Vertical of Power

(Politics, Sociology) vertical power structure (a hierarchical administrative system providing top-down command and control). From the opposition's point of view, the Vertical of Power in the Russian environment is the centralisation of all governmental functions, leading to a dictatorial state, a single governmental chain of command for the entire country coming down from a single ultimate source, i.e. the Kremlin.

The Vertical of Power is often contrasted with the Horizon of Power, more evenly distributed centres of taking decisions.

More at Wiktionary.org (Eng.), Cyclowiki.org (Rus.)