The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia

by David E Hoffman (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $7.16

  Focusing on six of Russia's most feared power brokers - the oligarchs, David Hoffman reveals how a few players managed to take over Russia's cash-strapped economy and then divvy it up in loans-for-shares deals. Before perestroika, these men were normal Soviet citizens, stuck in a dead-end system, claustrophobic apartments, and long bread lines. But as Communism loosened, they found gaps in the economy and reaped huge fortunes by getting their hands on fast money. They were entrepreneurs. As the government weakened and their businesses flourished, they grew greedier. Now the stakes were higher. The state was auctioning off its own assets to the highest bidder. The tycoons went on wild borrowing sprees, taking billions of dollars from gullible Western leaders. Meanwhile, Russia was building up a debt bomb. When the ruble finally collapsed and Russia defaulted, the tycoons tried to save themselves by hiding their assets and running for cover. They turned on one another as each one faced a stark choice - annihilate or be annihilated.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $3.27

  David Hoffman, former Moscow bureau chief for the Washington Post, sheds light onto the hidden lives of Russia's most feared power brokers: the oligarchs. Focusing on six of these cunning and ruthless men-Alexander Smolensky, Yuri Luzhkov, Anatoly Chubais, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Boris Berezovsky, and Vladimir Gusinsky-Hoffman reveals how a few players rose to the pinnacle of Russia's new capitalism. The oligarchs started small. Before perestroika , they lived the lives of Soviet citizens, stuck in a dead-end system, cramped apartments, and long bread lines. But as Communism loosened, they found gaps in the economy and reaped their first fortunes by getting their hands on fast money. As the government weakened and their businesses flourished, they grew greedier. The state auctioned off its own assets, and they grabbed the biggest oil companies, mines, and factories. They went on wild borrowing sprees, taking billions of dollars from gullible western lenders. When the ruble collapsed, the tycoons saved themselves by hiding their assets and running for cover. This is a saga of brilliant triumphs and magnificent failures, the untold story of how a rapacious, unruly capitalism was born out of the ashes of Soviet communism.