Russia-Eurasian Republic Introduction Russia and Eurasia have a rich history that includes, in recent history, major changes in their political and economic systems. Historically, Russia, when compared to Western Europe, always lagged behind in many ways. At one point, Peter the Great visited Western Europe (incognito) to observe and document the style of living in the west so that he could upgrade Russia. Fast-forwarding to the 20th, while most other countries had transitioned to industrialized democratic-republics, Russia remained a monarchy. Czar Nicolas II (Romanov Dynasty) would be the last to rule as an absolute monarch. Unemployment and poverty led to a class war. Things worsened when the Czar committed his troops to fighting German invasions during World War I. By 1917, Lenin and the Bolsheviks helped to dethrone the Czar, execute his entire family and replace the monarchy with a communist system based on Marxist ideals. Communist (as in communal) would level the playing field for everyone in Russia. Communism spread during the 20th century forming a strong alliance system that was countered by nations that were/are democratic-republics. It was not until the late 20th century that communism in Russia and Eurasia ceased to exist 1
Transitions of the Russian Government during the 1900s Russia U.S.S.R. Russia King: Czar Nicholas II ( Monarchy) Pre-1917 He had five children (one of them was Anastasia) People began to protest against the king. Soon, there was a revolution (Russian Revolution) 1917 The king and his family were executed Unlimited government Communism (1917-1989) The revolution was led by Lenin Lenin takes over Russia s name was now U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) Unlimited Government Capitalism/Free Enterprise (1991 to Present) Democratic Republic After 1989, big changes came to Russia. Leader (Gorbachev) opened the door to a free society with less government control and a free market society. Limited Government 2
Quiz 1 1.Place in correct order the systems of Governments Russia experienced and state if they are unlimited or limited. 2. What did Vladimir Lenin contribute to Russia? Map (Russia/Soviet Union) Communism After World War II ended in late 1945, the Soviet Union (Russia) changed sides and was no longer allies (friends) with the free and democratic countries in Western Europe. This map shows the Soviet Union and its allies among the communist nations. The Soviet Union formed an alliance and named it the Warsaw Pact. The ongoing hostilities and competition between the nations with democratic/free enterprise systems and the communist nations came to be known as the Cold War. 3
Russia and the Eurasian Republics Historically, Russia was ruled by a monarch, but with a civil war in the early part of the 20th century, a communist government controlled the country for most of the 20th century. After World War II the Russians gained control of the surrounding countries and either incorporated them into their empire (Central Asian republics) and formed the Soviet Union or dominated them politically (Warsaw Pact countries). After the Cold War, these small regions that had been under communist rule gradually gained their independence from the USSR, brought about political change and are thus known as the Eurasian Republics (Latvia, Lithuania, etc.). Most of the Eurasian Republics are located to the west and southwest of the Russia. Quiz 2 Please states if each of the Forms of Government listed below are either LIMITED OR UNLIMITED 1. Totalitarian 2. Constitutional Monarchy 3. Absolute Monarchy 4. Communism 5. Democratic Republic 4
Transition Part 2 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR) was formally dissolved on 26 December 1991 by declaration 142-H of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. This declaration acknowledged the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union following the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. Armenia, 2. Azerbaijan, 3. Belarus, 4.Estonia,5. Georgia, 6. Kazakhstan, 7.Kyrgyzstan, 8. Latvia, 9. Lithuania, 10. Moldova, 11. Russia, 12. Tajikistan, 13. Turkmenistan, 14. Ukraine, 15.Uzbekistan Economy So what brought about the Change? The short answer is Economics mainly talking about the scarcity of goods and services In order to revive the stagnant Soviet economy, in 1985 new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began a process of increasing political liberalization (glasnost/perestroika) in the totalitarian, communist one-party state. However, this liberalization led to the emergence from 1986 onwards of nationalist movements and ethnic disputes within the diverse republics of the Soviet Union. Early Predictions of the USSR Collapse Ludwig von Mises The Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises predicted the unsustainability and eventual collapse of the Soviet system in his 1921 book Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis Leon Trotsky One of the founders of the USSR, later expelled by Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky devoted much of his time in exile to the question of the Soviet Union's future. In time, he came to believe that a new revolution was necessary to depose the nomenklatura and reinstate working class rule as the first step to socialism. 5
ECONOMY Was the Change Good? There are now independent businesses where before (during the time of the USSR) there were long lines for products of poor quality. Today there are criminal organizations, where there was once government controlled spying and repression (KGB). When Governments change to democracy, cultural borrowing by people can bring about the good and the bad. There has been more money and new business projects coming from outside sources since the Eurasian Republics broke away from the USSR. This has helped the independent republics economies, because they are not relying on government support, but can receive from outside investors. In the Past (During the USSR) the People worked for the State, while in the present free economy the People work for themselves and make their own decisions. Government Similarities between the United States and Russian Federation Both have a Constitution Both are Free market Economies Both are led by a President -President Obama and Russian President Putin Both have Three Branches of Government Legislative, Executive, Judiciary 6
The Soviet Union (USSR) WAS NOT ONLY RUSSIA, Russia was 1 of 15 countries that made up the Soviet Union (USSR) The 15 countries that made up the Soviet Union (USSR) are now independent countries. 7
Climate and geography help to explain the distribution of the cities in Russia which are primarily located in the west. The harsh climate best explains this pattern of settlement across the nation as seen below. Much of Russia s major industry is located in the eastern portion of the country, because that is where most of the usable natural resources are located. Much of Russia s coal resources are in the center of the country 8
Much of farm and ranch land is located in areas different from the areas where oil and coal are located. Like a population density map, the darker the area, greater the density of agriculture is. Intensively of Russian agriculture as of 2006. Permafrost - A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions. The grey represents an Arctic Desert which is the location where you would find Permafrost. 9
Because of Permafrost being located mainly in Siberia, settlers have had to adapt to this environmental factor. In areas such as: housing and farming. Permafrost Economy The main difference between a market (Free Market) economy and a communist system (command economy) is the amount of Government control of the Economy. LESS MORE 10
Economy The free market economy of Russia has less government control and influence over the economy this has allowed more opportunity in some areas of business, but not having government controls has reduced the programs that were designed to help people. Economy The easiest indicator to determine the developmental level or standard of living for a country is Per Capita GDP? The Gross Domestic Product Per Capita can be used to compare countries and determine standard of living(life expectancy, Infant Mortality, Literacy, etc ). 11
Cultural Culture: The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. Shared beliefs and values Cultural Diffusion The Soviet Government encouraged migrations by Russians across the USSR this action helped to create a very large cultural region as well as help spread the Russian language. In 1990 the Russian language was declared as the official language of USSR and the constituent republics had rights to declare additional state languages within their jurisdictions this was the Russian Government s attempt to strengthen Russian culture, within Russia as well as the Soviet Union. 12
Cultural Diffusion The Kazakh (Kazakhstan) language is a member of the Turkic language family, as are Uzbek (Uzbekistan), Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan), Azeri (Azerbaijan), Turkmen (Turkmenistan). But Russian is also widely spoken in all these countries as well, due to the shared history of this countries, In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian remains a co-official language with Kazakh and Kyrgyz. Even though Russian is a Slavic language. Cultural Diffusion Arabic Script Cyrillic Script 13