Decent alternatives for Yeltsin?

MrHola

Banned
That heading says it all; one of Gorbachev's greatest 20/20 hindsight regrets is that he picked Boris Yeltsin as his successor. Although pleased that Yeltsin continued the process of Perestroika, he still considers old Boris to be one of his greatest "personnel failures," that Yeltsin was an embarrassment, too destructive in his capacity as Russian President, and not much of a builder.

Were there any suitable alternatives? What if Yeltsin was to die of an alcohol-related illnesss, say, in 1989. Was there anyone who could have avoided the violent clash with the Russian Parliament, pushed capitalist reforms far more effectively, or handled the Chechen crisis in a less disastrous manner? Any way of avoiding (or at least easing) the humiliating stigma of Russia no longer being a world power, and the anti-Western attitudes on the street, which came about under OTL's Yeltsin?

Is Russia's post-Cold War low standard of living doomed to take a nosedive, no matter who's in charge?
 
Give Boris a bottle of Vodka in one hand, an AK-47 in the other, whilst dressed in Spetsnaz camo, & let him take on Chechnya single handed aka Rambo style...
 
Were there any suitable alternatives? What if Yeltsin was to die of an alcohol-related illnesss, say, in 1989.
Off the top of my head, Nazarbaev or Aliev. Both are not ethnic Russians, but this would not be a problem in 1990. Yakovlev had a chance too, but he will likely be even more destructive leader. Make POD a bit earlier, and Primakov ans a chance too.

Any way of avoiding (or at least easing) the humiliating stigma of Russia no longer being a world power, and the anti-Western attitudes on the street, which came about under OTL's Yeltsin?
This is less dependent on Russian leadership and more on American's conduct. Would USA been less eager to wipe their feet with Russian authorities in 1991-1999 and proud to demonstrate it to world and Russians so openly, nationalist frenzy of Putin's times could be largely avoided.

Is Russia's post-Cold War low standard of living doomed to take a nosedive, no matter who's in charge?
I'd say decline is inevitable, but nosedive (as in "bigger decline of the living standards than Russia suffered fighting Nazis", scary but true statement) could be avoided.
 
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