Russia Test Flashcards
How are elites recruited in communist based societies?
They use nomenklatura which is a system of patronage to the oligarchs
What does Marx think the biggest problem with the economic system of capitalism is?
It promotes the increase of a gap between the wealthy and the poor
What tzars began to introduce western culture to Russians?
Peter the Great and Catherine the Great
What are Russia’s most abundant natural resources?
Oil and timber
What resource does Russia lack?
Warm water ports
Everything is controlled by the government, the government should protect its citizens from its geographical downfalls
Statism
Has the UK or Russia had more success with gradual order and change?
The UK
What type of government developed out of the aristocratic system of the UK?
The government devolved more power to people and became less centralized and more democratic
What type of government developed out of the aristocratic system of Russia?
The government remained relatively centralized, it become more of an authoritarian system with the basis of communism
What leader used the Politburo, collective farms, Five Year Plans, and Gosplan?
Stalin
Describe collective farms.
All personal farms were taken by the government and run by the government
Describe the Five Year Plan.
Statins plans that set goals for heavy industrialization
Describe the Politburo.
A group of 12 individuals that made all government decisions for Russia under Stalin
Describe Gosplan.
Stalin’s plan for individual factories
What was the result of the Revolution of 1991?
The first president of Russia was elected/ the fall of the USSR
What is the main reason for the regions, republics, and provinces in Russia?
Ethnic differences
What are the most popular religions in Russia?
Islam and Russian Orthodox
How does voter turn out compare to those of other countries?
It’s considerably higher than the U.S. but lower than the UK and France
What is asymmetric federalism?
Power is unequally spread across the different regions, provinces, and republics of Russia
What is the most significant consequence of the elimination of single-member districts in the Duma?
It eliminated small regionally popular parties from gaining representation
What are the four parties in Russia?
United Russia, Communist Party, Liberal Democrats, Just Russia
Which party is Putin’s party?
United Russia
Which party has the most seats in the Duma?
United Russia
Who is Vladimir Zhirinovsky?
The head of the liberal democrats
What is Zhirinovsky known for?
His extreme nationalism
What is the difference between political parties in Russia and in Britain?
In Russia the parties are parties of power which are created by oligarchs
In Britain the parties are based on certain ideals
What is the primary religion of Russians living in the Caucasus regions?
Muslim
The state determined which groups have input on policy making
State-corporatism
The people on the inside of the government(oligarchs) are the ones who make money off the free market system
Insider privatization
What is the relationship between the media and the Russian government?
The government has a lot of control over the media
What is Russia’s dual elective?
There are 2 rounds of elections for the president and he must gain more than 50% of the vote
How is the president selected?
Popularly elected by a majority
How is the prime minister selected?
Appointed by the president
What can the Duma do regarding the president’s prime minister appointment?
They can veto his appointment
What is the most important function of the Federation Council?
It represents the regions
What court has the power to make sure all laws are constitutional?
The Constitutional Court
What political role does the military play in Russia?
It used to be used as the governments means of enforcement; now it isn’t really used
What leader showed the most enthusiasm for free markets and the privatization of the Russian economy?
Boris Yeltsin
How did Russia joining the WTO change Russia’s international relationships?
It diversified the economy by allowing international businesses to come into Russia
What is BRIC?
Brazil, Russia, India, and China
All these countries have great economic power
What is a cleavage in Britain based on nationality?
Because UK is four different nations a cleavage has formed because these nations all retain their own sense of nationalism
What is a current political issue that has come about because of Britains multinational cleavage?
Northern Ireland tried to separate itself from the UK and also the IRA used warfare tactics to try to convince the British to allow Irish independence
What is a significant cleavage in Russia based on nationality?
Chechnya is a cleavage based on nationality; chechnyains are mainly Muslim and feel dissented from Russia
What political issue has arose from the Chechnyains cleavage?
Chechnya has fought for its independence using warfare to gain its freedom from Russia including terrorist attacks; including the seizure of a school in 2004
How have each government dealt with the political issues that arose from nationality cleavages
Britain has allowed Northern Ireland to vote for its independence which did not pass; Russia deals with it by fighting back and trying to kept the Chechnyians from gaining their independence
