27:
45:
95:, is a Russian political phenomenon in which positive actions taken by the Russian government are viewed as being the result of the leader of Russia, while negative actions taken by the government are viewed as being caused by lower-level bureaucrats unbeknownst to the leader. Originating from the
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is largely popular despite the unpopularity of other government institutions. In
Ukraine, the phrase has been used in a negative to refer to politicians' efforts to shield themselves from blame for controversial political actions by casting other, lower-ranking politicians as responsible. Such an
244:
research fellow
Natalia Mamontova, in her studies of the phenomenon, has argued that the majority of Russians no longer completely believe in the concept, but publicly express their belief in it either out of fear of being targeted by the government or in order to increase pressure on local
123:, the image of a kind and caring Tsar was deliberately cultivated by Russian authorities. This was assisted by the disparate nature of Russia, as much of the population was located in rural areas far from the Russian capital. By contrast,
127:, members of the aristocracy who served bureaucratic functions, were located closer to the peasantry and thus more tangible to the broader population. As a result, popular dissent was directed primarily at Boyars, rather than the Tsar.
240:. Putin has deliberately established the image of himself as a "good Tsar", including via publicly humiliating local officials and demonstrating his ability to bypass local bureaucracy in solving local problems.
199:. Individuals who had fallen victim to the purges frequently wrote letters to Stalin, believing that he would correct the error upon being informed of the miscarriage of justice. The concept was later applied by
159:, a stampede that occurred during his coronation. Undermined by continued instability in the Empire, the belief that the bureaucracy was to blame for the disasters was seriously damaged as a result of the 1905
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524:
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The phenomenon was also found in the Soviet government's treatment of previous leaders; the phrase "Good Tsar, bad Boyars" was used by
Russian writer
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148:. Symbolic actions were taken to reinforce this view, such as the public humiliations or executions of members of the nobility and bureaucracy.
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519:
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in an effort to provide evidence of bureaucrats' misdeeds to the
Emperor. The protesters were subsequently fired upon by members of the
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aiming to overthrow the government. Following Bloody Sunday, support for
Nicholas II seriously declined and eventually led to the
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During the
Russian Empire, the concept of "Good Tsar, bad Boyars" was practiced by several Russian tsars, including
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632:
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The concept of naïve monarchism was revived following the
Russian Revolution, and was applied to Soviet leader
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574:
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marched towards the
Russian capital of Moscow. Prigozhin's comments that Putin had been manipulated into
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The concept that would later become known as "Good Tsar, bad Boyars" originates from the
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280:, and the term has occasionally been used as a pejorative phrase. A 2015 study by the
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232:, the image of a good Tsar and bad Boyars has been applied to Russian President
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44:
602:""Царь хороший, бояре плохие". Зачем Зеленскому понадобился опрос на выборах"
268:
correspondent Steve
Gutterman, as reflecting sentiments of naïve monarchism.
604:["Good Tsar, bad Boyars": Why Zelenskyy needed an election survey].
487:
321:"'Good Tsar, Bad Boyars': Popular Attitudes and Azerbaijan's Future"
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Besides Russia, the phenomenon has been applied by leaders in other
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and post-Soviet
Russian Federation, particularly during the rule of
407:[Why Stalin placed Fadeyev as head of the Soviet Writers].
405:"Почему Сталин поставил Фадеева руководителем советских писателей"
124:
66:
51:
62:
99:, the term has since been used to refer to the leaders of the
379:"Peasant Letters to the Tsar: A Forgotten Russian Tradition"
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The phenomenon was put to a serious test during the rule of
492:"Putin flexes as 'good czar,' but can he remake Russia?"
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found that the concept also exists in Azerbaijan, where
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The concept gained renewed attention following the 2023
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protests. During the protests, a group led by Father
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203:, who sought to be memorialised in such a fashion.
175:, leading to mass casualties and the beginning of
548:"Prigozhin's 'Mutiny' And The Challenge To Putin"
520:"Vladimir Putin – a tsar without loyal subjects?"
345:
343:
575:"Poroshenko plays "good tsar, bad boyars" - MP"
465:[S. Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible"].
289:accusation has been described in reference to
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282:Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
525:Swedish Institute of International Affairs
264:were interpreted by some sources, such as
242:Swedish Institute of International Affairs
467:Viktor Nekrasov Writer's Memorial Website
403:Radzikhovsky, Leonid (10 December 2022).
431:Zamostyanov, Arseny (9 November 2012).
311:
309:
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600:Serdiuk, Vladyslav (15 October 2020).
236:, and forms an important part of his
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518:Mamontova, Natalia (23 April 2018).
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546:Gutterman, Steve (24 June 2023).
43:
25:
553:Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
463:"«Иван Грозный» С. Эйзенштейна"
377:Guzvica, Stefan (18 May 2022).
266:Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
230:dissolution of the Soviet Union
88:Tsar khorosiy, boyarie plokhiye
297:, both presidents of Ukraine.
252:, when Wagner Group commander
1:
497:The Christian Science Monitor
177:widespread, violent protests
16:Russian political phenomenon
643:Political history of Russia
183:that toppled the monarchy.
91:), sometimes also known as
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664:
77:Царь хороший, бояре плохие
351:"Good Tsar / Dobryy Tsar"
76:
435:["Good Tsar"].
250:Wagner Group rebellion
173:Russian Imperial Guard
155:, beginning with the
121:divine right of kings
461:(16 November 1983).
326:Jamestown Foundation
319:(18 February 2015).
295:Volodymyr Zelenskyy
410:Rossiyskaya Gazeta
356:GlobalSecurity.org
278:post-Soviet states
224:Russian Federation
210:in an analysis of
181:Russian Revolution
254:Yevgeny Prigozhin
217:Ivan the Terrible
212:Sergei Eisenstein
142:Ivan the Terrible
119:. As part of the
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37:Emperor of Russia
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633:Russian monarchy
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93:Naïve Monarchism
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50:An artwork of a
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433:""Добрый царь""
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167:marched on the
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117:Russian Empire
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105:Vladimir Putin
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610:. Retrieved
608:(in Russian)
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330:. Retrieved
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286:Ilham Aliyev
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238:public image
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187:Soviet Union
165:Georgy Gapon
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101:Soviet Union
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35:, the final
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317:Goble, Paul
245:officials.
197:Great Purge
195:during the
153:Nicholas II
111:Development
33:Nicholas II
627:Categories
612:17 January
585:17 January
559:17 January
531:17 January
503:17 January
488:Weir, Fred
472:17 January
443:17 January
416:17 January
388:17 January
362:17 January
332:17 January
301:References
228:Since the
262:oligarchs
82:romanized
606:LIGA.net
638:Phrases
437:Century
131:History
84::
73:Russian
125:Boyars
67:Boyars
65:, bad
61:"Good
579:LB.ua
52:boyar
614:2024
587:2024
561:2024
533:2024
505:2024
474:2024
445:2024
418:2024
390:2024
364:2024
334:2024
293:and
144:and
63:Tsar
629::
577:.
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342:^
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308:^
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