Russia Today

Chapter 16Section 3

Becoming a Free Market Economy

• After the collapse of Communism, Russia moved toward a free market economy

Free Market Economy: People, rather than government, decide what goods and services to produce, how to produce, & who will buy them

I. Russia’s Economic Regions• Moscow

– Political & cultural center• Port Cities:

– Kaliningrad-only port in the Baltic Sea that stays ice-free year-round

– St. Petersburg

• Siberia– Hard to tap into resources because of harsh climate

• Volga River– Volga carries almost ½ of Russia’s river traffic – Russia’s most productive farmland

II. Environmental Issues

• Russians must balance making profit with protecting the environment– Nuclear Power Plants are in decay;

leads to nuclear waste– Air Pollution from factories led to lower

life expectancy– Water Pollution from poor sewer

system, chemical weapons plants (from Cold War) & other sources

III. Politics

• Russia is a democracy– Democracy: people elect their leaders

• Russia is a federal republic– Federal Republic: power divided

between national & state government with president

• Democracy is dramatically different from Communism:– Leaders must follow same laws as

regular people– Leaders must accept criticism from

people

IV. Ethnic Challenges

• Majority Group: Russians, descendants of Slavs, are largest group

• Minority Group: 100 ethnic groups

*Majority group controls more wealth & power.

Republics of the Caucasus

Chechnya, has experienced fighting over the years because the Chechen people want to form their own country.

V. Daily Life

• 70% of population is Russian Orthodox– Other religions: Muslims, Roman

Catholic, etc.• The leader of the Russian Orthodox

Church is the Patriarch.

VI. Russian Literature & Music• Stories passed down

orally: skazki• War & Peace by Leo

Tolstoy describes Russia’s defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte & France

• Peter Tchaikovsky composed The Nutcracker ballet & 1812 Overture which also describes Russia’s defeat of France

The Hermitage Museum, built by Catherine the Great, holds art work from around the world.

Caucasus and Central Asian Republics

Chapter 19Section 3

I. Geography

• Located south of Russia• Republics of Central Asia

– East of Caspian Sea– Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan• Republics of the Caucasus

– Located between Caspian Sea and Black Sea

– Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia

Republics of the Caucasus

II. Republics of the Caucasus

• Armenia– First country to make Christianity official

religion (ca. 300 AD)– Capital, Yerevan, is one of world’s oldest

(founded in 782 BC)– Armenia was controlled by many different

nations, including the Ottoman Empire, who limited their freedoms & mistreated their people. During WWI, millions were deported by the OE, where historians estimate 600,000-1 million died of starvation. *This was the first genocide of the 20th century, though the Turks deny that it ever happened.

• Azerbaijan– Split by Armenia– Majority are

Muslims, which has caused conflicts with Armenian Christians

– Authoritarian government is corrupt

• Georgia– Known for resorts located along the

Black Sea– Has had conflicts with Russia after

gaining independence because Russia has recognized claims of independence (as of 2008) of two regions below

Resorts in Georgia along coast of Black Sea

Central Asian Republics

III. Central Asian Republics• Central Asian Republics have become of interest

to the rest of the world because of their vast natural resources

• Known for limiting citizens’ basic freedoms & violations of human rights are common

• All five countries are Muslim• Kazakhstan

– Largest of the former Soviet republics– Large amounts of natural resources & most stable of

all republics• Uzbekistan

– Most live in fertile valleys & oases– World’s largest cotton producer (child labor used to

harvest in many places)• Turkmenistan

– World’s largest reserves of natural gas• Kyrgyzstan• Tajikistan