R USSIA : C ULTURE

R ELIGION IN R USSIA After seizing power during the communist revolution in 1917, the Soviet government discouraged religious practices, and instead promoted Atheism. Atheism – the belief that there is no God or other supreme being After the fall of the Soviet Union much of Russia’s religious activity was restored. However, in 1997, Russian lawmakers placed heavy restriction on newly established religious groups Only Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism were allowed full religious liberty.

R ELIGION : C HRISTIANITY Russia’s dominant religious group is Christianity Within Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church is the most dominant denomination. Russian Orthodox Church (terms) Patriarch – Spiritual leader Icons – religious images or symbols Russia uses icons in its religious ceremonies During the reign of the Soviet government other Christian denominations were heavily persecuted. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union other denominations, particularly Catholicism and Protestantism, have seen great growth.

R ELIGION : I SLAM Islam is Russia 2 nd largest religion and is seeing rapid growth. Islam is most heavily practiced in the southern regions of Russia. Particularly in the Caucasus region, and in areas north of Kazakhstan *See map on next slide The most popular sect of Islam in Russia is Sunni

C IRCLES INDICATE HIGH INFLUX OF I SLAM

R ELIGION : J UDAISM Jews living in Russia have endured nearly constant persecution. During the Tsardom of Russia, from 1547 to 1721, Jews often experienced pogroms. Pogroms - in czarist Russia, an attack on Jews carried out by government troops or officials. As a result of such heavy persecution many Jews have immigrated to other countries. It is estimated that around 200,000 Jews currently live in Russia

R ELIGION : B UDDHISM Buddhist are dominant in 2 Republics within Russia The Republic of Kalmykia – near the Caspian Sea The Republic of Buryatia – near Lake Baikal *See map on next slide These two regions have a total of nearly 500,000 buddhists.

E DUCATION During Soviet Russia education mainly focused on: Military, science, and engineering This put a large emphasis on technology and military, but made occupations such as educators and doctors unimportant and underpaid. Current schools are much more evenly focused in their studies. Students are given the opportunity to choose between different types of schools. Some of these school are more like American high schools, focusing more on general studies, while others are more career focused. However, poor funding has lead much of Russia’s school in disrepair, and the allure of a paying job often takes precedent over attending school.

T HE A RTS : R USSIA ’ S G OLDEN A GE Following the predominately religious themed art of the 1600s, and the introduction of western European culture in the early 1700s, Russia entered its golden age in the during the 1800s. Painters: Ilya Repin, Wassily Kandinksy, Marc Chagall Composers: Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, and Modest Mussorgsky Poets: Alexander Pushkin, Boris Pasternak, and Anna Akhmatova Novelists: Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace), Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( Crime and Punishment)

I LYA R EPIN “U NEXPECTED V ISITOR ”

N IKOLAI R IMSKY -K ORSAKOV S CHEHERAZADE O P.35

T HE A RTS : S OVIET R USSIA Soviet Russia severely limited artistic expression, forcing artist to create art that glorified the nation. This type of art was known as: Socialist Realism – realistic style of art and literature that glorified Soviet ideals and goals Artists who refused to conform to these restrictions were often persecuted and jailed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, artistic expression has been largely renewed in Russia.