1. Russia

2. Geography Eastern Europe and Russia The largest nation on earth
Straddles two continents and 11 time zones
Climatic diversity

3. Russia Former USSR and Soviet Union 25% of Russia is in Eastern Europe
75% is in Asia
Climate: weather varies drastically (-30 is common, even colder in Siberia)
Desire for warm ports has influenced Russia’s foreign policy to control nations surrounding Russia

4. Siberia Area of northeastern Russia Makes up 75% of Russia’s land mass
Northern Siberia is a frozen tundra
Southern Siberia experiences hot/humid summers and bitterly cold winters
20% of Russia’s population lives here
Rich in natural resources
Coal, minerals, gas, timber
Large untapped area – hard to extract because of frozen conditions

5. People and Culture
One of the most ethnically diverse nations in the world (120 different ethnic groups)
Tsars (monarchs) of Russia expanded the empire starting in the 800’s
Soviet union Dictators eliminated many aspects of traditional Russian culture

6. Russia: the Rise of the ussr
Russian revolution of 1917 ended the monarchy (czar)
Vladimir Lenin: leader of the Bolshevik party, instituted a system of oppressive communism with himself as the dictator
Heavily influenced by karl marx
Lenin turned Russia into a communist state (ussr)
Communism would survive in Russia until the early 1990’s

7. Russia: the Rise of the ussr
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote “The Communist Manifesto”
Communism: Theory that all people should own farms and factories, share in the work equally, and receive an equal share of rewards
Huge split between rich and poor at the time
Peasants supported because land was redistributed

8. Russia history
Dictator Joseph Stalin succeeded Lenin in He sent many to Siberia prison camps that opposed his plans. His people lived in terror as he set up collectivism, which many resisted. Million’s died of starvation.

9. Russia history
Cold War: Extreme tension without an actual war from to 1991.
Eastern Europe forced into communism after WW II – cut off contact with the West
Tried to expand communism beyond Eastern Europe – The United States was determined to stop this
Soviet union’s economy was in serious trouble by the 1980’s
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in and its members agreed to protect one another from communist attack in Europe

10. Break-up of the communist bloc
Communist Bloc: Soviet Union and other communist nations of Eastern Europe
Berlin Wall: Built by the East Germans in 1961, sealed off East Berlin from West Berlin
1989 November – East German leaders could no longer count on support from Soviet Union. Berlin Wall torn down and country reunified.

13. Communist bloc
Many Eastern European countries broke away from Soviet control to include: Poland, East Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Latvia, and Estonia.

14. Mikhail Gorbachev
Last general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union and the last head of state of the ussr.
1985-Instituted a series of reforms to help “Fix” the USSR
Glasnost- “openness,” allowed for free expression of ideas
perestroika- “Restructuring,” designed to limit communist control of local governments and to end state control of businesses
Too little to late, USSR collapsed On December 26, 1991

15. Boris yeltsin President after gorbachev
Leader during transition from communist dictatorship to a democratic government and steered Russia toward a free market
Challenge - converting a command to a market economy
Industries and farms were privatized, but this created food shortages and unemployment
Without government control prices rose and crime increased.
Poor Russians resented rich. They wanted stability and a return to communism.

16. Vladimir Putin
Former member of KGB. Praised for his economic reforms, but questioned for his human rights violations.

17. Vladimir Putin
Russia became a federation-local governments have some authority but federal government maintains most of the power
Putin Elected on promise of returning Russia to its former glory
Corruption has run rampant through all levels of Russian government