Yegor Timurovich Gaidar became one of the key figures in the political arena in Russia when the country was moving from socialism to capitalism. It was he who was the author and initiator of economic reforms, which still cause heated debate among financial analysts. But what was he like in life? Who is his wife? And the main question - was his death natural?
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar is a political and economic reformer during perestroika. The innovations he initiated during his political career are still considered controversial. Some of the financial analysts believe that they are the reason for the decline in the standard of living of Russians, while others are absolutely sure that the "Gaidar" reforms saved the country from a repetition of the devastation that happened after the 1917 revolution.
Who is Yegor Gaidar - origin and biography
His Timurovich is a descendant of the great Soviet writers - Arkady Gaidar and Pavel Bazhov. He was born in March 1956 in Moscow. The boy's father Timur Gaidar was a military journalist, Bazhov's mother Ariadna was a historian.
The boy was fond of economics from early childhood. Thanks to the fact that his parents worked in Yugoslavia, and then in Cuba, he was able to study in detail the works of Marx and Engels, which were prohibited at that time in the USSR. Despite his rather young age, Yegor became interested in the topic. In addition, he studied history and philosophy in depth.
Yegor Gaidar received his secondary education certificate already in Moscow. Moreover, he graduated from high school with a mathematical bias with a gold medal. After school, he entered Moscow State University, became a graduate with honors from the Faculty of Economics of this renowned and very prestigious university.
The young man was not going to stop there, he wanted to know the economy perfectly. He completed his postgraduate studies at Moscow State University, in 1980 he became a candidate, and in 1990 he became a doctor of economic sciences.
Yegor Gaidar's career in economics and journalism
The future Russian reformer began his career after defending his Ph. D. thesis, in 1980. His first place of work was the All-Union Research Institute, where he was engaged in the development of economic projects for the reformation of the USSR economy, together with a group of subordinates.
In 1986, Gaidar's group, which included Anatoly Chubais, no less famous in the future, presented the country's leadership with analytical and project materials on economic reformation. But at that time their implementation was impossible. Gaidar's developments were put on the table.
Yegor Timurovich decided to leave science for journalism, worked for several years in one of the leading political publications in the country (Kommunist magazine), where he headed the department of economic news and analytics.
It was at this stage of his life that Yegor Gaidar seriously thought about moving to another professional plane - politics. In 1990, on his initiative, the Institute for Economic Policy was created, and he himself defended a dissertation and received a doctorate.
Political career and reforms of Yegor Timurovich Gaidar
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar entered politics at a time when the legislation practically ceased to be observed, including in economic terms. He understood that inaction would lead to an absolute financial collapse of the state. Yegor Gaidar created the so-called government of reformers, headed it and began to restore the economy in Russia.
In just three years (1991-1994) Yegor Timurovich rose from the Minister of Economy to the Prime Minister of Russia. On his account such achievements and changes as
- liberalization of prices for the development of entrepreneurship,
- transition of the economy to the market principle of functioning,
- start of privatization and issuance of vouchers.
Not all of the steps taken by Gaidar and his government were correct. Liberalization of prices led to a sharp jump in inflation, privatization - to outright theft of state property. Analysts are confident that such consequences developed because the programs for reforming the economy were not sufficiently thought out and calculated.
In 1994, Yegor Gaidar resigned, but did not leave politics. Until 2001, he was the leader of the Democratic Choice of Russia party, and was one of the main reformers of New Russia.
Personal life of the politician Yegor Gaidar
Yegor Timurovich was married twice. His first wife was a childhood friend, Irina Smirnova. In marriage, two children were born - Peter (1979) and Masha (1982). After the divorce, the daughter stayed with her mother, and the son Peter moved to the parents of Yegor Timurovich and was brought up by them.
Gaidar's second marriage was more successful and lasted until his death. The wife of Yegor Timurovich was the daughter of the famous writer Arkady Strugatsky, Maria.
In a marriage with Maria Strugatskaya, Yegor Gaidar had a son, Pavel. In addition to him, Gaidar also raised his wife's son from his first marriage - Ivan. Peter, the eldest child of Yegor Timurovich, although he lived with his grandparents, often visited his father's house, got along well with his own and stepbrothers, Maria. But Gaidar's daughter Masha rarely and reluctantly communicated with her father, and then the relationship completely disappeared.
Maria Strugatskaya devoted herself entirely to her husband, was engaged only in home and children, and never built her own career. If the Gaidar family managed to get together, they played chess, talked, and, as Yegor Timurovich's wife recalls, the atmosphere in the house was unusually warm. In the family circle, the economist, reformer and politician Gaidar became completely different.
Death of Yegor Timurovich Gaidar - date and reason
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar died unexpectedly when he was only 53 years old. It happened at his dacha in Dunino on December 16, 2009. The widow recalls that her husband was cheerful, working on his next book in his office. Gaidar's heart stopped at about 4 am.
The official version of Yegor Gaidar's death is a blood clot separation. But there were many rumors around his death, more and more speculation versions appeared in the press, and many of them were not unfounded.
More than 10,000 people came to say goodbye to Gaidar, which took place at the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, and these were not only politicians, but also ordinary citizens of Russia.
