--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin…" description: "\"For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing his power structure, and now he's defending it. He's retrenching, mobilizing a shrinking const..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg" --- # For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing… ![“For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing his power structure, and now he's defending it. He's retrenching, mobilizing a shrinking constituency, constructing an enemy that's really scary. It's war. And when you look at the anti-gay campaign, it's a classic case of war rhetoric…” quote by Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg) > “For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing his power structure, and now he's defending it. He's retrenching, mobilizing a shrinking constituency, constructing an enemy that's really scary. It's war. And when you look at the anti-gay campaign, it's a classic case of war rhetoric: demonstrating an immediate and extreme danger.” [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Putin built power, then defends it by framing threats, using war rhetoric to mobilize a shrinking base. **In simple terms:** He uses fear and war language to protect his rule. Key Takeaway Recognize fear‑based political narratives. Themes politics power war rhetoric media manipulation Mood cautious critical analytical Type political analytical critical When to use this quote - elections - public speeches - media analysis - activism - policy debate Key Concepts authoritarianism propaganda identity politics Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape political loyalty? - What alternatives exist to confront perceived threats? A Different Perspective Such rhetoric can oversimplify complex issues and alienate dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Classic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Gay Campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-campaign-3728479/) [Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin/) [Putin Constructing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin-constructing-4967753/) [Really scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-scary/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) [Vladimir putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vladimir-putin/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-rhetoric-4967754/) ## Related quotes > [“The Russian anti-gay campaign, which associates European and American power with the hidden hand of the gay international, was targeted to the Muslim world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-russian-anti-gay-campaign-which-associates-european-and-american/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [No, I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/no-i-know-all-the-war-rhetoric-but-it-s-all-aimed-at-achieving-peace/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The rest of Russia is watching the same television that Vladimir Putin is watching. As far as they're concerned, Pussy Riot was rightly convicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/the-rest-of-russia-is-watching-the-same-television-that-vladimir/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I have no relationship with Vladimir Putin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-no-relationship-with-vladimir-putin/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ This is one where you can just kind of go to the tape on it. But Governor \[Mike\] Pence said inarguably Vladimir Putin is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/this-is-one-where-you-can-just-kind-of-go-to-the-tape-on-it-but/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [Hard men present hard choices - none more so than Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/hard-men-present-hard-choices-none-more-so-than-vladimir-putin-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I think it's part of Vladimir Putin's nature to define Russian success in foreign policy as thwarting the United States. That's in his nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-carter/i-think-it-s-part-of-vladimir-putin-s-nature-to-define-russian/) [Ashton Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-carter/) > [Barack Obama took over after Vladimir Putin's first aggression, in Georgia. In 2009, he did the reset policy because they had these stupid ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/barack-obama-took-over-after-vladimir-putin-s-first-aggression-in/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [Obviously, guys don't deal with the same level of criticism if they show off their bodies. Russian President Vladimir Putin literally staged a goofy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/obviously-guys-don-t-deal-with-the-same-level-of-criticism-if-they/) [Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/) > [ By needlessly provoking him \[Vladimir Putin\] and humiliating him, we empower far worse possibilities in Russia. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/by-needlessly-provoking-him-vladimir-putin-and-humiliating-him-we/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [President Obama and Vladimir Putin are both in China attending the same economic summit. Obama saw Putin and said, 'After those midterms, it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-and-vladimir-putin-are-both-in-china-attending-the/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/) [Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/) > [You cannot compare any leaders in our country to what Vladimir Putin has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/you-cannot-compare-any-leaders-in-our-country-to-what-vladimir-putin/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/candidate-trump-held-out-his-hand-to-vladimir-putin-he-rejected/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) ## More by Masha Gessen > [There's this American pretense, which is the pretense of the journalist with the view from nowhere - which has somehow morphed into the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/there-s-this-american-pretense-which-is-the-pretense-of-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Where incompetence is prized, it is ever-present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/where-incompetence-is-prized-it-is-ever-present/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Trump, like Putin, has a demonstrably thin skin and short temper when it comes to being criticized by journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/trump-like-putin-has-a-demonstrably-thin-skin-and-short-temper-when/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [You risk everything if you so much as join a legal protest demonstration in Russia. It raises the stakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/you-risk-everything-if-you-so-much-as-join-a-legal-protest/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Donald Trump creates word salads. And that is awful to language, because we try to parse out what he's saying and try to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/donald-trump-creates-word-salads-and-that-is-awful-to-language/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It is the first time since 1993 that Russians have come out into the streets without an explicit permission from the government to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/it-is-the-first-time-since-1993-that-russians-have-come-out-into-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think Donald Trump was brought to power by Americans. They voted for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-donald-trump-was-brought-to-power-by-americans-they-voted-for/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [In the 1990s, there was a lot of reform, and there was a lot of forward movement on a lot of fronts in Russia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/in-the-1990s-there-was-a-lot-of-reform-and-there-was-a-lot-of-forward/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Poverty and scarcity are actually very good for totalitarian societies. They maintain that sense of mobilization that's essential for totalitarian societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/poverty-and-scarcity-are-actually-very-good-for-totalitarian/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think that Putin's strategy has been throwing a lot of money, fairly haphazardly, at a lot of projects aimed at disrupting Western relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-that-putin-s-strategy-has-been-throwing-a-lot-of-money-fairly/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Both Trump and Putin use language primarily to communicate not facts or opinions but power: it's not what the words mean that matters but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/both-trump-and-putin-use-language-primarily-to-communicate-not-facts/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I worked both as a Russian journalist and an American journalist and ran a bunch of magazines in Moscow over the course of about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-worked-both-as-a-russian-journalist-and-an-american-journalist-and/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. They're troublemaking efforts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [For years I was the only publicly out gay person who was not a full-time gay activist: my position as a quasi-foreigner gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-years-i-was-the-only-publicly-out-gay-person-who-was-not-a-full/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Explore all 171 Masha Gessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## More Classic quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [To see classic rock, you had to go to an arena. But punk was happening everywhere, even in little towns in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-callahan/to-see-classic-rock-you-had-to-go-to-an-arena-but-punk-was-happening/) [Bill Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-callahan/) > [A classic is like a hidden treasure. Its core is buried under so many layers of varnish that it can be reached only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/a-classic-is-like-a-hidden-treasure-its-core-is-buried-under-so-many/) [Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/) > [I like everything with a heaping dose of feminitity, including my cell phone. I created this phone for the classic woman, who like me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimora-lee-simmons/i-like-everything-with-a-heaping-dose-of-feminitity-including-my-cell/) [Kimora Lee Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimora-lee-simmons/) > [One glance and I knew exactly who and what he was. The classic alpha male, the kind who had spurred evolution forward about five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/one-glance-and-i-knew-exactly-who-and-what-he-was-the-classic-alpha/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I'd always wanted the show to be more reality based science fiction, something along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gerard/i-d-always-wanted-the-show-to-be-more-reality-based-science-fiction/) [Gil Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gerard/) > [Classic mountaineering grows out of a traditional romantic imagination. Its heart is the feeling, its path is blood, sweat and tears, and its restriction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wojciech-kurtyka/classic-mountaineering-grows-out-of-a-traditional-romantic/) [Wojciech Kurtyka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wojciech-kurtyka/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The story being told in 'Star Wars' is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/the-story-being-told-in-star-wars-is-a-classic-one-every-few-hundred/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [In the tradition of the classic songwriter rooms like The Bluebird in Nashville, Strange Brew is a gift to the music community in Austin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cross/in-the-tradition-of-the-classic-songwriter-rooms-like-the-bluebird-in/) [Christopher Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cross/) > [It's sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. Didn't 'Thelma and Louise' prove that women want to see women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-quivers/it-s-sad-that-women-characters-have-lost-so-much-ground-in-popular/) [Robin Quivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-quivers/) > [Classic book is a book which people praise, but do not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/classic-book-is-a-book-which-people-praise-but-do-not-read/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) [Browse all 1,505 Classic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing his power structure, and now he's defending it. He's retrenching, mobilizing a shrinking constituency, constructing an enemy that's really scary. It's war. And when you look at the anti-gay campaign, it's a classic case of war rhetoric: demonstrating an immediate and extreme danger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Masha Gessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-was-constructing-his-power/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Classic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-was-constructing-his-power/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/masha-gessen-2322_classic_for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-w_2222809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the first ten years, Vladimir Putin was constructing his power structure, and now he's defending it…” — Masha Gessen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Masha Gessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For the first ten years, Vladimir...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-was-constructing-his-power/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-the-first-ten-years-vladimir-putin-was-constructing-his-power/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```