Новости". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  2. ↑ Jansen, Dinah (2015). After October: Russian Liberalism as a 'Work in Progress,' 1919-1945 (thesis). Kingston.
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