Eastern Europe and Russia Regional Information

Forests

1/5th of the world's _________________________ are in Russia.

Peter I

Also known as Peter the Great; son of Alexis Romanov; ruled from 1689 to 1725; continued growth of absolutism and conquest; increased the size of the empire, moved the capital to St. Petersburg, and got the empire access to the Baltic Sea. He then went to Europe and encouraged his people to be more like the Europeans.

Land of Plains

Eastern Europe and Western Russia are mostly just plains. They have the Russian Plain (1000 miles long), the Siberian Plain, and the Northern European Plain. Most people farm and live in the plains.

Catherine II

Empress of Russia who greatly increased the territory of the empire (1729-1796). Russia expanded to the Black Sea and took over most of Poland under her rule. She also got Russia to become more educated, journalism to begin, architecture to bloom, and the arts.

Countries in Eastern Europe

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, and the part of Western Russia

Warsaw Pact

Forced union of Eastern European nations with the USSR in an attempt to prevent the spread of capitalism and encourage the spread of communism.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Formed in 1949 to prevent the spread of communism and encourage the spread of capitalism and democracy.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization efforts improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms led to the collapse of Communist governments in Eastern Europe. He believed in a policy called "Glasnost" or openness and began to allow his people more freedoms.

Romania and Poland

In addition to Russia, these two countries found in Eastern Europe are rich in energy and mineral reserves.

Members of NATO

Member nations included the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and most other Western, Northern, and Southern European nations.

Humid Continental

Most of Eastern Europe and Western Russia has a _________________________climate.

The Cold War

No actual fighting occurred between the USA and the USSR. Instead, they participated in an Arms Race and tried to scare and intimidate one another.

Russian Communist Revolution

Occurred in 1917 when the poor stormed the palace because of low wages, bad working conditions, starvation, genocide, and war. They killed the Czar and turned to communism. Immediately, everything changed. They withdrew from WWI and began seizing property for the government. Russia will begin calling itself the Soviet Union, or USSR, under Lenin.

Challenges to the Region After the Fall of the Soviet Union

Once free, ethnic tensions flared up all over Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan Peninsula. Massive genocide occurred. NATO and the United Nations went in to restore peace. Russia and Serbia do not recognize many of these new countries. Economic changes from being communist resulted in inflation. New leader today in Russia, Vladimir Putin, stabilized the economy but dealt very harshly with anyone who opposed him. He makes it difficult to protest, blocks internet sites, and restricts freedom of speech.

Culture in Western Russia and Eastern Europe

People in Russia tend to live in the European part of Russia, especially Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moscow is the cultural, economic, and educational headquarters of Russia. Russian Orthodox Christian is the most common religion in Russia. Eastern Europe is most populated in Kiev, Ukraine, Minsk, Belarus, Budapest, Hungary, Warsaw, Poland, and Prague in the Czech Republic. Most languages in the region are Slavic languages. The main ethnic group is Slavs. The only country whose language does not come from the Slavic family is Albania. Under communism and the USSR, the practice of religion was strongly discouraged. Because of this, many do not practice any religion and are atheist. The dominant religion for those who do practice is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Russia has produced some of the greatest art forms in all of Europe, especially in music and plays. Art is a source of pride in Eastern Europe. They are also very proud of their folk traditions. Western European and American pop culture influence both Russia and Eastern Europe. They especially love our rock music, pop music, and television and movies.

Economic Disadvantages in Eastern Europe

Russia and Eastern Europe were forced into being industrial focused during communism but are now trying to transition into post-industrial service based economies and struggling to compete with more established economies like the U.S. and Western Europeans. There are also frequent border disputes between countries, which prevent them from focusing on their economies. The financial crisis of 2008 greatly impacted the region in a negative way because they were already in a bad economic situation since the fall of the USSR.

Economic Advantages in Eastern Europe

Russia is a world leader in oil and natural gas. Russia also has a lot of minerals. Many Eastern European countries have now joined the European Union, which has greatly helped them. Russia plays a key role in the relationship between Europe and Asia since they are between them.

Largest

Russia is the _____________________ country in the world.

USSR during WWII

Russia was at first on Hitler's side but when he betrayed Stalin and invaded Russia they pledged their support to the Allied Powers. Together, the Allied Powers defeat Hitler and the Axis Powers. Stalin wanted to make the whole world communist. Once WWII was over, Stalin forced Eastern Europe to become communist and part of the Soviet Union. They lost democratic rights and their economies suffered.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The 1962 confrontation between US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba; missiles were placed in Turkey by the United States and in a defensive action the USSR began to put missile materials in the newly communist nation of Cuba. After negotiation between JFK and Khrushchev through a series of letters, the leaders agreed to remove missiles in Cuba and in Turkey and to work together to reduce tensions. It lasted 13 days and was the closest we ever came to nuclear war.

Mountains in Eastern Europe

Ural Mountains, Balkan Mts., Carpathian Mts., Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mts.

Major Bodies of Water in Eastern Europe

Volga R., Danube R., Dnieper R., Dniester R., Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Baltic Sea, Arctic Ocean, Oder R., Vistula R.

Soviet Union (USSR)

What Russia called itself from when Lenin ruled in 1917 until 1991 when it collapsed.

Siberia

Where most of Russia's energy and mineral reserves are located.

Fishing

__________________ is important to the economies of Russia and Eastern European counties along coasts and the Danube