Russia and the Newly Independent States: An Introduction to Geo-Political History

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Russia and the Newly Independent States An
Introduction to Geo-Political History
Western Kazakhstan
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Eastern Georgia
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Saint Petersburg, Russia Photo UVM Student
Julia Katsnelson
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Transcaucasus Mountains
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Georgia
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Baku, Azerbaijian photo Alexander Pasternak
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Transcaucasus
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Chechen Refugee Camp
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Chechnya, Russia
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Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia
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Moscow, Russia
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The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
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Altay Region
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Altay Region, Russia
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Lake Baykal, Russia
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Novosibirsk, Western Siberia, Russia
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Uzbekistan
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Samarkand, Ukbekistan
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Turkmenistan
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Turkmenistan
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Almaty, Kazahkstan
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Almaty Region, Kazahkstan
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Tajikistan
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Tajikistan
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Western Tajikistan
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Kyrgyzstan
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Kyrgyzstan
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• Some facts about Russian Federation
• Arable land 7.17
• Population growth rate -0.47 (2010 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth 2004 2010
• total population 66.39 years 66.16male
  59.91 years 59.5female 73.27 years 73.1
• Independence 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
  
• Constitution adopted 12 December 1993
• Literacy 99.4 (2002)
• GDP growth rate 7.3 (2003 est.) 8.1 (2007
  est) 3.8 (2010 est)
• GDP per capita (PPP) 16, 100 (2008) 15,300
  (2009)
• Economy has been growing by around 7 each year
  since 1998.
• Poverty 25 (January 2003 est.) (13.1 2009
  est)

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RUSSIAN GEO-POLITICAL HISTORY Russian
Imperialism Russian Empire began in Muscovy
region, around present-day Moscow
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The Soviet Empire
In exchange for peoples compliance with the
system, citizens would receive housing, education
and health care at no or minimal cost.
However, the system had its roots in Russian
legacy of collectivisim and authoritarianism, in
which citizens were not guaranteed representation
or rights.
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• Gosplan- the central economic planning commission
• Bourgeois specialists
• Lenins ideal of the one Soviet People
• Stalin years (1928-1953)

Josef Stalin
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Soviet State Expansion 1940s and 1950s
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World War II The Iron Curtain Continued
Industrialization Achievements in engineering,
space race, and military
Sputnik stamp
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• Rapid Breakup of the Soviet Empire
• Occurred between 1989 and 1992
• Due to (?? These are theories.)
• regional inequalities
• consumer demands
• manipulation of power by ruling elites
• Empire broke into 15 separate countries.
  Economies and systems left in disarray, regions
  had to readjust quickly.

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The Former Soviet Union and Todays Independent
States
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• Russian Federation, Post 1992
• The Russian Federation was weakened politically
  and economically by the break-up.
• By the end of the 1990s Russian Federation was in
  crisis huge debt, 100 inflation, half of the
  economic output of 1989.
• Russian Diaspora 1
• Because workers were needed throughout the USSR
  to keep to economic and industrial goals,
  Russians relocated throughout the territories of
  the USSR, forming a diaspora of the Russian
  people in non-Russian territories.
• Diaspora the spatial dispersion of a previously
  homogenous group.

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• In 1989, 25 million Russians found themselves to
  be ethnic minorities in new countries.
• Russian Diaspora 2 An even greater number moved
  to other parts of the world, and while the number
  is not very high, these tend to be the most
  educated and talented individuals, resulting in a
  brain drain.
• Still, there are 92 ethnic groups remaining in
  Russian Federation and there are numerous
  irredentist and secessionist movements.

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Russian Federation Today

• Strong economy, mainly due to oil and gas and
  domestic production of goods, wobbled during the
  2008-2010 downturn
• Growing middle class
• President Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN
  (since May 2012, and another term before)
• head of government Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV
  (since 8 May 2012
• semi-authoritarian state with carefully managed
  elections

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Getting to Know the Newly Independent States
Armenian bread, Armenia Photo Monica Wiegart,
TrekEarth
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(No Transcript)
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Some facts about Kazakhstan

• Climate and geography continental climate,
  grasslands, steppe, mountainous region, 9th
  largest (area) country in the world
• Economy Oil, natural gas, grain and machinery.
  Oil pipeline to China. (Economy is larger than
  all other Central Asian countries combined.)
  53rd highest GDP in world
• Political Structure Parlimentary republic but
  power concentrated in executive branch.
  Nazarbayev has been president since 1991.

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• Demographics
• pop growth rate .4,
• 57 urban,
• life expectancy 68 years (male 69, female 74)
• literacy rate 99.5
• Ethnic groups Kazakh (Qazaq) 63.3 (2009) was
  53.4 (1999), Russian 23.7 (2009) 30 (1999),
  Ukrainian 3.7, Uzbek 2.5, German 2.4, Tatar
  1.7, Uygur 1.4, other 4.9 (1999 census)
• Religion (Sunni) Muslim 47, Russian Orthodox
  44, Protestant 2, other 7
• Language Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4,
  Russian (official, used in everyday business,
  designated the "language of interethnic
  communication") 95 (2001 est.)

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Some facts about Turkmenistan

• Climate and Geography subtropical desert,
  rolling dune desert, mtns in south
• Political Structures parliamentary government,
  but executive branch holds power. Niyazov who
  was President for Life (1991-2006) passed away in
  2006. His Vice Premier, Berdimuhamedow, was
  elected president in 2007.
• Economy agriculture and energy exports cotton,
  grain livestock
• natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles,
  food processing

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• Demographics
• pop growth rate 1.4,
• 49 urban,
• life expectancy 68 years (male 65, female 71)
• literacy rate 98.8
• Ethnic groups Turkmen 85, Uzbek 5, Russian 4,
  other 6 (2003)
• Religions Muslim 89, Eastern Orthodox 9,
  unknown 2
• Languages Turkmen 72, Russian 12, Uzbek 9,
  other 7

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Some facts about Armenia

• Climate and Geography highland continental,
• hot summers, cold winters
• Economy Since the implosion of the USSR in
  December 1991, Armenia has switched to
  small-scale agriculture away from the large
  agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era
• Conflict with Azerbaijan

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Etchmiadizn, may be oldest church in the world

• Demographics
• pop growth rate .107,
• 64 urban,
• Net migration -3.35/1000 (2012)
• life expectancy 72 years (male 69, female 77)
• literacy rate 99.4
• Ethnic groups Armenian 97.9,
• Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3, Russian 0.5,
• other 0.3 (2001 census)
• Languages Armenian 97.7,
• Yezidi 1, Russian 0.9,
• other 0.4 (2001 census)
• Religion Armenian Apostolic 94.7,
• other Christian 4, Yezidi (monotheist with
  elements of nature worship) 1.3