Russians Are High On Putin's Supply

Dictatorship and expectation management

Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote of a speech Stalin gave at a party conference. When he finished, everyone dutifully leapt to their feet in applause, and Stalin basked in it. He made no move to stop the adulation. No one dared to be the first one to stop applauding. Finally, after eleven exhausting minutes of worshipping the Dear Leader, a lo…