Russia’s People and Culture Ch. 9 Sec. 2 Pp. 263-268

Political Challenges Democracy – government in which people freely elect their leaders Federal republic – power is divided between national and state governments with a president who leads the nation Russian president has stronger powers than ours Learning how to function in a democracy Former President Putin

Ethnic Challenges Slavs (80%) – Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians Majority group – group that controls most of the wealth and power Minority group – not the group that controls most of the wealth and power About 100 minorities Fighting among ethnic groups Some minorities, like the Chechens, want independence

Daily Life 75% live in cities Hard to find housing in cities Cramped apartments People are leaving rural areas to find work in the cities

Religion in Russia Under communism, they were forbidden from practicing religion Russian Orthodox Church created Cyrillic alphabet 70% are Russian Orthodox Many Muslims

Celebrations, Food, and Sports New Year’s Eve – children decorate fir tree and family exchanges presents May Day parade celebrates workers Winter and indoor sports are popular

Rich Cultural Traditions Skazki – orally storytelling that was passed down from generation to generation Great writers like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Solzhenitsyn Ballet very popular