Putin: Man of Influence

By Noah Sell
A man from a simple background of a caring mother and a war veteran father,
with the help of ambition became one of the most influential people of our modern age.
This man is Vladimir Putin the current president of Russia. He is undoubtedly one of the
most influential people in the world because of his ability to change the world culturally
and politically.
For a person to be influential they must truly be able to change the world on
culturally and politically. The cultural influence of Mr. Putin ranges from spirituality to
music and beyond. Spiritually many of the Russian people believe that Putin was a gift
from the Divine. They believe that he was sent to restore Mother Russia to its former
glory. This can be shown in Alex Palmers article, Russia Rising: Moscow's Quiet
Resurgence, "Indeed, deputy administration chief Vladislav Surkov, a Kremlin power
broker and aide to President Medvedev, went so far as to tell Chechen television that
Putin was sent to the Kremlin by God to help address its troubles in the post-Soviet
period" (Palmer). He came to Russia to help the Russian Federation in the economic
crisis that arose after the fall of the Soviet Union. Another instance of Putin's creeping
into the realm of spirituality is shown in again in Alex Palmers article, "According to an
article by Alexei Nikolsky of the AFP news agency, Putin has been made the hero of pop
songs and brands of vodka, and a small female sect even believes him to be the
reincarnation of Paul the Apostle" (Palmer). Not many rulers can say that they have
those things dedicated to them.

Vladimir Putin has even crept into the internet becoming very popular. Putin has
become the star of many memes. One being an image of him riding a horse shirtless
which has been made into many different images of him riding different things. This
derogatory influence of him has led to a ban on memes in Russia.
Vladimir Putin not only affects his culture but also attempts to change it to what
he wants. He is a very powerful speaker who can sway others very easily, although not
always for the best. Adolf Hitler was very much the same way in how persuasive he
was. This however inspires people to take action Theodore Karasik explained Putins
attempts to influence his culture in his article, Putin and Shoigu: Reversing Russia's
Decline:
Putin called for the creation of a new national ideal. The section on "the Russian ideal"
was the most detailed. Putin stressed patriotism by using the rather archaic and imperial
term derzhavnost, or belief in the state's greatness. Putin pledged to build such a state
by launching a rational restructuring of government departments, by turning the civil
service into a "meritocracy" that would advance the best "specialists" by increasing
"discipline" in government, and by declaring war on corruption. (Karasik)
Vladimir Putin is a major advocate for patriotism and faith in Mother Russia.
Despite changing the culture of Russia and the World in general, Putin is careful to keep
the Russian culture unique. Mr. Putin wants an independent Russian state that is not a
copy of any other nation. Karasik quoted Putin as saying:
Russia will not soon become, if it ever becomes, a second copy of, say, the U.S.
or England, where liberal values have deep historical traditions. Among us the
state, its institutions and structures, have always played an exclusively important

role in the life of the country and the people. A strong state is for Russians not an
anomaly, not something that must be fought against, but on the contrary is the
source and guarantor of order, the initiator and main driving force of all change.
(Karasik)
As is stated by Putin, the individualism of the Russian Federation is very important to
him and he wishes to install this attitude in his citizens.
Putin uses his speaking skills and overall influence to inspire the Russian people
to become better. Putin wishes to draw the Russian people together to strengthen
themselves as a community because a strong Russian community leads to a strong
Russian state.
Karasik describes Putins support of the community, "In his statements about social
solidarity, the then-prime minister argued that individualism is far less important for
Russians than communal ties. 'The collective form of lifestyle has always dominated
over individualism' he wrote--adding that this communalism expresses itself in a national
desire for a paternalistic regime." (Karasik). A paternalistic regime is very similar to that
of a Communist one in that it limits a groups liberty for the presumed good of the group.
The majority of Putins speeches, however inspirational they may be, are to
further his own agenda. He persuades the Russian people to believe in him, which in
turn gets him re-elected. Anders Aslund describes this in his article, Putin's Lurch toward
Tsarism and Neoimperialism: Why the United States Should Care, "An analysis of
Russian President Vladimir Putin's policy shows that he has a strong habit of doing the
opposite of what he says. He has persistently advocated pure democracy, while actually

building an authoritarian rule" (Aslund). Most things Putin does is for the purpose of
furthering himself, but the Russian people buy it.
Although Vladimir Putin has a large influence on culture, He has an even greater
influence politically. When Putin was elected in 2000, his administration reversed the
economic crisis that engulfed the Russian Federation at the time. They were able to
change the price of oil, Russias chief export, which in turn raised the international
market price for oil. This brought the immediate resolution monetary needs to Russia.
That on top of his administrations judicial and banking reforms. As Theodore Karasik
said in his article, Putin and Shoigu: Reversing Russia's Decline, in 2000:
In late 1999, some Russian sources started to compare Putin with U.S.
president Franklin D. Roosevelt to illustrate the need for positive, strong changes
in Russian society: In 1932, Roosevelt gave the U.S. population a positive
psychological charge, formulated short-term and long-term goals for the country,
and created a business-like mood, and the Great Depression began to be
overcome. In late December 1999, Putin was being called the next Jefferson by
delegates to the post election Yedinstvo conference, who saw the acting
president as a founding father of a new post-Soviet Russian state (Karasik).
Mr. Putin helped to design the post-Soviet Russian state, as well as getting Russia out
of economic crisis much like Franklin Roosevelt did during the United States Great
Depression with his New Deal.
Vladimir Putin also is on the forefront of the anti-United States and anti-Western
sentiment in Russia. He establishes this sentiment both culturally and politically in his
people, as well as spreading these feelings to his allies. The Washington Times article,

Putins Hostile Course explains the attitude russian citizens have towards the United
States:
Keeping the relationship with Washington on the verge of a crisis and inventing
an imaginary 'American enemy' is creating much-needed legitimacy for the
current Russian leadership, which now has only Mr. Putin's personal popularity
as its political base," observes Heritage Foundation scholar Ariel Cohen. "The
image of Russia surrounded by enemies is absolutely necessary for today's
Russian ruling class of senior secret police officers, as it positions them in the
eyes of the people as the saviors and defenders of Mother Russia ("Putin's
Hostile Course").
Putin influences the cultural views of his people towards the West which furthers his
political agenda.
With these sentiments, Putin has made himself out to be the big bad in terms of
world affairs be making allies who are not the nicest of nations. Putin protects nations
who go against the West and does not support Western supported nations. Theodore
Karasik quoted Putin as saying, 'Several years ago we fell prey to an illusion that we
have no enemies. We have paid dearly for this. Russia has its own national interests
and we have to defend them.' For the then-prime minister, 'The organs of state security
have always guarded Russia's national interests; they should not be separated from the
state and turned into a monster. (Karasik). Putin consistently tests the patience of the
West. An example was in 2008 when he sent troops into Georgia to support the
separatist movements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Another more recent example is
Russias invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in the Ukraine.

All Mr. Putin has done to be seen as an enemy by the West has all been for a
specific purpose. He wishes to push Russia further by any means necessary to become
better. Dan Burton explains Putins goals in his Washington Times article Making
Mischief in the Middle East, "Mr. Putin has a plan to rebuild the glory and influence of
mother Russia, and he just proved to the world that he will use whatever means and
tactics he deems fit to accomplish that goal, including protecting unsavory regimes in
places such as Syria and Iran. It's time to face the facts: Russia is not our ally; it is our
competitor" (Burton). He moves less than desirable nations to his side and implements
his own policies on them.
After his second term as President Mr. Putin increased the political power of
Russia. The Russian Federation then gained more of a say in world affairs and
reasserted Russian authority over various republics, regions, and other administrative
units. Putin also renewed ties with Soviet client states as well as revamping the Russian
military. Putin then charged the inner workings of the Russian political structure by
appointing regional and provincial governors to give more power to his centralized
government.
Mr. Putins political influence has reached far enough that he is already having an
influence on History. Putin is already studied and talked about in History courses around
the globe. He is recognized for putting Russia in a place of major world power, as well
as dealing with the after effects on the Soviet Unions collapse, and being labeled as a
Neo-Soviet. As Arkady Ostrovsky wrote in an article:
Today's Russia is not the Soviet Union, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is not
Joseph Stalin. But just as historians view 1929 as the end of the revolutionary

period of Soviet history, scholars will (and already do) define Putin's rule as a
restoration that followed a revolution. Restoration--of lost geopolitical influence,
of Soviet symbols, of fear, of even Stalin's reputation--has been the main
narrative of the past decade. But as history shows, periods of restoration do not
restore the old order; they create new threats. (Ostrovsky).
Putin is and has been restoring Russia, as well as making it a new world threat. This is
not unlike Josef Stalin and Napoleon Bonaparte, who both brought their nations out of a
low point after a revolution with larger ambitions.
As has been explained, the cultural and political influence of Vladimir Putin
stretches far beyond that of most rulers, and definitely farther than most people who are
considered influential. Vladimir Putin is one of if not the most influential people in the
world today because he can both change the world culturally and politically, only the
future can tell what happens to his influence, will he finally spark World War III, will he
lose his power, all we can do is hope for the best.

Works Cited

Aslund, Anders. "Putin's Lurch toward Tsarism and Neoimperialism: Why the United
States
Should Care." Demokratizatsiya 16.1 (2008): 17+. Questia School. Web. 20 May
2016.
Burton, Dan. "Making Mischief in the Middle East; Putin Uses Obama's Disengagement
to
Lead a Russian Czarist Reprise." The Washington Times (Washington, DC) 23
Sept.
2013. Questia School. Web. 20 May 2016.
Karasik, Theodore. "Putin and Shoigu: Reversing Russia's Decline." Demokratizatsiya
8.2
(2000). Questia School. Web. 20 May 2016.

Ostrovsky, Arkady. "Reversal of Fortune: Vladimir Putin's Social Contract Has Been
Premised on an Authoritarian State Delivering Rising Incomes and Resurgent
Power. but the Economic Crisis Is Unraveling All That. and What Comes Next in
Russia Might Be Even Worse." Foreign Policy March-April 2009: 70+. Questia
School. Web. 20 May 2016.
Palmer, Alex. "Russia Rising: Moscow's Quiet Resurgence." Harvard International
Review
33.3 (2011): 32+. Questia School. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2016. Questia
School. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Putin's Hostile Course." The Washington Times (Washington, DC) 18 Oct. 2007.
Questia School. Web. 20 May 2016.