Unit Three: Russia Flashcards
Some regions are much stronger than
others, so power is devolved unequally across the country, a condition
called_____
asymmetric federalism
the oligarch who founded United Russia
Berezovsky, Boris
Lenin’s followers
Bolsheviks
a privileged class of rich landowners
boyars
reigned over Russia for 34 years—longer than any other female in Russian history. As empress, Catherine westernized Russia. She led her country into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe
Catherine the Great
group of Communist party leaders that met twice a year
Central Committee
this is weak in Russia due to the communist ways; any interest groups during that time were heavily controlled by the government, which is still somewhat present today.
civil society in Russia
Private land ownership was done away with, and the farms were intended to feed workers in the cities who contributed to the industrialization of the nation.
collective farms, collectivization
united the fifteen former republics of the Soviet Union, and Russia has been the clear
leader of the group. However, the organization has little formal power over its members, and today only nine former republics remain tied to it. Russia’s motives are almost always under strict scrutiny by other countries. Still, trade agreements bind them together, although nationality differences keep the members from reaching common agreements.
Commonwealth of Independent States
a primarily Muslim region that has
fought for years for its freedom
conflict in Chechnya
created a three-branch government, with a president, a prime minister, a lower legislative house called the Duma, and a Constitutional Court
Constitution of 1993
has the power to challenge the constitutionality of laws and other official actions of legislative and executive bodies
Constitutional Court
convinced many of the tsar’s critics that Russian ways were indeed backward and in need of major reform; Technological/military reform
Crimean War
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation; the biggest competition to United Russia
CPRF
Most citizens in Russia in Russian, however there is a strong influence from the Muslim community
cultural heterogeneity in Russia
Western thought influenced Russian intellectuals who saw no room for western political institutions to grow under the tsars’ absolutism. Their frustration erupted in the _____. Suppressed by Nicholas I
Decembrist Revolt
a decision that the legislature has no control over
decrees
the idea of a “vanguard” leadership group
that would lead to the revolution because the people could not organize it themselves.
democratic centralism
a process that brought about reforms, such as loosening government censorship of the press, decentralization of economic decision-making, and restructuring collective farms.
de-Stalinization
the lower house made up of 450 members
Duma
Russian egalitarianism has survived the fall of the Soviet Union and most Russians resent wealth and income differences.
equality of result in Russia
The Russian Federation has retained this model, and the current regime consists of eighty-nine regions, with a bicameral system
federal government structure
upper house; consists of two members from each of the 89 federal administrative units. Since 2002 one representative is selected by the governor of each region and another by the regional legislature.
Federation Council
With this, Stalin set ambitious goals for the production of heavy industry, such as oil, steel, and electricity
Five Year Plans
head of Politburo during Soviet Union era; For example, Stalin
general secretary
This term translates from Russian as “openness”; it allowed more open discussion of political, social, and economic issues as well as open criticism of the government.
glasnost
He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 and additionally as head of state beginning in 1988, initiated glasnost
Gorbachev, Mikhail
Glasnost, Democratization, Perestroika
Gorbachev’s three-pronged reform plan
Central State Planning Commission during the Soviet Union
Gosplan
President = Head of State
PM = Head of Government
head of government, head of state
Stalin’s successor, set about to reform Stalinism by loosening its totalitarian nature and publicly denouncing the purges.
Khrushchev, Nikita
farmers during the Soviet Union that were forced to move to cities or to labor camps, and untold numbers died at the hands of
government officials.
kulaks
Russian communist revolutionary and head of the Bolshevik Party who rose to prominence during the Russian Revolution of 1917, one of the most explosive political events of the twentieth century.
Lenin, V.I.
This misnamed party is by far the most controversial. It is headed by Vladimir Zhirinovsky who has made headlines around the world for his extreme nationalist positions.
Liberal Democrats
Like the oligarchs, they gained power during the chaotic time after the Revolution of 1991, and they control local businesses, natural resources, and banks.
mafia
Lenin’s version of Communism (vanguard)
Marxism-Leninism
President after Putin’s first terms, allowed for Putin to be a factor as prime minister
Medvedev, Dmitri
(i) represented a minority group under the leadership of Alexander Kerenskii. (ii) They believed in gradual change and establishment of a parliamentary form of government like that of France and Britain. (iii) They favoured a party which was open to all and to work within the system
Mensheviks
biggest cleavage in Russia; Although about 80% of all citizens are Russians, the country includes sizeable numbers of Tatars, Ukrainians, Armenians, Chuvashes, Bashkis, Byelorussians, and Moldavians. These cleavages determine the organization of the country into a “federation,” with “autonomous regions,” republics, and provinces whose borders are based on ethnicity.
nationality
Signed by Putin to allow a great deal of private ownership to exist under a centralized leadership
New Economic Policy
process of recruiting leaders from lower levels of the party was generally blind to economic and social backgrounds
nomenklatura
a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution
oligarchy
This economic reform was Gorbachev’s most
radical, and also his least successful. Again, he tried to keep the old Soviet structure and modernize from within. Most significantly, it transferred many economic powers held by the central government to private hands and the market economy. Specific reforms included the authorization of some privately owned companies, penalties for underperforming state factories, leasing of farmland outside the collective farms, price
reforms, and encouragement of joint ventures with foreign companies.
perestroika
tsar that introduced western technology
Peter the Great
heart and soul of the Communist party
Politburo
Russia is this because it has both a president and PM
presidential-parliamentary system
The Duma is elected this format
proportional representation in Russia
recent and former leader of Russia who is the head of the United Russia party
Putin
led by Lenin in the 1918 civil war; they won leading to the Soviet Union
Red Army
led by Russian military leaders and funded by allied forces
White Army
main religious influence in Russia
Russian Orthodox Church
In 1956 he gave his famous ______, in which he revealed the existence of a letter written by Lenin before he died. The letter was critical of Stalin, and Khrushchev
used it to denounce Stalin’s rules and practices, particularly the purges
that he sponsored.
“secret speech”
Part of Boris Yeltsin’s attempt to create a western-style democracy; an immediate Market Economy
“shock therapy’’
The dissension between Russian nationalists and Russians that want to have democracy-like governance.
Slavophile vs. Westernizer
two-pronged program of collectivization and
industrialization, carried out by central planning and executed with force and brutality
Stalinism
the state controlling the interest groups
state corporatism
Russia has a history of heavy _____, in which the state has centralized control over social and economic affairs
statism (in Russia)
a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state
totalitarianism
an emperor of Russia before 1917
tsars
most powerful political party; best described as “Pro-Putin”
United Russia Party
St. Petersburg (city developed by Peter the Great) was known as the _____
“Window on the West”
been characterized as a centrist on an international political spectrum because of its positioning as the “non-system opposition” left-liberal party supporting liberal democracy. The party also advocates for the protection of the rights of LGBT people in Russia.
Yobloko
The first president of Russia who tried to influence democracy and methods of the West
Yeltsin, Boris
built hospitals, schools, constructed roads, and engaged in tax collecting
zemstvas
head of Liberal Democrats in Russia and is known for his extreme nationalism
Zhirinovsky, Vladimir
leader of Communist Party as of now
Zyuganov, Gennady
