1. Russia
Carlos Lorenzana
Per. 4

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

3. 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

4. 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”

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

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

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

12. 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”

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Bibliography
Zalman, A. (n.d.). Russia, chechnya and terrorism. Retrieved from ory/tp/Russia-- Chechnya--Terrorism.htm
Centra Intelligence Agency, (n.d.). Russia Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from factbook/geos/rs.html
Russian revolution (1917). (n.d.). Retrieved from
Almond, G, Dalton, R, Powell, G, & Strom, K. (2007). Comparative politics today: a world view. New York: Pearson.
Russia. (n.d.). Retrieved from