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#1 Putin was the archetype and model for the current generation of strongman leaders. He took over in 1999, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, and promised to protect freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and ownership rights.

#2 Putin’s rise to power in Russia was rapid, just ten years before he became head of state. He had been a lowly figure in the intelligence services, working as an officer for the KGB in Dresden in East Germany, before becoming president.

#3 Putin was born into the Soviet Union’s ruling class. He grew up in a small flat in a run-down apartment building in Russia’s grandest city, Leningrad. He was promoted to increasingly lofty positions under President Yeltsin, who then stepped aside to allow Putin to take over at the turn of the millennium.

#4 As Putin established himself in office, the image-makers got to work in crafting a strongman persona for the Russian leader. Many Russians were ready for a strongman leader after the collapse of the Soviet system allowed for democracy and freedom of speech, but many Russians experienced a severe drop in living standards and personal security.

Summary of Gideon Rachman's The Age of the Strongman

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