Russia

11 time zones Stretches half way around the planet Moscow to Vladivostock is

8 hours by jet plane 4 days by train minimum

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/russia_auton_92.jpg

Over 1,000 major cities 16 metro areas with populations over 1

million Moscow – 12 million+, economic and political

center Largest cities are Moscow, St. Petersburg,

Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk

Physical Geography

Mostly plains covered in taiga East of Yenisei river, higher plateaus Highest mountains are the Caucasus –

highest peaks are 18,000 ft. Urals divide continents, average 2,000 ft.

Volga – Europe’s largest river, drains into Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea – world’s largest lake, lies below sea level

Ob, Yenisei, and Lena Rivers are east of the Urals and flow into the Arctic Ocean, wide at mouths

Lake Baikal – deepest fresh water lake in world

Climate

Purple – Tundra

Blue – Humid Continental and Subarctic

Yellow - semiarid

Russian Ecosystems

Vegetation

Tundra – Arctic shoreline, treeless, very small plants, little moisture

Taiga

Broad forested zone Land of little sticks Smaller coniferous trees Dense stands Sparsely inhabited 4 million square miles

Siberia

Remote, few people Cool, swampy,

permafrost, Rich in minerals, but

hard to mine Large buildings built on

pilings

Steppes

South of the forests Broad open plains Once a grassland Chernozem – black earth

Challenges for Russia

Little experience with democracy Only one party – Communist President could rule by decree and ignore

parliament

More challenges

Quality of health care decreased Death rate has increased Life expectancy has decreased Increases in alcoholism, drug use, divorce,

and suicide Death rate exceeds birth rate

Environmental Problems

Widespread pollution is common Widespread environmental

damage and ill health effects among citizens

Cleaning the environment is less important than job creation and feeding and housing the people.

Russians

80% Russian (descendants of Slavs) 20% ethnic minorities ¾ urban, ¼ rural Caucasus – area of many ethnic groups and

unrest Chechnya Dagestan

Transportation

Distances, terrain, and climate make it difficult to maintain roads

Most rivers freeze for months every year Railroads are practical and inexpensive for

moving people and goods in Russia.

Republics with the Soviet Union

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine,Moldova

Privatization

moving from a command economy to a free market economy

Under a command economy, land, businesses, and labor are owned/controlled by the government

When privatization occurs, the government sells farmland, businesses to individuals

The government closes businesses so unemployment rises

When the government

closes businesses - unemployment increases Stops setting prices – inflation occurs Standard of living decreases Black market Some people miss security of communism

Foreign Investment

When companies from wealthier countries open businesses in poorer countries

Brings in money and new jobs Each $ spent helps the entire community, not

just the people hired After a few years, the economy starts to

improve

Ukraine

Kiev - Mother of Russia

Dominated by Foreign Powers

Mongols Lithuania Poland Russia Tried to establish independence in 1917, but

was forced under Soviet Rule.

Under Soviet Rule

Farms collectivized in 1920s Ukrainians burned crops to protest Soviets seized all grain and let 8 million

Ukrainians die in resulting famine. Environmental damage from nuclear reactor

at Chernobyl in 1986.

Independence

1991 50 million people Orthodox Vast fertile plains - breadbasket Huge coal reserves Imports oil and natural gas Machinery outdated Trade policies not favorable for foreign investment

Belarus

10 million people Slavic Orthodox Close political and economic ties with Russia Conflict with Russia over oil prices and

pipeline

Moldova

Small, landlocked, densely populated Majority of Romanian descent Romanian language Hilly terrain Exports wine, sugar beets, seed oils

Russia before Communism

Russian czars controlled the government Less developed than Western Europe Wealthy Boyars owned the land Most peasants were serfs, virtually slaves

until 1861 Most Russians remained poor, landless, and

dissatisfied Defeats in WWI and food shortages let to

riots in 1917

Rise of Communism

When the Russian army joined the riots, the czar abdicated

Lenin and Stalin set up a command economy and a communist dictatorship called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Officials in Moscow made production decisions

Results

Standard of living remained poor No freedom of expression No freedom to make personal decisions Millions who resisted were sent to prisons or

labor-camps in Siberia. Vast numbers of people were executed. Production was low because of a lack of

incentives to work hard

More results….

Farmland was reorganized into state farms or collective farms

Cities were industrialized Heavy industry, producing steel and

machines, was developed. Shortages of consumer goods were common,

long lines Pollution common

WWII

Germany invaded the USSR in 1941 Advanced as far as Volvograd Soviets pushed Germans west with the help

of their winter and distances Soviet troops pushed Germans back into

Germany and took control of Berlin in May 1945.

Twenty million Soviets died in WWII.

Post WWII

Era of Soviet Power 1945-1989 Militarism Cold War Controlled Communist governments in

Eastern Europe Spending enormous amounts of money on

military weapons meant more shortages of goods for the people

Reforms in late 1980s

Mikhail Gorbachev Glastnost “openness” Perestroika “economic restructuring” Privatization of businesses and farms Communist governments in Russia, Baltic

States, and Eastern Europe are replaced by democratic governments in the early 1990s with market economies