The Historical Childhoods of Putin & Clinton
Youthful Hardships Bond Two Former Presidents
Both former presidents have struggled in their rise to power, mostly in their childhoods. Perhaps this is why Putin and Clinton can relate to each other on an amicable basis. There is a mutual understanding of hard times growing up and a mutual respect for surviving childhoods marked with tragedy.
Bill Clinton Biography, Living with An Abusive Father
Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19,1946. Unfortunately, his father died in a car accident just three months shy of his birth. Thus, he was raised in Hope, Arkansas by his newly married mother and stepfather Roger Clinton.
Clinton's life was not Camelot or a privileged fairytale. Instead it was a life of hardship from the very beginning. In a June 20, 2004 interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," the former president tells reporter Tricia McDermott that his stepfather began to abuse his mother after they were married. He says his mother, "couldn’t tame Roger Clinton or stop him from attacking her with his fists, a pair of scissors, and even shooting his gun at her." He also goes on to say that he never hated Roger, even after the years of abuse and a horrific struggle with alcohol.
As the abuse continued into his adolescence, Bill Clinton hid this family secret, citing in the aforementioned interview that he lived a duality: the perfect public image v. the dark private home life.
Vladimir Putin Biography, Living in Poverty in Russia
In comparison, Putin endured a childhood of hardships as well. However, abuse is not cited in the Russian premier's case. Instead Putin grew up in virtual poverty, otherwise known as communal housing in the Soviet Union.
Public housing such as where Putin originated was basically the slums. The Putin family, comprised of young Vladimir and his parents, were squeezed into one room because they shared the apartment with two other families. Thus, cramped conditions and poverty were essential elements throughout Putin's childhood. In his memoirs, First Person by Nataliya Gevorkyan, Natalya Timakova and Andrei Kolesnikov, Putin's grade school teacher, Vera Dmitrievna Gurevich says:
"They had a horrid apartment. It was communal, without any conveniences. There was no hot water, no bathtub. The toilet was horrendous. It ran smack up against a stair landing. And it was so cold--just awful--and the stairway had a freezing metal handrail. The stairs weren't safe either--there were gaps everywhere."
Unlike Clinton, Putin did not have to live a dual life because there was no public image to protect. In the Soviet Union, most citizens endured the same circumstances, which why Putin appeals to so many Russian voters.
Both presidents struggled throughout their childhoods, and both learned to how survive under harrowing conditions. These struggles paved the way to become historical leaders on the world stage.
More Articles on Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin
This article, The Historical Friendship of Putin & Clinton, discusses how the American president forged a friendship with the new Russian president and aided him through a political crisis.
This article, The Historical Hobbies of Putin & Clinton, discusses how the two leaders escaped troubled childhoods through judo and music.
Young Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin Man of the Year
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