Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has undergone many changes. These changes were very profound and included the drastic restructuring of both the political structure and the economy. When the Russian people became dissatisfied with the communist system, they pushed for regime change, which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the introduction of a democratic system. Along with these political changes came the economic change from communism to a free market system. The new system and the old system, although initially seem to have many differences, are similar in their corruption and oppression of people. For this reason, the political and economic transition from the old communist system to the new democratic system in Russia was unsuccessful. The Soviet Union had an official government structure, which included a legislative branch, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. . However, under Soviet rule the official government had no real power and all actual power was held by the Communist Party. The Russian Federation, which emerged as a democratic nation after the collapse of the Soviet Union, also includes the three branches of government. However, power lies not in the political party system, but in the government itself. The executive branch consists of both a president and a prime minister. The president has been directly elected every six years since 2012, whereas previously it happened every four years. They are limited to two consecutive terms, but can last for an unlimited number of non-consecutive terms. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President but must obtain the approval of the lower house of parliament, the Duma. Constitutionally the Prime Minister is the…paper center…cysm of the Russian government, even as much Russian political dissent is silenced. Despite this, citizen dissatisfaction with the government has grown and culminated in a series of protests in recent years, including in reaction to the rigged elections and Putin's policies in Ukraine. Russia has undergone many changes since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It has gone through many key changes both politically and economically. The Russian government is somewhere between a democratic and a totalitarian system, making many citizens dissatisfied. Economically, Russia's transition has been more successful, but many citizens live in poverty and have a low standard of living. In conclusion, the transition from the communist model to a democratic and free market-oriented model did not go smoothly and was not successful.