The 1993 Crisis was caused by the split within the ruling elite.
MOSCOW, October 2, 2013. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data concerning how Russians assess today the Constitutional Crisis of 1993; whether the use of force during this conflict was justified, or not.
Most of Russians are aware of the confrontation between the president Yelltsin and the parliament headed by Khasbulatov resulted in unrest (80%): 34% are well aware, 46% - heard something. sixteen percent of respondents learned for the first time about that.
Those who are well informed are elderly respondents (54%). Most of those who are poorly informed are Russians aged 18-24- (43%).
When asked which party they supported, 38% of respondents say that they did not figure out the situation; 20% were hard to answer (or they say that they were too young or they were not born). The rest of respondents say that they backed the president (26%), rather than the parliament (16%).
A relative majority of respondents who are well aware of these events believe that the key reason behind the 1993 Crisis was the split within the ruling elite (38%). According to 22% of respondents, the crisis resulted from the divergence of opinion between the parliament and the president. Less Russians (19%) point out the fight between supporters of democratic values and vestiges of the soviet system. Those who blame circumstances are in the minority (5%).
Most of Russians approve of the use of force during this crisis (69%). They are mainly Russians who live in middle and small cities and rural area (70-73%). Seventeen percent of respondents who know well about these events oppose them.
The VCIOM opinion polls were conducted on September 7-8, 2013. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 communities in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
The October 1993 confrontation between the president Boris Yeltsin and the government headed by Khasbulatov ended up in mass riots in Moscow, storming of the White House ad substantial expansion of presidential power. How well are you familiar with these events? (closed-ended question, one answer) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 an over |
I know well about it | 34 | 8 | 16 | 33 | 46 | 54 |
I heard something but I do not remember any details | 46 | 39 | 55 | 53 | 46 | 38 |
I have leaned for the first time about that | 16 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Hard to tell | 4 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
This year marks the 20-th anniversary of the Constitutional Crisis of 1993. Could you remember which party did you support? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who know or who have heard about the riots) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 an over |
I supported the president Boris Yeltsin | 26 | 11 | 12 | 29 | 34 | 28 |
I supported Khasbulatov, Rutskoy | 16 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 26 |
I did not figure out the situation yet | 38 | 23 | 41 | 42 | 40 | 36 |
Hard to tell//I was too young//I was not born yet | 20 | 63 | 41 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
In your opinion, what was the main reason behind the riots of October 1993? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who know or who have heard about the riots) | |||||
| Total respondents | Elementary, or lower, incomplete secondary education
| Secondary (school, technical college)
| Secondary special (college)
| Incomplete higher (not less than 3 years), higher |
Split in the ruling elite; desire to hold on to power at any cost | 38 | 33 | 34 | 39 | 40 |
Divergence of opinion between the parliament and the president concerning reforms and economy | 22 | 32 | 24 | 21 | 20 |
Fight between supporters of democratic value and vestiges of soviet system | 19 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
Concourse of circumstances; no apparent reasons | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 16 |
| Was it right to use the military force to put the situation under control during the October 1993 unrest? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
| Was it right to use the military force to put the situation under control during the October 1993 unrest? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who know or who have heard about the riots)
|
| 2002 | 2013 |
Rather yes | 23 | 17 |
Rather no | 59 | 69 |
Hard to tell | 18 | 15 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!