City Life About ¾ of Russia’s people live in cities. The two largest cities in Russia are Moscow and St. Petersburg. Red Square in Moscow is the most famous city square. In the country, many people live in single- family homes. In some remote places, homes lack basic plumbing, running water, gas and electric. The quality of health care and education is lower in the country. Country Life

By far, the most common religion in Russia is Orthodox Christianity. Orthodox Christianity is the Eastern branch of Christianity that spread to Russia in the 900’s and became the state religion. When this religion was brought over to Russia, the Cyrillic alphabet came along with it. The Cyrillic alphabet was adopted as the official writing system of Russia. Islam, Buddhism and Judaism are also practiced in Russia. Over 15% of the population practices Islam.

The Cyrillic Alphabet The Red Square; Moscow

Leo Tolstoy is one of Russia’s great novelists. One of his most famous novels, War and Peace (1869), showed deep concern for moral issues and for the welfare of the Russian people. Russia also had one of the best playwrights of the early 1900s named Anton Chekhov. He wrote such plays as The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. A novelist named Alex Solzhenitsyn criticized Stalin’s rule in his novel, which led the Soviet Union to increase censorship.

Food Russians generally eat a hearty diet that uses a lot of root vegetables, such as beets, carrots and potatoes. Traditional Russian foods, such as blinis and borscht, are enjoyed everywhere. Tea is a traditional beverage for Russians. Winter sports, such as hockey, ice skating and skiing are popular due to the cold climate. Tennis is also popular. Russian athletes compete seriously for Olympic team positions. Sports

Blinis Borscht Maria Sharapova; World Famous Russian Tennis Player. Russian Olympic Athletes

Russian painting was slower to adopt European influences. Wassily Kadinsky became one of the first to use abstract style. Marc Chagall was another famous painter. Russian music flowered during the 1800s. Peter Tchaikovsky wrote many great works, including the ballet Swan Lake. Igor Stravinsky was another famous Russian composer. Ballet is extremely popular in Russia; Russia features two world-class ballet companies.

Swan Lake: Performed by the Kirov Ballet Company, Russia Swan Lake: Performed by the Kirov Ballet Company, Russia A Marc Chagall abstract painting. Russian Ballerina

The establishment of the Soviet government in the early 1920s led to censorship of literature in Russia. Censorship means to control or restrict something. The Soviets also used the arts for propaganda. Propaganda is information that deliberately tries to influence opinion. Much of this propaganda was spread using posters. Under Stalin’s rule, the Communist Party outlawed artists who did not promote the Communist ideals.

“Let’s raise the generation utterly devoted to the cause of communism!” Viktor Ivanov, 1947 “Keep your mouth shut!” Nina Vatolina, 1941