Who is Anatoly Sobchak, everyone knows. And not only due to the fact that in modern politics his daughter is one of the most prominent characters. It was Anatoly Aleksandrovich who was the main author of the current Constitution of the Russian Federation, and was, practically, the main link in the perestroika and the process of forming democracy in Russia.
The first mayor of St. Petersburg, a politician, under whose leadership today's leaders of the country "grew up", one of the most scandalous figures of Russia since the post-perestroika period is all about him, about Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak. And what do we know about his biography, the formation of a career and personal life, if we exclude publications in the press?
Anatoly Sobchak - who is he and where from?
Anatoly Alexandrovich was born in Chita, in August 1937, in the family of an accountant and a railway engineer. In 1939, after the arrest of his grandfather, his parents decided to move to Uzbekistan, in the city of Kokand. When the war began, and the father went to the front, all the worries about the children, and there were four of them in the family, and Anatoly's mother took over two elderly grandmothers.
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak received his secondary education at the Kokand school, the highest - in Tashkent, and then in Leningrad. Both school teachers and university teachers noted Anatoly's zeal and diligence. He studied well, took an active part in the public life of educational institutions.
Another remarkable detail in his biography is the debate about his origin and nationality. According to family legend, he became Russian in 1941. Against the background of the beginning of the Second World War, an order was issued to evict all Poles to Siberia. Company managers helped Alexander Sobchak and his family by issuing them passports and metrics for children with a change of nationality. So the Sobchak family became Russian.
Education of Anatoly Sobchak
Back in school years, friends called Anatoly either a professor or a judge. The boy read a lot, knew a lot, with pleasure and even excitement he established justice in all conflicts, he knew how to bring them to nothing. These character traits determined the choice of profession.
After graduating from high school in Kokand, Anatoly entered Tashkent University at the law faculty, and a year later transferred to Leningrad, where he received his first diploma of higher education.
The professor at the Leningrad University noted the student’s diligence and zeal, very soon he became a Lenin scholarship recipient, and upon graduation received a red diploma. But Sobchak failed to get a job in the Northern capital. He was sent to the Stavropol Territory, where the first years of his career passed. But Anatoly Alexandrovich himself considered this period an excellent school of life, and was sure that it was the work in the outback that made him even stronger, taught him a lot.
Career in Science and Law
In Stavropol Anatoly Sobchak worked as a lawyer for several years, lived in a rented apartment, practically devoid of any amenities, in a small village. He recalled this time with warmth, he liked to talk about grandmothers who did not miss a single trial with his participation. “Spectators” were imbued with how he skillfully found a reason to justify his charges.
Soon, Anatoly Sobchak got the position of head of the law office of Stavropol. But he was cramped in this position, he wanted to work on more significant matters, and Sobchak returned to Leningrad, where he was already engaged in science in the field of jurisprudence.
In 1964, Anatoly Sobchak defended his thesis on "Civil Law", began teaching at the Police School, and soon moved to an industrial institute and took the place of assistant professor.
In 1973, Sobchak entered the dean’s office of his native Leningrad State University, a few years later he defended his doctoral dissertation, headed the Department of Law in Economics. For 20 years he was engaged only in scientific activity, published in scientific print media.
Political career of Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich came into politics in 1989. He was fascinated by the changes taking place in the country; he simply did not want and could not be an observer. First he became a people's deputy, then he entered the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, where he got the opportunity to engage in economic jurisprudence at the state level.
In 1990, Sobchak became Chairman of the Leningrad City Council. The new position opened up new prospects for Anatoly Alexandrovich. A year later, he created the Movement for Democratic Reforms, whose members, led by their leader, criticized the government, its principles of managing the economy, and actively advocated liberal views.
Anatoly Sobchak enjoyed great respect among the citizens of St. Petersburg, and it is natural that they chose him as the first mayor. Times were very difficult, Sobchak had a huge responsibility, and he stood the test - he stopped the chaos, did not allow critical consequences in his city, which was literally threatened by poverty and hunger.
Not everyone liked the principle and inflexibility of Anatoly Sobchak. He was accused of exceeding his official powers, using his official position for personal purposes, corruption, and conflicts began to erupt with business executives and city-level lawmakers. This was outright harassment, not only of the mayor, but of his entire team.
In 1997, this persecution brought Anatoly Alexandrovich to a hospital bed. After recovering, he again made attempts to take the post of mayor of his hometown, but to no avail. In 2000, Sobchak became the confidant of the president, and only a couple of months later, unexpectedly for all, died. Around his death, there were a lot of rumors and speculation, but they did not find a criminal trace in her.
