Medvedev (Медведев) - A Rise in Authority

In political science, the concepts of Power and Authority are often divergent. In day to day language, we tend to confuse and interchange the use of those words.

Power, in politics, is the ability to wield the levers of action in a government to get things done.

Authority is the ability to influence the direction that people take, bending toward the direction that you wish.

In many cases, the same person might equally utilize Power and Authority because they contain both.

However, there are examples where Power and Authority are divided among political figures.

A perfect example is Ghandi and the British Empire. The British controlled the levers of government and wielded Power to control India.

Ghandi, on the other hand, wielded Authority because he had moral superiority and a timely message for Indians that made him the key directional force as India achieved its independence.

I'm wondering if we're seeing the same divergence begin to happen in Russia.

Until the past year, I would have unequivocally argued that Vladimir Putin possessed both Power and Authority in Russia.

I believe he still does. However, if you see Power and Authority as two separate, horizontal 'sliders,' the slider representing Authority is gradually sliding inversely in relation to Putin. It is sliding, I believe, slightly, toward Medvedev.

Russians have traditionally preferred strong rulers. Putin certainly fulfills that promise. But, Russians have also shown an occasional penchant for separating Power and Authority and giving Authority to more sympathetic characters.

For example, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, after the Tamizdat publication of the Gulag Archipeligo, and even after is emigration from Russia, held considerable moral authority that demanded the opening and reflection of its past by the Communist Party.

In 1825, the Decembrists Revolted against the Imperial government and were desirous of creating something like a Constitutional Monarchy. Again, they had very little power, but, influenced the intelligentsia in Russia for the next 85 years.

Lastly, an example I use is Andrei Sakharov. Very much an Oppenheimer like person, Sakharov was under house arrest until the middle-end of the Gorbachev era. Once the Duma was created, he wielded some Power as a sitting member. But, in that body, he possessed considerable Authority to the point where Gobachev had to negotiate with him personally in order to get rules and laws passed in the assembly. Simply because Gorbachev knew that Sakharov could sway so many other members and the public at large simply with his personality.

All those people...and groups, have possessed great directional authority for Russia, but had virtually no actual Power to achieve anything.
We might be seeing a more sympathetic leaning toward Medvedev such that even though Putin wields considerable Power, Medvedev is increasing his authority within the country.

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