AP Comparative Government: Russia

Glasnost

"openness" more open discussion of political, social and economic issues as well as open criticism of the government -> people hostile toward Glasnost as a result of years of repression.

Russian Orthodox Church

- closely tied with the state since the early day of princes - Soviet Union prohibited religious practices of all kinds -- > lost their religious affiliations during the 20th century - Boris Yeltsin re-encouraged the Russian Orthodox Church - Old reflection of Russian nationalism - highly regulated by the government now - influence establishing Russian statism

Mafia

-Estimated controls of 40 percent of the private economy, 60 percent of state-run enterprises; may influence as many as 80 percent of banks -Protection, money, corruption result -Has gone global! -Money laundering (Russia, Britain, United States); gambling (Sri Lanka); drugs (Colombia); legitimate Israeli high-tech companies collective of various organized crime syndicates originating in the Soviet Union;

Failed Coup (The Revolution of 1991)

1991 "conservatives" from within Politburo led coup d'etat that tried to remove Gorbachev, failed when popular protests broke out, soldiers defected, protesters led by Boris Yeltsin, December 1991 11 republics had declared independence, Gorbachev forced to announce end of Union

Dimitri Medvedev

2008; elected president after Putin, who became prime minister President in 2009-2012

Asymmetric Federalism

A system where power is devolved unequally across the country and its constituent regions, often the result of specific laws negotiated between the region and the central government. some regions (republics) are much stronger than others.

Tsars

A Russian term for "Caesar" or ruler; the authoritarian rulers of the Russian empire before its collapse in the 1917 revolution autocratic rule princes of Moscow controlled lands to protect them from invasion and attack

Central Planning

A communist economic system in which the state explicitly allocates resources by planning what should be produced and in what amounts, the final prices of goods, and where they should be sold

A Just Russia

A small party in the Russian Duma with a social-democratic orientation Sergei Mironov Split into two, another one being: Fair Russia

Power Vertical

A term used by Vladimir Putin to describe a unified and hierarchical structure of executive power ranging from the national to the local level. Term to describe Putin's centralization and control of everything

communism

A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Nikita Khrushchev

After Stalin Destalinization: a process that led to reforms (loosen government censorship, centralization of economic decision-making, and restructuring of collective farm) Advocated "peaceful coexistence" or relaxation of tension between the U.S> and the Soviet Union Failure in Cuban Missle --> loss of his control Reforms didn't appear until 1960s

Semi-Presidential System

An executive system that divides power between two strong executives, a president and a prime minister Presidential Election: follow the two-round (requires of 50% of the vote). (was every 4 years, now is every 6 years with limited of 2 consecutive terms) President has the power to: - appoint prime minister and cabinet (duma says no 3 times, dissolved) - issue decrees that have the force of the law (duma cannot says no) - dissolve Duma Duma can: (legislative) - Passes bills, approves budgets - Confirms Presidential appointments - Can veto PM nominee - 2/3 vote overrides Presidential veto and Federal Council rejection - Can remove PM in 2 repeat votes of no confidence passed within a three month period (but is hard) Federation Council: - Can pass or reject Duma bills - Must approve tax and budget bills - Approves or rejects constitutional court appointees, declarations of war, and international treaties - was comprised of the governors and DUma heads of each region. Now is 2 members selected from each of the 85 regions (1 by the regional legislature and 1 by the regional governor) Duma Election: 450 seats half first past the post, half proportional system. Threshold changed from 5% -> 7% -> 5%. System changed from mixed to proportional to mixed (every 5 years, was 4 years) No vice-president. PM replaced president Executive branch dominate other Branch Constitutional Court: make sure all laws and decrees are constitutional Supreme Court: don't have the power to challenge the constitutionality of lawss and other official action of legisltative and executive bodies

Russian Egalitarianism

Believe that everyone is equal

Stalinism (Collectivization and Industrialization)

Communists can local, regional, and national governments. leaders were identified through nomenklatura Top government officials belonged to the Central Committee (met 2 in a year) Politburo (above the Central Committee), the center of the Community Party. 12 men ran the country, their decisions were carried out by government agencies and departments General Secretary (above Politburo): dictator of the country Party members < Central Committee < Politburo < General Secretary Took land from peasants and created state-run collective farms Abolished private land ownership

Slavophile vs. Westerner

Conflict between the two sets of political traditions, the Slavophile tradition has lead in pride Slavic customs and history that cause Russia to resist outer influence, Westernization is modernization and trading to become a major economic power. The Slavophile (lovers for slavs) has pride in slavic culture, resist outside influencer This view is challenged by the peter the Great with the western model to "modernize" Russia

Boris Yeltsin

Elected president of the Russian Republic (as a result of new voting procedures by Gorbachev) and former Politburo member (removed becuz his radical views) Create a western-style democracy The old Soviet Structure was destroyed (The Russian Federation was formed in 1991) Was frequently ill and alcoholic --> family members and oligarchs control the country -> won second election as a result of media manipulation by the oligarch -> resigned Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took his place

United Russia

Founded in april 2001 as a merger of Fatherland All-Russia Party and the Unity Party of Russia. More political support to Putin. Hard to define ideologically except that it is pro-Putin. parties of power (parties strongly sponsored by economic and political power holder)

Democratization

Insert a little democracy into the system while keeping the old Soviet structure and Communist Party under control. --> 1. Created a new Congress of People's Deputies with direct elected representatives 2. a new position "president" that was selected by the Congress

Purges

Joseph Stalin's policy of exiling or killing millions of his opponents in the Soviet Union.

Bolsheviks

Led by Vladimir Lenin it was the Russian communist party that took over the Russian goverment during WWI Lenin's followers Renamed Russia as Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Marxism-Leninism (Democratic Centralism)

Lenin changed communism by asserting importance of a group of revolutionary leaders who could provoke a revolution in non-capitalist Russia Despite being equal, there's a higher social class group that controls everyone else = "equal"

Totalitarianism

Media censorship -> state controlled art Party authoritative source of truth

Shock Therapy

Policies in formerly communist countries that envisage as rapid a shift to a market economy as possible. an immediate market economy --> Russian economy didn't immediately respond.

Kulaks/Gulags

Rich peasants in the Russian Empire who owned larger farms and used hired labour. They were their own class. Peasants who owned larger farms resisted collective farms

Nashi

Russia's largest youth movement, organized mass marches in support of Putin, laid siege to Estonian embassy to build a following of loyal, patriotic young people and to defuse any youthful resistance that could have emerged during the sensitive presidential election of 2008 A modern version of Komsomos (the youth wing of the communist party of the Soviet Union) Receive grants from the government and large state-run businesses A sign of an increasingly authoritarian state

Joseph Stalin

Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party (1879-1953) changed Lenin's democratic centralism placed the Communist Party as the center of control, and prohibited other political parties to compete with it

State Corporatism

State determines which groups have input in policymaking State-owned holding companies in different market If companies appear to be too independent or too rich the government has cited legal infractions (aka Yukos situation) to force sales Government-controlled companies or companies run by men seen as loyal to Mr. putin are beneficiaries --> inside privatization

Co-optation

System used by non-democratic regimes where members of the public are brought into a beneficial relationship with the state and government

Catherine the Great

This was the empress of Russia who continued Peter's goal to Westernizing Russia, created a new law code, and greatly expanded Russia managed to gain warm water access to the Black Sea an enlightened despot (rules absolutely with clear goals for the country in mind)

Vladimir Putin

Took control in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 as president Control as PM: 1999-2000, 2009-2012 retreated from creating democracy commitment crated Russian Youth Groups Put restrictions on civil society: investigate sources of income, making the registration difficult, police harassement In 2007: -abolished single-member Duma seats. All 450 seats are proportional representation with 7% minimum support In 2012: - required nonprofit groups to register as "foreign agents" -changed Duma election back to a mixed system with 5% threshold. Former member of KGB--> Increase KGB role. Has never had a run-off election (always won in the first round) Limits freedom (in media) Minimizing Oligarchs power by sending some to prison. Prefered Centralism Appoint regional governor instead of popular election

Liberal Democrat Party of Russia (LDPR)

Vladimir Zhirinovsky as leader an extreme nationalist position "Zhirinovsky's bloc" Very controversial - Extreme Nationalist positions - Led by Zhirinovsky - Against everything (Anti-semitic, anti-gay, sexist, etc.)

Privatization

a certificate worth 10,000 rubles issued by the government to each Russian citizen in 1992 to be used to purchase shares in state enterprises undergoing the process of privatization. Vouchers could also be sold for cast or disposed of through newly created investment funds. Members of nomenklatura bought state-owned industries-> became oligarchs and wealthy

Vanguard of the Revolution

a group of revolutionary leaders who could provoke the revolution in non-capitalist Russia

Oligarchs

an interest because they have been a major influence in the policymaking process power became obvious during last year of Yeltsin's first term took advantage of his inattention of his duties and monopolized Russian industries (controlled half of Russia GNP in 1997) Use media manipulation to let Yeltsin reelected 2nd term Putin resisted oligarchic control Gusinsky got arrested for criticising Putin's reform Berezosky and Gusinsky in exile --> Let to other oligarchs withdraw from political activities

V.I. Lenin

changed the meaning of Marxism in his What is to Be Done Argued for democratic centralism, or a "vanguard" leadership group that lead the revolution because the people could not organize themselves New Economic Policy: allows a great deal of private ownership to exist under a centralized leadership --> prosperity to farmers but didn't promote industrialization.

Chechen Wars

far southern part of Russia, but ethnically distinct, biggest difference is religion Russians are Slovik Orthodox and Chechans are Muslim, language and custom have their own national identity such conflict that back hundreds of years 1944 Stalin deported Chechens to Serbia 1990 Chechnya declared independence 1st Chechin War disaster for Yeltsin who was defeated, Russia wont give them independence because they are strategically important for oil, if they allow them to become independent they have to allow other regions who want to as well, and don't want to give up land 2nd Chechen war proved Putin as a strong leader took on a more religious nature Regional Referendum was held to approve a constitution for Chechnya --> approved, made it an inseparable part of Russia

Karl Marx

father of communism -- Marxism

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)

founded after Boris Yeltsin banned the existence of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) The support declined with Putin Most supporters are elderly conservative Russians 2 groups: 1) those who support traditional Marxist Leninsm worker-centered values 2) those who see market-based reforms under Deng XiaPing as a model for development Leader is Gennady Zyuganov (support for old regime) Emphasize on centralized planning and nationalism -- reintention to gain territories that lost after Soviet Union

Tsar Peter the Great

introduced western technology and culture in an attempt to increase Russia's power and influence -> looked to the west to help develop their country, but did not abandoned absolute rule

Five Years Plan

plans outlined by Joseph Stalin in 1928 for the development of the Soviet Union's economy set ambitious goal for production of heavy industry (oil, steel, and electricity).

The Constitution of 1993

provided for a strong president, although the power was checked by popular election and lower house of legislature, required referendum of people to endorse it Created a three-branch government with a president, a prime minister, a lower legislative house called the Duma, and a Constitutional Court

Petestroika

racial economic reform by Gorbachev, and the least successful reform Attempted to keep the old Soviet structure and modernize from within Transferred economic powers by the central government to private hands and the market economy (authorization of some privately-owned companies)

Mikhail Gorbaechv

reformer from a younger generation. looked and acted more "western" open to western-style reforms than others -> more problems -> motivated by the necessity to save the country from economic disaster 3-pronged program: Glasnost, Democratization, and Perestroika None of his reforms were fully carried out because the Revolution of 1991 swept him out of office

Secret Speech

revealed the existence of a letter written by Lenin that was very critical of Stalin; used to denounce Stalin's rules & practices

Bolsheviks Revolution (The Revolution of 1917)

revolution that took place in russia in 1917 which destroyed the empire and created the USSR

The Communist Manifesto

saw capitalism as an economic system that exploited workers and increased the gap between the rich and the poor

Marxism

social class would disappear because ownership of private property would be banned encourages equality and cooperation

proletariat v. bourgeoisie

the condition will get to a point where workers join in a revolution of the proletariat (workers), and overcome the bourgeoisie (owners of production).

Nomenklatura

the process of party members selecting promising recruits from lower levels (Stalinism)