Russia and the Republics

Statistics Worlds largest country-Baltic Sea to Pacific Ocean. (1/6 of worlds land mass) Home to 280 million (Approx. 150 million live West of the Urals.) 11 Time Zones 89 Separate provinces w/separate govts 15 Republics Over 100 different ethnic groups Population Triangle: Leningrad, Moscow and Rostov Na Don Russians have a Slavic heritage “Slavic” means Slave of the Viking Russian Orthodox religion

History 20th Century - 1917: Russian Revolution brings an end to Romanov Empire (Czarist Russia) 1917 - 1991: Communist Rule 1922: Became known as the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) Post WWII: Cold War 1991: End of Communism 15 Republics now independent 1917 - 1924: Vladimir Lenin is the first leader of the Soviet Union.

History (cont) Stalinist Era (under the leadership of Josef Stalin) 1924 - 1953 Leader through WWII (Great Patriotic War) Successfully defeats Nazi invasion of ‘41 “Reign of Terror”- Had more people killed than Hitler did during his reign. Soviet Union takes control of the following European nations: Poland, Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), E Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia “Iron Curtain” refers to countries under Soviet control (coined by British P.M. Winston Churchill) Ally to the U.S. during WWII, enemy after WWII (Cold War)

Communism (Effects of Govt & Economic Policies) Govt controlled the newspapers Govt opposed religion (opium of the masses) Govt exercised COMPLETE control over industry and agriculture Stressed heavy industry over consumer goods Forced nomadic people to settle into villages and to work on massive govt farms No freedom to make any personal decisions No freedom to express their own opinions

History (cont) Post-Communist Era Collapse of Soviet Union in 1991 Each Republic became an independent nation Causes of the collapse Upsurge in Nationalism Widespread opposition to Dictatorship Widespread opposition to Economic hardship

The Republics Independence leads to conflict over… Territory Ethnic differences Religious differences When the Soviets divided the Republics, they would purposely leave large #’s of one ethnic group as a minority in neighboring republics of another ethnic group. This was done to prevent opposition to the Party by using the tensions that existed among the different ethnic groups. Loyalty to the Party was above all.

The Republics (cont) Western Republics Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Baltic States (Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) Ukraine is rich in farmland Baltic States are not Slavic, are tied to the West, Catholic and Protestant

The Republics (cont) Trans Caucuses Republics Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan Culture is rooted in the traditions of the Middle East Armenians consider themselves descendents of Noah Noah’s Ark is on Mount Ararat Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity

The Republics (cont) Central Asia Republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Religious heritage is Muslim Area was part of the Silk Road - the 4000 mile route between China and the Mediterranean Sea, named for the costly silk acquired in China

Resources Primary Activities Petroleum Gold Diamonds Timber (Taiga)- 22% of worlds supply Problem: Getting the resources from the extraction site to the refinement site. Most natural resources are in Siberia. (While only 10% of the population lives there)

Resources (cont) Secondary Activities: Managed Resources: Furniture Wood Chips Pressed Wood Managed Resources: Recycled Wood Waste Wood Replant Trees

Economy Communist Economy (Command) 1917-1991. Capitalism (Market) State/Government Control Capitalism (Market) Slowly moving toward a free market 50% of natural resources are state owned Rest (50%) are owned by private companies