--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Putin's popularity was genuine…" description: "\"I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came to power. He was seen as a welcome relief from the Yeltsin era.\" — Masha Gessen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/masha-gessen-2322_era_i-think-putin-s-popularity-was-genuine-w_1842184.png" --- # I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came… ![“I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came to power. He was seen as a welcome relief from the Yeltsin era.” quote by Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/masha-gessen-2322_era_i-think-putin-s-popularity-was-genuine-w_1842184.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/masha-gessen-2322_era_i-think-putin-s-popularity-was-genuine-w_1842184.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/masha-gessen-2322_era_i-think-putin-s-popularity-was-genuine-w_1842184.png) > “I think Putin's popularity was genuine when he first came to power. He was seen as a welcome relief from the Yeltsin era.” [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. Initial support for Putin stemmed from desire for stability after Yeltsin. **In simple terms:** People sought stability after chaos. Key Takeaway Recognize how past regimes shape current leadership perceptions. Themes politics leadership public opinion history stability Mood reflective informative Type historical political When to use this quote - public opinion surveys - historical retrospectives - media coverage - policy reviews - educational curricula Key Concepts political science psychology historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies gravitate toward strong leaders after turmoil? - What factors sustain or erode that support over time? A Different Perspective Early approval may mask deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Era](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/era/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Popularity Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity-genuine-2359471/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin/) [Putin Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin-popularity-2359469/) [Relief Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relief-yeltsin-2359470/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Think Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-putin-566661/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Russian strategy seems to center on maintaining Putin's popularity at home; building a strong military capacity in special forces, nuclear weapons, and advanced submarines;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-stavridis/russian-strategy-seems-to-center-on-maintaining-putin-s-popularity-at/) [James G. Stavridis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-stavridis/) > [I think Putin has already gotten used to the idea of Obama and his secretary of state, John Kerry, making noise - it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-think-putin-has-already-gotten-used-to-the-idea-of-obama-and-his/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [You cannot compare me to somebody who makes apologies for Hitler. And I don't think Putin is comparable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/you-cannot-compare-me-to-somebody-who-makes-apologies-for-hitler-and/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [I think Putin will have to find a way to signal, even if it's a modest signal, an openness to dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dallara/i-think-putin-will-have-to-find-a-way-to-signal-even-if-it-s-a-modest/) [Charles Dallara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dallara/) > [Putin is going to be considering the United States his number one enemy no matter who our president is - and no matter who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/putin-is-going-to-be-considering-the-united-states-his-number-one/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I think Putin wants to recreate as much of the Soviet Union as he can through a variety of different means. 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When King asked "What happened?", Putin shrugged, smiled - impishly, it seemed -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/following-the-kursk-disaster-putin-appeared-on-cnn-s-larry-king-live/) [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 really can't abide conspiracy theories, because I believe that everything in the world stems from idiocy and incompetence. That's certainly true of most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-really-can-t-abide-conspiracy-theories-because-i-believe-that/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## 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. 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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. 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