Journalist Gleb Cherkasov believes that the current leaders have managed to form a heredity mechanism in all areas except public policy. The grandson of Gennady Zyuganov will have to prove that this problem can also be solved.
The nomination of Leonid Zyuganov as a candidate for mayor of Moscow looks like another element of the transfer of resources by inheritance from the generation of “elite fathers” to the generation of “elite children”. In Soviet times, they often talked about labor dynasties, well, now any work is honorable, even in a corporation, even in an administrative position, even in politics. However, the post-Soviet reality has added continuity of memorable colors. As soon as the children of the political and business elite grew up, heirs or candidates for heirs immediately appeared.
hereditary resource
The process of transferring business, administrative and hardware resources from fathers to children is quite well established, although it took some time to develop.
The elite, which began to form in the early 1990s and has been periodically renewed since then, consists of those who took their place or were put on the “farm”, but did not inherit parental capital or shareholdings. All that the first generation of post-Soviet fathers could do for their children was to solve everyday problems and, well, give a good education.
The abundance of old surnames with new initials in business and secular news does not yet mean the foundation of dynasties. If the transfer of a resource by inheritance would be such a simple matter, then today there were very old surnames with new initials. But, who has heard anything about the business empires of the heirs of Chernomyrdin, or Luzhkov, or any other famous figure of the 1990s or zero?
The laconic lines of their biographies usually contain references to the fact that a couple of years after the father left for a well-deserved rest, the block of shares was sold, the resource position was left, and the bank’s license was revoked. Potential heirs turn into simply well-to-do people. Yes, with a good deal, but who said that the son of an ex-governor or a retired minister has a direct path to laborers.
The loss of a resource is not directly related to the human weakness of children who are not able to defend what their fathers have acquired. The heirs must somehow prove their ability to manage what they get. How, let’s say, a big banker can convince his partners, shareholders and competitors that his child is able to develop the business further? Or at least not kill him. Give the best possible education. Provide resources for a project that may not be directly related to the father’s main business. Surround with advisers and assistants who will insure if necessary. Cover with your authority if a serious problem arises. Well, in general, to make sure that by the time the heir enters his orbit, he was known as an independent player, firstly, and secondly, as the child of a noble father. Well, or drag the child until there is a path for him. In any case, the verification markers are obvious. The main thing here is the ability to designate oneself. First of all, at the expense of at least some, and preferably more, independence.
But the system is designed in such a way that a father who has a resource can guarantee its inheritance, provide a comparable child, and most importantly, help keep it, only remaining in business. Otherwise, the transmitted will not reach the addressee or will be quickly lost – even at a reasonable price.
That is, in order for a dynasty to appear, its founder must remain the main one, and, accordingly, the heir has been in the heirs all this time. Or try to create something comparable, of course, with parental help. That is, to continue the work, but “sideways”, to strengthen the surname and the resource managed by it in new economic or administrative spaces.
The son of a businessman who has known Vladimir Putin for a long time can become an influential figure in United Russia. The son of the vice-premier – the director of the plant. And so on, examples of “sideways continuation” are numerous.
Undoubtedly, the harmonious ranks of children were thinned out by the love of spending life (a problem quite seriously recognized by the elite), many turned out to be incapable of the role given to them and retreated to pre-prepared positions, but in general, the “hereditary nobility” was completely formed.
untapped niche
Everywhere except public policy. Attempts to develop a career on the paternal name were rarely successful. The exception here is the North Caucasus, due to local specifics.
Ksenia Sobchak ran for the presidency, but it is rather difficult to call her the successor to the work of Anatoly Sobchak. Zhanna Nemtsova just continues the work of Boris Nemtsov, but she is only at the beginning of her journey. Dmitry Gudkov (recognized by the Russian Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent) went a little further, but his career is now in question. Maria Gaidar had an energetic start, but there was no serious development yet either. The children of Vladimir Zhirinovsky played an important role in the LDPR only during his lifetime, before the election of a new party leader, Igor Lebedev resigned and retired.
Leonid Zyuganov, the grandson of Gennady Zyuganov, can try to find an answer to the question – how can children inherit the niche of their fathers or, in this case, their grandfather. He goes in the “old-fashioned” way through the election campaign, the winner of which is known (it is unlikely that Sergei Sobyanin will lose the mayoral election). The grandson of the permanent leader of the Communist Party will have to show that he can withstand pressure (there is always pressure in elections anyway), he knows how to work with people. Participation in the election campaign is an application not so much for Moscow as for the party that his grandfather has been leading for 30 years. The usual Zyuganov silver medal may become the basis for the grandson to eventually claim the place of his grandfather. Or just influence in a party that is still considered second.
That is, the only way to check whether children are ready to pick up a political resource is to immerse themselves in some kind of competitive environment. That environment, which was carefully destroyed in the time of the fathers.
And here there is a contradiction. In Russian politics, independence is not a guarantee of success. Rather the opposite. And success in the elections is not proof of political prospects; when summing up the results of voting, completely different factors matter.
However, perhaps a more promising direction will be the experience of Dmitry Peskov’s son Nikolai, who spent some time in the combat zone. And, in fact, this choice will be decisive in determining the “advance sideways.”