Boris Nemtsov - Political Views

Political Views

From the time of his dismissal from the government, Nemtsov became an important actor in the political discourse and eventually in the opposition to the Russian government as led by Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov’s specific political beliefs have caused some to characterize him as a "new liberal" (Shlapentokh 1999, 1169). The "new liberals" can be differentiated from the so-called "old liberals" in Russia by their more hostile attitude towards the West. This group of political actors in Russia, of which Nemtsov was the main spokesperson, is characterized by "people’s capitalism", a term coined by Boris Nemtsov himself. People’s capitalism still accepts the market and private property as the pillars of a new Russian society, but also "rejects belief that market forces are the only effective regulator of all spheres of economic and social life" (1998, 203).

Nemtsov further expanded on his political ideas in a 2000 article published by the Harvard International Review. In this work, Nemtsov outlined his prediction of the future of Russian society and government, arguing that it will likely take the “moderately optimistic” path, characterized by conservatism and moderately reactionary shifts, where some political freedoms may be restricted, but not a whole scale reversion to Soviet style government, which he sees as the pessimistic path. Nemtsov warned however, that this path would likely lead to economic stagnation (2000, 17). Nemtsov also took issue with the power and autonomy enjoyed by many of the governors of the Republics, equating them to “feudal princes” and suggested a return to a structure that makes these leaders subject to federal control (2000, 21).