1. Russia Welcome to True Democracy!
*Be sure not to offend Putin in this presentation.*

2. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
Historically based in strong autocratic rule under tsars
20th Century – based in Marxist-Leninist ideology of democratic centralism, rule of the few to benefit the many
Stalinism pushed it to totalitarianism, complete invasive rule by dictators

3. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev loosened Communist rule, leading to the collapse of the U.S.S.R.
Constitution of 1993 – reformed Russia as a presidential republic
Approved by referendum of Russian voters to build legitimacy
Attempted coups and conflict between president and Duma suggested weakness
Elections in 2000 and 2004 went smoothly, suggesting success

4. Historical Influences on Political Traditions
Common Themes of Russian History:
Absolute, Centralized Rule – Geography was subject to easy invasion and conquest, leading to unchallenged, powerful leadership
Extensive Cultural Heterogeneity – numerous invasions plus expansion of borders created a diverse population

5. Historical Influences on Political Traditions
Common Themes of Russian History:
Slavophile vs. Westernizer – pride in slavic customs and resistance to outside influence conflicts with modernizing influences from the west
Tsar Peter the Great in late 17th to early 18th century modeled Russian Empire on West
Revolutions of the 20th Century
Seize of power by Bolsheviks in 1917, keeping authoritarian style of rule, but changed social class system
Dissolution of U.S.S.R. in 1991

6. Political Culture Influences Geography Largest territory in the world
Includes many nationalities and ethnicities, borders many others
One of the coldest in the world
Few warm water ports, often motivated to conquer countries that blocked access to the sea
Many natural resources were locked in Siberia, but are now accessible due to technological improvement

8. Political Culture Influences Eastern Orthodoxy
Russia developed economic ties with Constantinople, not the West, in early centuries
Missed out on Enlightenment and Reformation ideals
Instead, valued statism, a strong state to protect them from geographic vulnerabilities

9. Political Culture Influences Equality of Result Skepticism About Power
Russians tend to resent the wealthy
Skepticism About Power
Despite statism, Russians have little faith in public officials’ competence
Exception: Putin, 70-80% approval rating
Importance of Nationality
Lots of stereotypes about Russians, Baltic people, Muslim-Turks, Jews

10. Political and Economic Change
Attempts at liberalization have historically resulted in disaster
Alexander II freed Russian serfs, created local assemblies, gets assassinated by revolutionaries (1881)
19th century tsars who used capitalist means to industrialize failed
Gorbechev’s glasnost ended in widespread criticism of government, a military coup, and the collapse of the U.S.S.R.

11. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Tsarist Rule (13th Century – 1917)
Mongol rulers established cooperative tsars over Russia, later lost influence
Tsar Peter the Great (late 17th – early 18th century) introduced Western technology and culture
Catherine the Great – ruled as an “enlightened despot”, authoritarian but for public good
19th Century – Decembrist Revolt (1825), loss in the Crimean War delegitimized tsars, who resorted to secret police and executions to stay in power
Assassination of Alexander II led his son to undo all democratic reforms

12. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Revolution of 1917, Lenin, and Stalin
Loss in Russo-Japanese War (1905) further weakened the state
State collapsed in Feb due to World War I
Soldiers often fought with no guns or shoes
Massive defections ended any sense of legitimacy
Marxist exile Lenin returned to take power
Lenin’s 1905 pamphlet “What is to be Done”
Followers became known as Bolsheviks
Formally seize control Oct. 1917

13. Vladimir I. Lenin ( )

14. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Revolution of 1917, Lenin, and Stalin
1918 Civil War
Red Army (Bolsheviks) victory over White Army (funded by Allied Powers)
Results in “New Economic Policy” which allows private property ownership in agrarian U.S.S.R.
Death of Lenin in 1924, ensuing power struggle
Stalin placed Communists (CPSU) at the center of control

15. Josef Stalin ( )

16. This is a doctored photo of Lenin “consulting” Stalin that Stalin used to legitimize his takeover of the CPSU. In reality, Lenin called Stalin’s personality “intolerable for a Secretary-General” and told party officials they should try to find a way to remove him

17. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Revolution of 1917, Lenin, and Stalin
Stalinism
Elite recruitment through nomenklatura, recommendation of high level party members to promote low level party members
Collectivization – no more private land ownership, state run “collective farms”
Peasants who resisted (kulaks) were sent to cities or labor camps, or executed
Industrialization – Five Year Plans set ambitious production goals in oil, steel, electricity
Plans carried out by Gosplan, the Central State Planning Commission

18. Politburo (12 members Central Committee (300ish members)
General
Secretary
Central Committee
(300ish members)
Communist Party
of the Soviet Union
(7% of population)

19. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Revolution of 1917, Lenin, and Stalin
Stalinism
Purges – execution of millions of citizens and up to a million party members who were “disloyal”
Reform
Nikita Khrushchev wins power struggle in 1953 after death of Stalin
Denounces purges
deStalinization – loosened government control of press, decentralized economic decision making
Relaxed Cold War tension
Failure in Cuban Missile Crisis resulted in replacement by conservative Brezhnev

20. Political and Economic Change
Three major periods
Reform
Mikhail Gorbachev ( )
Westernizer attempting to save USSR from collapse
Glasnost – “openness,” allowed political discussion and criticism
Democratization – created a directly elected Congress of People’s Deputies, and a President selected by Congress, later elected
Perestroika – transfer of state economic powers to the market, like authorization of privately owned companies, penalties for under-performing state businesses

21. Political and Economic Change
Failed Coup and Revolution of 1991
Coup to remove Gorbechev in August led by conservatives, vice-president, head of KGB, top military brass
Ended by popular protest, defection of soldiers
Protesters led by Boris Yeltsin, recently elected President of Russia
Had been removed from Politburo due to extreme views, but won popular election
11 republics declared independence after the coup, leading Gorbechev to announce the end of the U.S.S.R.
Yeltsin initiates “shock therapy” – rapid conversion to market economy

22. Political and Economic Change
Modern Russia
Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly in 1999
Perpetual economic decline in the 1990’s
“Loans for Shares” scandal
Inability to work with Duma
Numerous diseases, including alcoholism
Rapid hiring and firing of Prime Ministers
Resignation brings Putin to power, who wins reelection in 2000 and 2004
Stability in the political and economic system
Retreat from democratic commitments of Yeltsin

23. Citizens, Society, and the State
Cleavages
Nationality
80% Russian, but many Tartars, Ukrainians, Armenians, etc.
Most well-integrated, but slightly autonomous
Exception: Chechnya, predominantly Muslim, fighting for independence
Religion
Tsarist Russia was Eastern Orthodox
U.S.S.R. responded by banning all religion
Yeltsin encouraged Orthodoxy again
Most Russians say they are Orthodox, but rarely attend services

24. Religious/Ethnic Affiliation in Russia
Religion
Russian Orthodox – 15-20%
Muslim – 10-15%
Other Christian – 2%
Non-practicing or non-religious is largest segment
Ethnicity
Russian – 79.8%
Tartar – 3.8%
Ukrainian – 2%
Chuvash – 1.1%
Other – 12.1%

25. Citizens, Society, and the State
Cleavages
Social Class
Tsarist Russian nobles/peasant class system
CPSU membership and nomenklatura replaced nobility as a status symbol, though egalitarian and blind to social background
Now appears that market economy and entrepreneurship is becoming the basis of social class divisions
Oligarchs – wealthy individuals believed to be “pulling the strings” of the government, and benefiting from preferential treatment
Urban (73%) vs. Rural

26. Citizens, Society, and the State
Beliefs and Attitudes
Mistrust of the government
Statism
Economic beliefs – right/left divisions formed since Yeltsin’s reforms
Conservatives are those who support “the good old days” of Soviet Communism
Westernization – slavophile vs. westernizer still characterizes political divisions

27. Citizens, Society, and the State
Political Participation
Elections – voter turnout around 65-70% typically for president
Civil Society
Undeveloped private organizations (people don’t attend church, join recreational clubs, labor unions, etc.)
Soviet system was state corporatism, party controlled all “private” groups
Government still places tight restrictions on activities of groups critical of the government
Youth Groups – created by Putin to support the government

28. Institutions Federal System
83 regions, 21 of which are non-Russian majority called “republics”
Asymmetric federalism – not all regions are equally sovereign, some are more powerful than others
Putin’s changes (since 2000)
Super-Districts – 7 federal districts with head appointed by president to “oversee” local authorities
Power for president to remove a governor
Ended election of governors, now appointed
Federation Council was comprised of the governors, now that isn’t allowed

29. Colored regions on this map are “republics,” each with relatively smaller Russian ethnic compositions, and with more autonomy from the federation than other Russian regions

30. Linkage Institutions
Political Parties – based on personalities, not ideology, and loyalty is weak
United Russia – party of power, built by oligarchs to help Putin get elected in 2000
CPRF – not really “communist,” but not reformist either
Yabloko, Union of Right Forces – both reformist, support democratization and marketization
Liberal Democrats – not liberal, not democratic, CRAZY!!

31. Actual things Zhirinovsky (Liberal Democrats) has said:
“Jews are often to blame for Anti-Semitism”
Visited the U.S., said that whites were “in danger of turning their country over to blacks and Hispanics.”
"Condoleezza Rice needs a company of soldiers [and] needs to be taken to barracks where she would be satisfied."
Advocated use of tactical nukes on Chechnyan villages
Threatened to nuke Japan in the event of another Russo-Japanese War
Claimed Russia possesses "Elipton," a weapon of mass destruction supposedly more powerful than nuclear weapons
To eradicate bird flu, he proposed arming all of Russia's population and ordering them and the troops to shoot down the migrant birds returning to Russia from wintering
Accused Great Britain (according to him, "the most barbaric country on the planet") of fomenting World War I, the October Revolution, World War II, and the collapse of the Soviet Union
Got in a “juice fight” during a debate in 1995.

32. Linkage Institutions Elections Referendum Duma
used for Constitution of 1993
regional Constitutions like Chechnya’s that declared it an “inseparable part” of Russia
Duma
450 seats, was ½ SMD, ½ PR with a 5% threshold
Changed by Putin to fully PR with a 7% threshold
Parties with less than 7% now “shut out”

33. 2003 Results, prior to Putin’s changes

34. 2007, after changes to the system

35. Linkage Institutions Elections Referendum Duma Presidential
used for Constitution of 1993
regional Constitutions like Chechnya’s that declared it an “inseparable part” of Russia
Duma
450 seats, was ½ SMD, ½ PR with a 5% threshold
Changed by Putin to fully PR with a 7% threshold in 2007
Changed BACK to ½ and ½ in 2013
Presidential
2-ballot majority
Questionable in fairness and competitiveness (Medvedev won 71% in 2008, Putin 63.6% in 2012)

36. Linkage Institutions Interest Groups Oligarchs
Formerly only allowed by CPSU under state corporatism
Putin has returned to a similar system
Oligarchs
1991 move to market system allowed many insiders (nomenklatura) to purchase state-owned industries for almost nothing
Controlled early political processes, propped up Yeltsin and later Putin
Ex. Berezovsky used his TV networks to help both, later worked with other oligarchs to create Unity Party
Putin now solidifying control and loyalty from oligarchs
Arrest of Khodorkovsky who financed opposition
Arrest and seize of Gusinsky’s TV company

37. Linkage Institutions
Russian Mafia – gained a lot of power in chaos of 1991, control local businesses
Russian Media – privately owned, effectively state controlled
Critical journalists often get killed mysteriously
Journalists Union was evicted to give the building to Russia Today channel, state owned to promote Russia’s image abroad

38. State Institutions President and Prime Minister
Semi-Presidential system
President – head of state
Directly elected by voters
Appoints prime minister and cabinet
appointments may be rejected by Duma, but Duma is dissolved if they reject the choice 3 times
Can issue decrees that have the force of law
Can dissolve the Duma and call for new elections
Prime Minister – head of government
not majority party leader, usually a career bureaucrat loyal to the President
Becomes president if president dies or resigns
Putin attempted to transfer control of military and FSB to Prime Minister before becoming PM

39. State Institutions Bicameral Legislature, Federal Assembly
Lower House, the State Duma
450 Deputies, elected by ½ PR, ½ SMD elections
Passes bills, approves budget, confirms presidential appointments
Powers are limited due to presidents ability to pass law through decree
Process of impeachment and rejecting appointments are effectively useless
Upper House, Federation Council
2 members from each of 84 regions, 168 members
One elected by provincial legislature, one appointed by the President
Can only really delay legislation – can be overridden by State Duma

40. State Institutions The Judiciary Constitutional Court Supreme Court
Attempt by Constitution of 1993 to create independent judicial system
19 members appointed by president, confirmed by Federation Council
Supposed to have “judicial review”
Supreme Court
Final place to appeal civil and criminal cases
Problem – most attorneys were trained in the old Soviet system
Courts don’t tend to challenge government

41. State Institutions The Military
4 million members, most in world (compare to #2 U.S. at under 1.5 million)
Source of power of CPSU from 1945 to 1991, but never challenged authority of Politburo
Showing no signs of becoming a political institution