Russia Carlos Lorenzana Per. 4

History of Russia Tsars and Serfdom Russian Revolution Russian Civil War WWII Cold War Dissolution of the Soviet Union Russia as a Democratic State

Facts about Russia Capital- Moscow Population-143 million Largest country in the world Currency- Ruble Religion- Russian Orthodox Economy based on natural resources, especially oil and natural gas, agriculture, alcohol -North Atlantic Trade Organization -World Trade Organization

Russia’s Government Today President is Head of State Head of Executive Branch (shared), names officials, oversees all ministries and foreign affairs Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (Prime Minister) Head of Executive Branch (shared), national representative, aid to President, helps to determines economic and social policy State Duma “House of Representatives” Federation Council “Senate”

President and “Prime Minister” Popular vote 6 year term (was 4 before 2007) – 2 term max 35 years old, citizen for 10 years Dmitry Medvedev “Prime Minister” Appointed by President and confirmed by State Duma Vladimir Putin

State Duma and Federation Council The “House of Representatives” of Russia 450 seats Party-list proportional representations (previously, it was half elected using party-list and the other using single-member districts, where the most popular candidates get elected in their respective districts ) Considered lower house of Parliament The “Senate” of Russia 178 seats, with 2 representatives for each region/territory (89 regions in total) No fixed term, replaced and elected by governors of regional legislature

Judicial Branch Federal Judges Lower Courts Constitutional Court Nominated by President and confirmed by Federation Council (sound familiar?) Civil/criminal cases Lower Courts Appointed by Ministry of Justice Constitutional Court Declares disputes between branches/levels of government and matters of the Constitution

Cabinet and Ministries 7 (was 5) Prime and Deputy Prime Ministers Report to Prime Ministries, who report to Pres. Ministries 18 Ministries overlooking specific areas in the government Department of Energy in U.S.

Politicians and the People in Politics Recruitment of Officials Not formal, many come from different backgrounds Citizen Participation Voting and little else Legitimacy Many like and dislike the new government Many don’t like politicians, and many regret the break up of the Soviet Union, but are apathetic Media Equal access to media for political groups/ parties

Events that shaped Russia’s Gov Russian Revolution (1917) Bolsheviks overtook tsarist regime and created Communist state Russian Civil War (1917-1921) Reinforced Communist state by defeating opposite parties, and united with other socialist states to create Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991-1993) Creation of Russia, and democratic government

Key Political Figures Vladimir Lenin (1917-1924) Creator of the Bolshevik party and first leader of communist Russia Joseph Stalin (1924-1953) Leader after Lenin, Russia became very powerful but weakened the economy Mikhail Gorbachev (1989-1993) First politician in Russia to start economic and social reform, which lead to dissolution of USSR/ Soviet Union

Constitution Written in 1993 -Federal semi-presidential republic Large dispute between Yeltsin (former Pres.) and Parliament After a referendum and a coup, the Constitution was barely passed -Federal semi-presidential republic “Superpresidential system”

Political Parties and Interest Groups United Russia Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Most popular Conservative and centric Communist Party of Russia Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers Marxist/Communist ideals Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Motherland (A Just Russia) Socialism and capitalism Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Nationalism

Economy Mix of market and command economy Developed and Industrialized Gov. owns large companies, but allows private business Developed and Industrialized Fairly high GDP Stable due to oil, natural gas, lumber, agriculture, tourism

Ethnic Cleavages and Public Policy Chechnya Focus on: A republic of Russia who has tried to gain independence through war, but was back under control during second war Production of oil/gas New energy policies Pollution problems Problems: Poor healthcare High crime Unemployment Low domestic and foreign investment

Bibliography Zalman, A. (n.d.). Russia, chechnya and terrorism. Retrieved from http://terrorism.about.com/od/originshist ory/tp/Russia-- Chechnya--Terrorism.htm Centra Intelligence Agency, (n.d.). Russia Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/rs.html Russian revolution (1917). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_(1917) Almond, G, Dalton, R, Powell, G, & Strom, K. (2007). Comparative politics today: a world view. New York: Pearson. Russia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/russia.htm