Title: Russia - Post-Soviet Russia | Britannica
Headings: Post-Soviet Russia
Post-Soviet Russia
The Yeltsin presidency (1991–99)
Economic reforms
Political and social changes

Content: In dealing with those around him in both the government and the bureaucracy, Yeltsin effectively utilized a divide-and-rule strategy that led to the emergence of various factions that battled each other. Indeed, in some cases bureaucrats spent more time in conflict with each other than they did governing the country. Yeltsin also had the tendency to frequently remove ministers and prime ministers, which led to abrupt changes in policy. Throughout his presidency Yeltsin refused to establish his own political party or to align himself openly with any party or group of parties. Instead, he believed that the president should remain above party politics, though he was at the heart of the political process, playing the role of power broker—a position he coveted—until his resignation in 1999. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russian Federation continued to be governed according to its Soviet-era