Leading a nation is never an easy task; Leading the largest country on earth is undoubtedly harder. This weeks readings we dove into the political climate of Russia in the post Soviet Union era. Russia Turns the Page by Dmitri Elkin offers us a unique perspective into those very formative years of the Russian Federation. The book lets the reader better understand some of the success and struggles of the new nation.
The author notes that the transition of Russia was in no way an easy task. In particular he notes the tremendous stress and hardships faced by the Russian populace during the 1990s. This period of almost completely unrestrained capitalism is etched permanently in the minds of many Russians as they entered the 21st century. It is
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As the leader of the United Russia party, a party that despite not having of an ideological formation, managed to do quite well in elections. With the election of Vladimir Putin in 2000 began the process of consolidating power from opposition parties. This was primarily achieved through controlling the electorate by using the Kremlin’s influence over television. However, over time this form of control extended to limiting the size of demonstrations and other restrictions of free speech. These policies increasingly put the new Federation at odds with the West, some even began to question Russia’s legitimacy as a democracy! However, what is most informative about this article is how despite the numerous crackdown on freedoms we learn that the vast majority of Russians seemed to be unconcerned with political matters at this time. For the vast majority of Russians they were content with the fact that the government seemed to be keeping things “running smoothly” and the economy on the rise. This feeling, while at first is hard to accept, upon hearing the many accounts of how the once disgraced Russian people were quickly able to rise to the top of the New World Order, I began to understand the feelings of national pride that can so easily manifest itself at the ballot box. This new era however, was not all fine- the hastily drafted Russian policies of the 1990s left many legal loopholes and created a culture where cheating was almost required to succeed. This had always been a problem in post- Soviet Russia, but by the early 2000s the level of corruption was almost unbearable. The delicate balance that Putin had to achieve in managing the oligarchs, party members, and constituents is truly a testament to the difficulties of
Historically, Russia has always been a country of perplexing dualities. The reality of Dual Russia, the separation of the official culture from that of the common people, persisted after the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War. The Czarist Russia was at once modernized and backward: St. Petersburg and Moscow stood as the highly developed industrial centers of the country and two of the capitals of Europe, yet the overwhelming majority of the population were subsistent farms who lived on mir; French was the official language and the elites were highly literate, yet 82% of the populati...
During the 20th century, the rise of communism sparked rage in people throughout the world. More towards the end of the 1900's the fall of communism and dictatorships was just the beginning of what would eventually be a large democratic change for several countries. 1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End, speaks about the change brought to several different countries from the 1980's-1990's and plans to show "the global transformations that marked the end of the cold war and shaped the era in which we live"(Pg V). During the cold war, communist had power and control over a large area and spread communism throughout several continents. This book specifically hits on six different studies of where communism and dictatorship affected these areas and what they did to stop it. Poland, Philippines, Chile, South Africa, Ukraine, and China throughout the end of the 20th century created revolutionary movements which brought them all one step closer to freeing themselves and creating democratic change.
Mau, Vladimir. " The road to 'perestrokia': economics in the USSR and the problem of
According to Medvedev, Joseph Stalin’s leadership style was one that was molded from his need to control the situation and paranoia. Stalin did rely on his close network of political allies to effectively rule, but decisions that could affect the U.S.S.R must be authorized by him and no other person. (Medvedev 115) This made party members very nervous and also very repla...
The origins of the Cold War came about when United States President Harry Truman issued his Truman Doctrine. This doctrine stated that the United States would support “free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” This would end up being the foundation of the U. S. involvement in the Cold War. The main idea of the doctrine was to support nations in the resistance of communism. Truman felt that if one nation fell to communism then this would lead to a “domino effect” resulting in many other nations in the region falling to communism. The greatest fear was that the Soviet Union would spread communism throughout the world thus the reason for the policy of containment. Truman felt it necessary to also provide economic aid to nations that surrounded the Soviet Union. The idea being that they would create a ring of Allies that would contain the threat of the Soviet influence of communism. Economic support would be given and if necessary military support as well. The basis for this economic aid was presented in the Marshall Plan. This plan called for $16 billion in economic aid to be used in the reconstruction of Europe.
The government, fully aware of the peasantry’s numerous issues and grossly corrupt land distribution system, failed to pass any compelling reforms after the initial emancipation. The vast work contributed by journalists within this timeframe paint a rather hectic and turbulent view of the government and the peasantry, while offering no substantive or realistic reforms to, effectively, fix the problem. Finally, the Russian peasants themselves prove to be the most effective in achieving their own reform; angered by years of impotence and ineffectiveness within the Russian government, the Russian peasantry develops a fiery and aggressive position that will boil over into the 20th century. Furthermore, the perception of the Russian peasantry was unique to each Russian citizen, shaped by personal experiences and immediate needs; therefore, it seems more than appropriate that the peasantry itself proved to yield the greatest success in securing its own
agendas, and moving around Party staff in such a way that eventually everyone who counted for anything owed their position to him(Stalin Biography).” By the time the Party's intellectual core realized what had happened, it was too late--Stalin had his people in place. While Lenin, the only person with the moral authority to challenge him, was on his deathbed and incapable of speech after a series of strokes, and besides, Stalin even controlled who had access to the leader. The General Secretary of the ...
International politics as one may imagine includes foreign affairs. This is why the topic and focus of this paper revolves around the current event within Eastern Europe. It will focus on both Russia, Ukraine, and the world, and from it, it will be analyzed by using the resources provided within class. After all it is a International Politics course, and one of the best ways to effectively put the skills and knowledge to use is to focus on an event or current event. The paper will attempt to go over in a chronological order of the events that has happened, and what is happening currently over in Ukraine. Afterwards, an analyzed input will be implemented providing reasoning behind Russia's actions, and actions of the world, and potentially some solutions.
Rule of Lenin vs the Tsar The beginning of the 20th century saw a great change in the political structure of the Russia. A country once led under an autocracy leadership. was suddenly changed into a communist state overnight. Dictatorship and communism are at separate ends of the political spectrum. This study so clearly shows both involve the oppression of society and a strict regime in which people are unable to voice their opinions.
Misunderstandings happen in our everyday lives, but when is one misunderstanding one too many that can ultimately leave a country in ruins? The Family Romanov written by Candace Fleming is a nonfiction piece set in the time span of 1903 to 1918 filled with the experience of life in the Russian autocracy under the Romanov rule as a peasant, royal and rebel. This story tells us about the downfall of the once greatly praised Russian autocracy, Fleming takes the reader on a journey featuring the rise, but more so the downfall of their rule. After centuries of reign, the Romanov line has a final ruler, Nicholas II, decisions are made and blood is spilled. But, how far would the people of Russia go for a fair government and how oblivious is not
Under a backdrop of systematic fear and terror, the Stalinist juggernaut flourished. Stalin’s purges, otherwise known as the “Great Terror”, grew from his obsession and desire for sole dictatorship, marking a period of extreme persecution and oppression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s. “The purges did not merely remove potential enemies. They also raised up a new ruling elite which Stalin had reason to think he would find more dependable.” (Historian David Christian, 1994). While Stalin purged virtually all his potential enemies, he not only profited from removing his long-term opponents, but in doing so, also caused fear in future ones. This created a party that had virtually no opposition, a new ruling elite that would be unstoppable, and in turn negatively impacted a range of sections such as the Communist Party, the people of Russia and the progress in the Soviet community, as well as the military in late 1930 Soviet society.
Russia, a vast country with a wealth of natural resources, a well, educated population, and diverse industrial base, continues to experience, formidable difficulties in moving from its old centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. President Yeltsin's government has made substantial strides in converting to a market economy since launching its economic reform program in January 1992 by freeing nearly all prices, slashing defense spending, eliminating the old centralized distribution system, completing an ambitious voucher privatization program, establishing private financial institutions, and decentralizing trade. Russia, however, has made little progress in a number of key areas that are needed to provide a solid foundation for the transition to a market economy.
"Everything about Russia (History Section)." Http://WWW.RUSSIA.NET Internet Web Page. " CNN Interactive (Russian Archive)". http://WWW.CNN.COM Minton F. Goldman, Russian and the Eurasian Republics - Building New Political Orders. PP 14-25 and 34-45.
From the end of the Second World War to the disbandment of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991, the shadow of the Cold War enveloped the world under the potential of nuclear destruction. Following World War II Europe was divided into a U.S. led pro Democratic West, and a Soviet controlled Communist East. Under the Truman Doctrine, the Americans implemented foreign policy focused on containing the spread of Communism. Germany was the most disputed country in Europe, with both the country and the city of Berlin being divided between the Soviets and the Allies. The Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1947 led to escalated tensions and the U.S. led Berlin airlift.
Exploring the October revolution and the establishment of communism, Richard Pipes concludes that the origin of communism can be traced back to the distant past in Russia’s history. Pipes states that Russia had entered a period of crisis after the governments of the 19th century undertook a limited attempt at capitalisation, not trying to change the underlying patrimonial structures of Russian society. (Pipes, 1964)