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Article: THE RED BARMY; BORIS YELTSIN: 1931-2007 The son of peasants, he rose to power, killed off the Communist party and dismantled the Soviet Union, defeated a coup and stunned the world by bringing in democracy. But he started the bloody war in Chechnya, botched the economy and made no effort to tackle the rising tide of corruption. Hampered by booze, depression, illness and increasingly bizarre behaviour, he eventually could take no more.(News)
- Article from:
- The Mirror (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 24, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 MGN LTD. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: By MARK ELLIS
HE put the nail into the coffin of Communism and ushered in an age of democracy and the free market.
Boris Yeltsin, who became first president of the new Russia, even stood on a tank to prevent a coup against the reforms of the last Soviet head Mikhail Gorbachev.
Politicians have hailed his place in history following his death of heart failure in Moscow yesterday aged 76.
However, despite transforming his homeland, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was beset by personal and political frailties.
He mishandled the ...