Russia unit test Flashcards
early capitalist property-owning middle class that sought to gain political power to better fit capitalist ambitions
bourgeoise
Marx’s name for the theory of the repeating process of revolution overthrowing those in power and bringing a new ruling class
dialectical materialism
working class in a capitalist society (think dictatorship of the _______)
proletariat
Lenin’s term for a small movement to seize power for the people
Vanguard of the proletariat
a political system that seeks to create equality by eliminating private property and market forces
communism
politically sensitive/influential jobs in the state, society, or economy that are staffed by people who are chosen or approved by the communist party
nomeklatura
a. the institutions that make up society and make them believe that their struggles are normal
b. the economic systems that surround/support “a”
a. the superstructure
b. the base
short for political bureau and acted as the cabinet in a communist country, The ruling cabinet of the communist party with the general secretary, the de facto leader of the country, at its head
politburo
acts as legislature in a communist country
central committee
political system in which power comes from the ruling political party, bypasses the government structure, and goes directly to the state
Party-state
a system in which resources are allocated by planning what and how much should be produced, prices, and selling locations
central planning
(openness) encouraged public debate with the hope that a frank discussion of the systems shortcomings would help foster change and increase legitimacy
Glasnost
(restructuring) institutional reforms in the economy and political systems that would flow from glasnost
perestoika
a policy advocating for rapid market reforms freeing prices and removing any state control because there would be painful change for a short period, but there would be more pain if the changes were more gradual
shock therapy
true or false: there has never been a truly communist country
true
how does a revolution resulting in communism take place?
while the active system was feudalism, the bourgeoise would rise up, take over and the system would switch to capitalism, then the capitalism would progress to late stage capitalism (with high inequality) which would then lead to the proletariat leading a violent revolution resulting in a dictatorship of the proletariat and eventually true communism
What are three theorized reasons communism hasn’t worked out?
1) communism as a system simply doesn’t work
2) Marx gave no instructions on what to do after the final revolution
3) it needs to be formed from a late stage capitalist country
old-timey economic system with royalty, knights, and peasants/serfs which was the first step towards communism
feudalism
what are some successes of communism?
1) ensured jobs for everyone
2) economic equality
3) gender equality
what are some failures of communism?
slow economic development
no LGBTQIA+ tolerance
suppressed religion
poor gini index
suppresses cultural/ethnic identity
mass killings in many countries
Russian men of power who have origins in security agencies
Siloviki
Powerful economic leaders whose fortunes rose during privatization in the 90s (example: Eric’s rich Russian ex girlfriend)
Oligarchs
Putin’s hand picked successor in 2008 who then made Putin his prime minister. Was PM when putin was re elected as president in 2012
Medvedev
Was adopted as a religion by the Russian state early on and did not draw a line between political and religious authority
Russian Orthodox Christianity
The Russian word for a single Russian emperor who exercised sovereignty over the nation’s lands and aristocrats
Tsar
Initially led a coup d’etat and took governmental control and transformed Russia into the Soviet Union
Lenin
It originated as the Cheka and is a secret police force that controls domestic dissent and supervises overseas surveillance
KGB
His control over the communist party grew after Lenin’s death. He appointed only loyal followers and used brutal tactics to remove any/everyone else from power
Stalin
The process of bringing everything under state control
Collectivization
took office in 1953 after Stalin’s death, made an initial attempt at reform. But was thwarted by the party-state bureaucracy and forced from his position by the Politburo in 1964.
Khrushchev
during his rule he rejected further reform and placated the nomenklatura by assuring them that their power and privileges were protected
- economic growth slowed
- Those in power became corrupt
- Public cynicism grew
Brezhnev
became general secretary in 1985. Unconnected to the Stalinist period, as ruler he believed that the Soviet state could be revitalized through glasnost and perestroika
Gorbachev
an early protégé of Gorbachev’s who was sidelined as his calls for change grew more radical. Though ejected from the Politburo, he was elected president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Yeltsin
The word that Russians have used for centuries to refer to the executive power. Most of its power is vested in the hands of the presidency.
Kremlin
The successor to the KGB which controls domestic intelligence and is viewed by many as the main political actor in russia
Federal Security Service (FSB)
A war in a Russian republic that has been a source of conflict since 1991. This war nearly caused the impeachment of Yeltsin
War in Chechnya
The official term for Russia’s bicameral parliament.
Federal Assembly
The Russian lower house with 450 seats whose members serve five year terms and are more powerful than the upper house
Duma
the Russian upper house with 170 seats whose members serve varied terms and are less powerful than the lower house
Federation Council
explain the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea
In 2014, following Russia’s invasion of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, the court quickly recognized Crimea’s annexation. It similarly approved legislation that requires nonprofit issue advocacy groups, including environmental and LGBT organizations, that receive foreign funding to be registered as “foreign agents.”
A variant of federalism in which the rights/power of the different regions varies greatly from one to another
Asymmetric Federalism
The two parties “Fatherland-All Russia” and “Unity” merged in 2001 to create this party. Ever since it has taken majority of seats in every election
United Russia Party
The strongest and most institutionalized party before the United Russia Party. Though banned by Yeltsin in 1991, the party was allowed to reorganize in 1993 and draws support from a portion of the population that is ambivalent about or hostile to the political and economic changes that have taken place since the 1980s
Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
This party can fall under the category of leftist. It was formed from several smaller parties in 2006 and is a social democratic party that seeks economic equality
A Just Russia Party
This party believes in nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism, calling for such things as the reconstitution of the Soviet Union and holds general hostility for the west
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
explain the Pussy Riot case
The return of Orthodox Christianity as a quasi–state religion has been accompanied by attacks on liberal activism, such as the arrest of members of the punk band Pussy Riot, several of whom were jailed in 2012 for two years on charges of religious hatred
has been detained numerous times for organizing protests against the government, and his organization, the Foundation for Fighting Corruption, were raided by the police in 2019
Alexei Navalny
a former deputy prime minister under Yeltsin and an outspoken critic of Putin, was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015
Boris Nemtsov
An area in southwestern Russia, near the Black Sea and Turkey that is home to a mixture of non-slavic people with their own ethnic and cultural identities.
Caucasus
The current leader of Chechnya who many believe had something to do with the assassination of Boris Nemstov
Ramzan Kadyrov
enabled the former directors of previously government owned firms to acquire the largest number of shares. Therefore, wealth was not dispersed but was concentrated in the hands of those who had strong economic and political connections
“Insider Privatization”
A well known oligarch who earned a lot of riches but ended up in jail in 2003 for tax evasion
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
a loosely integrated body formed in 1991 to build Russia’s sphere of influence that incorporated many former Soviet republics. While it has had little formal power, Russia has used it to coordinate its relationship with a number of former Soviet republics
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
The western name for the contest between Russia and the UK for expansion and control
“The Great Game”
Why did the USSR break up? discuss three theories
There are three theories: the first is that communism is just doomed and will never work. The second theory is that US was competing to have a stronger military, brought up their military spending, and the USSR couldn’t keep up. the third theory is that when Gorbachev opened up glasnost he released too many complaints - he released a force he couldn’t control.
list all the presidents of Russia in order starting from Lenin and the dates they were in power (the ones with a “=” instead of a “-“ are more important)
= Vladimir Lenin (1922-1924)
= Joseph Stalin (1924-1953)
Georgy Malenkov (1953-1953)
= Nikita Khrushchev (1953-1964)
- Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982)
- Yuri Andropov (1982-1984)
- Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985)
= Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991)
= Boris Yeltsin (1991-1999)
= Vladimir Putin (2000-2008)
- Dmitry Medvedev (2008-2012)
