At several crucial moments, he established himself as the only person who could rise to the challenges of transforming Russia from a dictatorship into a democracy, from a planned economy into a free market, and from an empire into a medium-ranked power. In 1992, as the emerging Russian Federation teetered on the brink of economic and monetary collapse, he opted for radical reform, prompting a backlash from vested interest groups.
叶利钦在1991年掌握政权后面临着巨大的任务。在俄罗斯从独裁制向民主国家，从计划经济转向自由市场经济，从一个帝国向中等国家转变的多个关键时刻，他都是唯一一个能站出来迎击挑战的人。1992年，当新兴的俄罗斯联邦在经济和货币崩溃的边缘摇摇欲坠的时候，他选择了激进的改革，激起了特权阶层的强烈不满。此后的几年中，只要权力允许，他都会倾向于自由经济。