CHAPTER 5 Russia and the Post-Soviet States World Regional
Geography FIFTH EDITION World Regional Geography FIFTH EDITION
Lydia Mihelic Pulsipher Alex Pulsipher 2011 W. H. Freeman and
Company
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Any reactions to the film Conquest that Brad showed on my
behalf? Did anyone go to the talk on the Global Water, Local Water
last night? Dont forget there will be International Development
Week events throughout this week. The UN Millennium Task Force
found that African women spend 40 billion hours a year getting
water. Well imagine what the poverty impact would be if those women
could put those 40 billion hours to productive use raising their
families, getting more schooling, keeping their girls in school.
Dr. Margaret Catley-Carlson in an interview with IDRC, 2005 One
such event is the showing of two films: Food Security: Its In Your
Hands and Voices of the River tonight from 6 to 9 in Building 200,
Room 203.
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Career Day: The Geography Department is hosting a Career Day!
All students are welcome to attend. It will take place tomorrow
from 1 to 2 in this room. Anyone who is working on a major paper
who would also like practice in presenting is welcome to present at
the pre-WDCAG session on Friday, Feb. 22 from 11:30 to 2:30. Just
notify Jeff Lewis of your interest. I wont have time to go through
all the slides each week, so please read them on your own. I will
do a little more with Europe, then move on to Russia and the
post-Soviet states Still waiting to hear from Groups 4, 5, & 7
regarding presentation dates. The summaries are for the whole group
and should fit together well.
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Does anyone ancestors originate in Russia, Ukraine, or other
parts of the former Soviet Union? With the possible exception of
China, this regions people suffered more than any other in the 20
th century Massive deaths of soldiers and losses of civilians from
famine during World War I More famine and deaths from conflict in
the subsequent revolution and civil war Famine deaths during the
forced collectivization, with up to 5-6 million famine deaths in
the Ukraine alone Soldier and civilian deaths on a massive scale
(20 million) during World War II Millions executed or interned in
the gulag under Stalin
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Union of Soviet Social Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union - Was
the largest political unit on Earth, stretching from Central Europe
to the Pacific Ocean - It covered one-sixth of the earths land
surface - Broke apart in 1991 into a loose alliance of Russia and
11 post-Soviet states - Russia is still influential in the world
today because of its size, population, military, and huge oil and
gas reserves - The area commonly holds elections but the fairness
of these elections is uncertain and several (including Russia
itself) verge on being dictatorships - Crime and corruption ravage
the democracies of the region
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There is no entirely satisfactory name for the former Soviet
Union; it is called Russia and the Post-Soviet States in this
chapter Russia itself is called the Russian Federation because it
includes more than 30 internal republics These internal republics
constitute about one-tenth of its territory and one-sixth of its
population, but do not share power equally with the Russian
government
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Physical features vary over vast territory they encompass The
region resembles North America in size, topography, climate, and
vegetation Russia is the largest country in the world, nearly twice
the size of the second largest country, Canada
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A,B- Alluvial plain of the Volga River - Flows into Caspian Sea
- Transportation route that connects many parts of the North
European Plain to the Baltic and White Seas in the north and to the
Black and Caspian Seas in the south C- Ural Mountains -
Traditionally considered indistinct border of Asia and Europe, the
part of Russia west of the Urals is often called European Russia -
Low-lying mountain range similar in elevation to the Appalachian
Mountains
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D- West Siberian Plain - Largest wetlands plain in the world,
about the size of the Eastern United States - Long bitter winters
create a permanently frozen layer of soil (permafrost) that lies
just beneath the surface - Because of the permafrost, water does
not drain well, creating swamps and wetlands E- Central Siberian
Plateau F- Pacific Mountain Zone G- Semiarid grasslands or steppes,
barren uplands and high mountains - Caucasus, Elburz, Hindu Kush,
Pamir, Tien Shan, and Altai
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Northern part of Eurasian landmass has the harshest climate on
Earth Winters are generally long and cold with only brief hours of
daylight Summers are short and cool to hot with long days
Precipitation is moderate, primarily coming from the west East of
the Caucasus Mountains climate is semiarid to arid, the summers are
scorching and short, the winters are intense
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Farthest north vegetation is tundra grassland; economic
activities include reindeer grazing, and extracting oil, gas, and
other minerals South of the tundra lies the taiga, which is a vast
cold-adapted coniferous forest; here forestry is the dominant
economic activity (and often unrestrained by ecological concerns)
Short growing season limits crop agriculture except in West
Siberian Plain, where grain is grown The southern areas support
grasslands and are used for herding, have been used for commercial
agriculture, but most land is not useful for farming
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Joseph Stalin said We cannot expect charity from Nature. We
must tear it from her During Soviet years huge dams, factories, and
other industrial facilities were built without regard for the
environment or public health Now Russia and the Post-Soviet States
have some of the worst environmental problems in the world By 2000,
more than 35 million people in the region were living in areas
where the soil was poisoned or the air was dangerous to
breathe
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Hard to link health issues to urban pollution because most are
nonpoint sources (e.g. automobile exhaust, raw sewage, and
agricultural chemicals that drain into water supplies) Dzerzhinsk
is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most
chemically polluted city in the world Ukraine has some of the worst
pollution on earth but there is a lack of public involvement, so
the government does nothing about it and offending companies pay
bribes and fines to continue to pollute
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Worlds worst nuclear disaster occurred in Ukraine in 1986, when
the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded The Arctic Sea and the
Sea of Okhotsk in the northwestern Pacific are also polluted with
nuclear waste dumped at sea Kazakhstan has 237.2 metric tons of
radioactive waste waiting for disposal
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Russia itself has the worlds largest natural gas reserves,
major oil deposits, and forests 35% of the worlds nickel supply,
10% of its copper, and 40% of its platinum come from the Norilsk
area The increase in resource demand has also created an increase
in environmental degradation (e.g., oil spills and soil and water
pollution)
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River Systems - The Dnieper River is the principal river of
Ukraine, used as a transport conduit to the Black Sea and on to the
Mediterranean and as a energy resource (hydroelectric dams) - The
Volga River is the chief waterway of European Russia used for
transport; it is also a site for many hydroelectric power plants -
The Ob, Yenisy, and Lena Rivers are all located east of the Urals,
and flow from south to north into the Arctic Sea
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Rivers, Irrigation, and the Loss of the Aral Sea - Syr Darya
and Amu Darya rivers have long been used for irrigation of
commercial cotton agriculture - Diverting the water of these two
rivers for agricultural use was the cause of the loss of the Aral
Sea, once the forth largest lake in the world - The loss of the
Aral Sea has been described as the largest manmade ecological
disaster on earth - The loss of the Aral Sea has also impacted
climate change as well as human health - Efforts to increase water
flows to the sea have been effective; in 2006 the water level in
the sea had risen 10ft
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The core of the region is European Russia, the most densely
populated area and the homeland of ethnic Russians People spread
out and conquered territories which were under Russian control as
part of the Soviet Union (1917-1991) The breakup of the Soviet
Union was the first reverse of this Russian expansion in
centuries
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Nomadic Pastoralists-the politically and militarily dominant
people of the region for thousands of years; first domesticated the
horse from wild herds Slavs- group of farmers including the Rus,
that emerged from what is now Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus and
moved east founding many settlements, including Kiev and Moscow
Mongols- loose confederation of people centered in East and Central
Asia that ruled over the Slavs; eventually the Slavs rose up and
conquered the Mongols led by Ivan IV (Ivan The Terrible) marking
the beginning of the Russian Empire in 1552 Czars- Powerful leaders
during the Russian Empire
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The Bolshevik Era - The Bolsheviks gained control of Russia
during the post-revolution civil war, overthrowing the capitalist
and feudal society and creating a Communist society, inspired by
the works of Karl Marx - Vladimir Lenin was the Bolshevik leader
responsible for creating the Communist Party and created a powerful
government in Moscow The Stalin Era - 1922-27: Joseph Stalin took
over from Lenin; he sought rapid industrialization made possible
because of a centrally planned or socialist economy, known as the
command economy
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World War II - 23 million Russians died, more than any other
European combatant - A failed attempt to conquer Russia exhausted
Hitlers war machine - Russia was ceded control of much of Central
Europe, which Stalin intended to make a buffer of allied Communist
states Cold War - Once the rest of the world recognized Russias
intention of ruling Central Europe or creating the Iron Curtain,
the United States and its allies organized to stop Russian
expansion, resulting in a 50-year-long geopolitical rivalry
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Economic and Political - Oligarchs are individuals who are so
wealthy that they wield enormous political control - The power from
oligarchs was used to create the Moscow School of Management,
Skolkovo in 2009
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Characteristics of the Command Economy - 5-year plans with
quotas - Economy did rapidly grow until the 1960s - Lack of
competition and rewards resulted in a lack of efficiency and
poor-quality products - However, science and technology achieved
feats such as launching the first satellite in 1957, and launching
the first manned spacecraft in 1967 Soviet Strategic Regional and
Transport Planning - Russification: the process of forcing
non-Russian ethnic groups to conform by swamping groups with a
large number of Russian migrants - Russias large size, harsh
climate, and south-to-north flowing rivers makes transportation
difficult to plan
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Energy-based Economic Volatility in the Region - Russia is
worlds largest exporter of natural gas - Gazprom is the tenth
largest oil and gas entity in the world - Many foreign nations are
interested or building pipelines into Central Asia Relations with
the European Union and the Global Economy - About 80% of Russias
foreign investment comes from the European Union - Group of Eight
(G8): organization of the wealthiest and most highly industrialized
nations
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Changing Agricultural Production - Only 10% of Russias vast
empire is suitable for agriculture - During the 1990s, yields
dropped 20 to 30%, forcing farms to become privatized or broken
apart, leading to better management and efficiency Family Food
Gardens in Urban Space - Urban gardens have long been an important
source of nourishment - Highly productive, accounting for 20 to 30%
of agriculture produced on 1% of agricultural land area - Urban
expansion is starting to encroach on land available for urban
gardens
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Privatization and the lifting of price controls - By 2000 70%
of Russias economy was in private hands - The result was a lifting
of price controls and reliance on forces of supply and demand to
set pricing Unemployment and the loss of social services -
Unemployment rates in 2010 were 1.9% in Belarus and 9.2% in Russia,
but 27% in parts of Caucasia and Central Asia, and as high as 60%
in Turkmenistan - High rate of underemployment in all
countries
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Small businesses face challenges of inflation and
Institutionalized Corruption - Inflation has increased the rate of
credit from 8% to 25% The growing Informal Economy - Many people
make a living selling goods out of their homes, much like the black
market days of old
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1985 Mikhail Gorbachev started the democratization of the USSR
Vladimir Putin took over as president in 1999, incorporated former
military or security personnel as advisors (siloviki) Dmitri
Medvedev, Putin's heir apparent, became president unopposed Putin
engineered his appointment to the office of prime minister (which
has no term limits); many see this as Putins effort to hold onto
power indefinitely
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The Color Revolutions - Rose Revolution in Georgia - Orange
Revolution in Ukraine - Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan Cultural
Diversity - Conflicts in Chechnya and Georgia over Russian rule
Media and Political Reform - Russian journalists were greatly
responsible for the end of the Soviet Union, starting the origins
of a free press (later destroyed by Putin) - Television, Internet,
and mobile phone use are increasing
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Russian Mafia: highly organized criminal network dominated by
former KGB and military personnel who control the thugs on the
streets Russian smugglers were caught trying to sell nuclear
materials on the black market; all countries are now cooperating
with the International Atomic Energy Agency in controlling nuclear
material
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Population Patterns - Low birth rate and aging population, just
more extreme than similar nations Population Distribution and
Urbanization - 249 million people - Sparsely populated 22 people
per square mile Shrinking Population - Since the breakup of the
Soviet Union, Russias population has shrunk by 5% to just 142
million people and will drop to 116 million people by 2050 -
Between 1990 -2008 male life expectancy fell from 63.9 to 60 years
and womens life expectancy from 74.4 to 73 years - 7 million deaths
per year are alcohol-related
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Female Labor Force - By late 1990s 70% of unemployed were
women, but due to death, divorce, and illness women became sole
supporters of families and had to find jobs - Now on average female
workers are better educated than men, but still get paid less than
men (36% less) - One positive feature of communism is that more
women moved into professional positions
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The Trade in Women - Women are sold as mail-order brides on the
Internet or work in the sex industry The Political Status of Women
- Women have not shown up in Russian politics because of
long-standing biases towards women in power - However, in Belarus,
Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan (more authoritarian governments), women
have held more legislative positions
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Who says no one in Russia has a sense of humour?
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Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Muslim are the major
religions -Evangelical Christian sects from the United States are
also becoming popular
