Sovereignty, Authority and Power Political and Economic Change
Citizens, Society and the State Political Institutions Public
Policy OVERVIEW
Slide 5
RUSSIA TIMELINE
Slide 6
Tsars ruled in Russia until 1917. The Tsars were also the head
of the Russian Orthodox Church The first steps to Westernization
were taken by Peter and Catherine the Great POLITICAL CHANGE
Slide 7
Tsarist rule ended in 1917 with the Bolshevik Revolution, led
by Vladimir Lenin and his group of supporters, and assassination of
Tsar Nicholas II. POLITICAL CHANGE (CONT.)
Slide 8
Lenin set up his version of Communism in Russia, which differed
from the Communism in Maoist China, and created the USSR. Lenin
utilized the system of democratic centralism called the Vanguard to
run the country. After Lenins death in 1927, Joseph Stalin came to
power. He dismissed the Vanguard and put in power the Communist
Party. Stalin was an extremely cruel dictator and ruled with an
iron fist. POLITICAL CHANGE(CONT.)
Slide 9
After Stalins death Mikhail Gorbachev came to power and
attempted to de-stalinize. Gorbachev utilized the system known as
Glasnost to try to improve relations with the West. POLITICAL
CHANGE(CONT.)
Slide 10
Further attempts to democratize Russia came about when the
Russian Federation was formed in 1991 following the collapse of the
USSR. Boris Yeltsin was the first elected president. He created a
3-branch government. In 2000, Vladimir Putin became president. In
recent years, it appears that Putin is shifting Russia back into a
more authoritarian state. POLITICAL CHANGE(CONT.)
Slide 11
Comparisons: Like the U.K., Russia began under the rule of a
royal family. But unlike the U.K. Russia did not become as centered
around democratic principles after the fall of their monarchs.
China, similar to Russia, has instituted more aspects of democracy
into its government recently. POLITICAL CHANGE(CONT.)
Slide 12
Under the Tsars the economy was similar to that of the feudal
system in medieval Europe. The economy was mostly centered around
agriculture. Under Lenin, a new economic policy was instituted
which allowed for private ownership under a centralized leader.
After Lenins death, Stalin instituted the five year plans which
called for more goals for industrialization and agriculture.
ECONOMIC CHANGE
Slide 13
After Stalins death, Nikita Khrushchev decentralized the
economy and restructured collective farming. Gorbachev tried to
rapidly democratize the economy. Yeltsin attempted to privatize the
economy and shift towards a market economy through his Shock
Therapy which proved to be way too fast and led to an economic
downturn in Russia. Currently, Putin has re-centralized some of the
economy and uses the state-capitalist model. Comparison: Russia,
like Mexico, utilized para- statals in their economy. ECONOMIC
CHANGE(CONT.)
Slide 14
RUSSIAN GDP IN RECENT YEARS
Slide 15
Throughout Russias history, the political culture has always
focused around a powerful central leader, unlike other countries
such as Great Britain. Before the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia was
ruled by monarchs known as Tsars. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY AND
POWER
Slide 16
Historically, legitimacy has been based on strong government
rule, unlike Mexico, where leaders are selected based on charisma.
The Tsars, and the dictators during the 20 th century, are examples
of this type of strong government rule. After the downfall of the
Communist regime, legitimacy was very low due to the recent regime
change. Since Putin was elected the governmental approval has been
on the rise. GOVERNMENT LEGITIMACY
Slide 17
As a result of repeated invasions earlier in Russias history,
Russia has become home to people of wide cultural diversity. This
cultural heterogeneity has intensified ethnic cleavages and
conflict, similar to the issues faced by Nigeria. CULTURAL
INFLUENCE ON GOVERNMENT
Slide 18
The Economy: Historically, Russias economy has had problems
balancing a centralized economy vs a free market system. Russia has
also had issues with too much dependence on oil for their economy,
similar to Nigeria and Iran. Russias economy has been suffering
recently due to dropping of oil prices. Foreign Policy: Russia is
attempting to redefine its place in the world. Recently, Russia has
stirred up controversy over control of the recently independent
Crimean Peninsula. PUBLIC POLICY
Slide 19
Relations with the West: Russia was accepted into the WTO in
2012. Russia struggles with relations with the west but maintains
good relations with the other members of the BRIC countries. PUBLIC
POLICY(CONT.)
Slide 20
Terrorism: After multiple acts of terrorism in 2004, Putin has
put in place reform to try to boost funding for national security.
Similar issues are faced by the U.K. regarding terrorism.
Population: Recently, Russia has suffered from a huge drop in birth
rate. Russias population is predicted to fall to 116 million in
2050. PUBLIC POLICY(CONT.)
Slide 21
Recentralization: Putin has tried to increase re-centralization
of the government and economy. He has controlled the government
continuously since he was first elected through alternating between
Prime Minister and President. PUBLIC POLICY(CONT.)
Slide 22
Population estimates- 148 million people One of the most
sparsely populated countries in the world. Russia is composed of 85
federal subjects. In these federal subjects, many cleavages based
on ethnicity, religion, social class, and residence exist. Russia
is composed of 47 oblasts (provinces), 21 republics (states), 8
krais (territories), 6 okrugs (autonomous districts), 2 federal
cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and an autonomous Jewish
oblast. CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND STATE
Slide 23
Like Nigeria, Russia has a number of ethnic-based cleavages 73%
of Russians live in urban areas while 27% live in rural areas.
Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash
1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% 80% of Russians
identify as following Russian Orthodox, 2% Other Christian, 10%
Islam, 8% Other While the Russian government has adopted a tolerant
view of minorities there is still prejudice against groups such as
Muslims and Jews. CLEAVAGES
Slide 24
With the fall of the Soviet Union many countries broke away
from the union in 1991. However many nations remained within the
Russian Federation. Many of these nations have cultures very
different from Russia and would like to leave to form their own
countries. The Russian government extends trade benefits to many of
these groups in order to keep them satisfied. Chechnya, a Muslim
region in the Caucasus Mountain Range, is the most
independent-minded nation and has fought against Russia in order to
gain independence. Nigeria has dealt with similar conflicts in
their Bafarian Civil War. SOCIETY
Slide 25
Because of Russias past as a dictatorship there remains few
linkage institutions between the government and the people.
Political parties are fluid and weak and often tend to centralize
around a charismatic leader like those in Nigeria, rather than an
idea as in the U.K. and Mexico. The most successful of the numerous
parties is the United Russia Party, headed (officially or
unofficially) by Vladimir Putin. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
Slide 26
Russia has a bicameral legislature: the Duma (lower house) and
the Federation Council (upper house). While the Duma is the lower
house, it is far stronger than the Federation Council which mainly
functions to represent the regions of the federation. Both houses
are unable to effectively counter the presidency. The U.K. has a
similar legislative system in their House of Lords and House of
Commons. The judiciary branch under the Soviet Union was completely
ruled by the Communist Party and little has changed today, for the
Constitutional Court does not check Putin. The courts are not
effective because they are riddled with corruption, tightly
controlled by the executive, and are still transitioning from the
Soviet legal system. INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
Slide 27
After the fall of the U.S.S.R. the military was weakened by the
chaos that enveloped Russia after 1991. The military suffered
defeat by the Chechen rebels, and has struggled to maintain itself
after being denied resources by its government. Since 1999 the
military has recovered thanks to President Putin though he has kept
tight control and has kept it from being a political force. This is
in contrast to Nigeria where the military is the main political
stabilizer. INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT(CONT.)
Slide 28
Under President Putin most of the regional autonomy that
regions formerly enjoyed were electoral powers. The removal of
these powers has turned the country away from a federation and into
a union. Despite this, elections still continue and thrive on a
local, state, and national level. The political system contains
three types of national votes: the Referendum, the Duma elections,
and the Presidential Election. LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS- ELECTIONS
Slide 29
The Executive Branch is split between a President and a Prime
Minister. Both have strong powers. The President is able to appoint
the Prime Minister, issue decrees with the force of law, and
dissolve the Duma. Although the prime Minister is actually the head
of government, he is actually the presidents deputy, and is more
likely to carry out the Presidents decrees than make any. This
system is similar to that of Iran, whose Supreme Leader is the
ultimate authority, while the President is more of his subordinate.
LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS- ELECTIONS(CONT.)
Slide 30
With the introduction of capitalism to Russia, much of the
governments industry became purchasable allowing a few individuals
to purchase industries at almost nothing. With this vast economic
power, they established an unofficial oligarchy that funded first
Boris Yeltsin, and later Vladimir Putin. Since 2003 however the
oligarchical control has waned after severely clashing President
Putin. Much of their political power is gone and they are now
losing their sovereignty after going into debt with the Russian
government. State corporatism has expanded under President Putin.
Just as state corporatism has expanded in Iran POLITICAL
INSTITUTIONS-OLIGARCHY, STATE CORPORATISM