World Regions-Exam 3: Russian Domain

which country in the Russian Domain has the closest ties with Russia?

Belarus

Where does 75% of Russia's population live?

Notice the sparse settlement. More than 75% of Russia's population lives west of the Ural Mountains.

What percentage of Russia's population lives in European Russia?

Three-quarters (75%)

True or False: Since 2005, the Russian government has implemented policies to reduce alcoholism and deaths due to alcohol. These policies have reduced deaths.

True

A devastated environment: Chernobyl

1. 2/3 Russians live in places that are harmful to their health 2. Chernobyl (1986) nuclear meltdown = 25% of the region uninhabitable 3. The collapse of the USSR further complicated the situation because it left newly independent Ukraine & Belarus to deal with the fallout

Heavy industrialization & poor air quality

1. 45% of Russians breath in toxic air 2. Increased traffic is partly to blame 3. The primary culprit: heavy industry that includes coal-burning & smelting --Many facilities lack modern pollution-control equipment (note that effective pollution control equipment exists to significantly reduce industrial pollution)

Economic challenges: Post-Soviet economies

1. A mix of state-run and private enterprises 2. Rampant mismanagement and corruption with lack of legal and financial safeguards 3. The informal economy flourishes alongside organized crime 4. Income inequality has been growing --Your textbook notes a WSJ article that found that 110 people controlled 35% of Russia's wealth while 50% of the population had an annual household income of less than $875 --Oligarchs (a small, private group of politically well-connected businessmen who control significant parts of the Russian economy) have done well

The Russian Empire, the USSR & the environment

1. A somewhat different imperial empire compared to European empires --There has been a long history of Russian authoritarianism --The Russian empire was interested in controlling surrounding territory in order to protect their core --Economic gains were secondary --This interest is reflected in the contiguousness of Russia's empire --Compare Russia's empire to the fragmented empires of Great Britain or France

Opportunities: this region has...

1. A well-educated population 2. A traditionally strong school system 3. A well-developed industrial base 4. In addition, Russia has an enormous resource-base --Like Canada, Russia is a staples economy - natural resources comprise a significant part of their economy --All of these, if managed well, can be an incredible asset for future development

The future of Russia's friends

1. Armenia: ongoing tensions with Azerbaijan 2. Belarus: the closest ties to Russia, President Lukashenko is authoritarian & ltd civil liberties 3. Georgia: (a) Russian interference in South Ossetia & Abkhazia & (b) a desire to look west 4. Moldova: (a) Russian troops in Transdniester & (b) $1 billion bank theft in 2014 5. Ukraine: (a) government corruption headed by oligarch president & (b) a fractured population

Policy changes related to alcohol

1. Beginning in 2005, a series of policy changes were instituted, including: 2. Stronger controls on alcohol production, distribution & sales 3. Banning sales of beverages containing 15%+ ethanol alcohol by volume 4. Banning advertising on public transit 5. Establishing strict DUI laws 6. Increasing the price of vodka 7. These (and other) policies have reduced alcohol consumption and related mortality

4. Why is alcoholism so prevalent in Russia?

1. Collapse of the USSR => health & demographic crisis 2. Alcohol = deregulated, making it more accessible 3. Note: water quality was awful & vodka was cheap (about $7/liter) 4. The 1990s & early 2000s saw increased mortality due to alcohol 5. 25% of Russian men die before the age of 55 due to alcohol (2014 Lancet study)

Environmental quality under communism

1. Communism meant a centrally planned system (Moscow would oversee all aspects of economic development) 2. Industrialization takes off with heavy state oversight 3. Central planning = some disastrous results --Collectivized agriculture --Chernobyl --Heavy manufacturing pollutes once pristine environments

Climatic Distinctions: Climatic conditions are challenging in this region

1. Continentality is a major factor in this region's climate

Collectivized Agriculture

1. Despite the harsh environment, Russia was an agricultural state under tsarist rule --Prior to the revolution: --¾ of the pop = farmers --Most do not own their own land and are horribly poor 2. Post-revolution: there was an initial effort to redistribute land 3. Instead, Stalin institutes collective agriculture (meaning that farms were grouped into large, government-run farms)

Collectivized Agriculture: Two horrible results from collectivization

1. Farmers resist collectivization --Stalin responds by (a) executing resisters as "enemies of the state" or (b) removing the harvest (mostly in the Ukraine), and then closes the borders which lead to mass starvation --Millions died 2. The Virgin Lands Scheme --Large scale irrigation in Central Asia --The draining of the Aral Sea

Climatic Distinctions: Three broad variations

1. Humid continental (D) climates 2. Dry, steppe (B) 3. Polar (E) 4. A tiny, tiny bit of Temperate Mid-Latitude (C)

Defining the region: Russia dominates this region

1. In geographic size 2. Culturally --A culturally pluralistic region, but Russian (language, ethnicity, & culture) dominates 3. Still, minorities hold on --Look at the linguistic map (Fig. 9.23) to get an idea of Russia's ethnic & linguistic diversity

3. Why is Putin popular?

1. In office as prime minister or president since 1999 2. Generally, he's been very popular among Russians 3. Approval ratings = ~80% 4. Popularity: (1) Economic growth improved for Russia in the early 2000s; (2) Taking Crimea in 2014 5. Caveats 6. Polls: --The polls are likely inflated due to how the data is collected --Recent polls (summer 2018) indicate a decline in approval (~67%) because... --Civil liberties have declined significantly

Why is Russia so big?

1. Keep in mind that much of this territory is not capable of supporting large human populations. However, there are mineral resources that make it desirable (see Figure 9.38 - next slide). Like Canada, Russia is a staples economy.

Defining the region: Russia

1. Largest country in the world --2 times the size of Canada; 11 time zones 2. Smaller than expected population --About 200 million & shrinking --Low population densities, although unevenly distributed (e.g., 75% of Russia's population lives west of the Ural mountains)

Economic challenges: Protracted geopolitical conflicts have adversely affected economies in this region

1. Moldova lost $1 billion in a 2014 bank theft 2. Ukraine's civil war has stymied economic development 3. Russia's economy shrank by 4% in 2015 b/c they were hurt by: --Falling oil & natural gas prices (Russia has major oil & gas reserves) --A weakened currency --Economic sanctions from their invasion of Ukraine have hurt trade

The future: Three key challenges

1. Population decline 2. Economic challenges 3. Geopolitical conflict

Population decline

1. Population growth is stagnant or even declining 2. Ukraine's rate of natural increase = -0.4% 3. Some estimates predict that Russia's population of 144 million will fall to 45 million by the year 2100 4. Growth rates have been declining since the 1970s 5. Death rates began exceeding birth rates in the 1990s

Poor water quality: Lake Baikal: an important ecosystem

1. Provides habitat for diverse species, including nerpa (a freshwater seal, endemic to the lake) 2. World's largest reserve of fresh water --The lake is 400 miles long & 5,300 feet deep (that's more than a mile in depth!) 3. Heavy pollution from paper & pulp factories --Pollution has been strangling the ecosystem since the 1970s

Population Decline: Russia

1. Putin has called population decline "Russia's most acute problem" 2. Government programs have sought to encourage larger families by giving mothers who have more than 1 child cash payments, extended maternity leave & subsidies for child care Birth rates have risen as a result **BUT 3. Life expectancies have not improved (related to high incidences of alcoholism esp. among men) 4. The # of women in child-bearing ages (15-49) is declining, meaning it will be even more difficult to improve growth rates

6. Why does Kaliningrad belong to Russia?

1. Russia acquired Kaliningrad after WWII (it had been German territory) 2. Kaliningrad is an exclave (=a portion of territory of one state completely surrounded by territory of another or others, as viewed by the home territory.) 3. It is an important territory for Russia economically & militarily

1. What is European Russia?

1. Russia is part of Europe & Asia. The boundaries dividing the two continents are the Ural & Caucuses Mountains. Anything to the west of the Urals & north of the Caucuses is considered Europe while east & south is Asia. 2. Notice that most people in this region live in Europe rather than Asia. Settlement, especially in Asian Russia, is incredibly sparse. More than 75% of Russia's population lives west of the Urals.

Drinking: 2011

1. Russian men were drinking about 8 liters of vodka/year --UK: less than 2 liters of spirits/year --US: about 3 liters of spirits/year 2. More problematic: how they drink

Economic challenges

1. Shifting from the Soviet to Post-Soviet economies has been difficult 2. The Soviet economy was a centrally-planned, state controlled economy 3. It was inefficient and cumbersome 4. Much of the region's infrastructure was developed during this period 5. Infrastructure = transportation networks, government systems, health care, education

Geopolitical conflict: Ukraine

1. Since 2014, Ukraine has been mired in conflict 2. The main issue: should Ukraine forge its own identity, aligning itself with the West, or should Ukraine continue their historical alliance with Russia? 3. Ethnic Russians located primarily in eastern Ukraine & the Crimean peninsula support closer ties with Russia, leading to civil war in the east and Russian occupation of Crimea since 2014 4. Russia's occupation of Crimea gives them access to a warm water port

Despite the dominance of Russian in this region, other linguistic groups hold on (Fig. 9.23). What are the top 3 languages?

1. Slavic: Russian 2. Non-slavic: Altaic 3. non-slavic: finno-ugric

Environmental quality - summary

1. The past 100 years = heavy, rapid industrialization 2. Little attention paid to environmental protection 3. Collapse of the USSR has made protection even more challenging 4. The future of the environment is bleak

5. What about Russia's "friends?"

1. These 5 are included due to proximity, long-standing cultural ties and domination by Russia -The Russian Empire absorbed these territories prior to the USSR -During the Soviet Union: Russification -Russia is one of their main trading partners today

Geopolitical conflict: Under Putin...

1. Under President Putin, Russia has re-asserted itself in the region 2. Putin has been in office as prime minister or president since 1999 3. Economic growth improved for Russia in the early 2000s 4. Civil liberties have declined 5. The other countries in this region have struggled with stable governments & limiting Russian intervention

Geopolitical conflict: Russia and Georgia

1. Within Georgia there are two breakaway republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that are seeking independence from Georgia 2. Russia recognized both republics right to independence 3. In the summer of 2008, Georgia was bombing South Ossetia and Russia moved into Georgia and began bombing the country --Russia was widely criticized by the US & Europe for this action, especially because they attacked right as the Beijing Olympics began --1,000 people were killed & 30,000 displaced 4. A cease fire and withdrawal = August 2008 --Russia continues to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent while Georgia claims them as part of their territory - in other words, things remain tense

Defining the region: 5 border states

Armenia - Belarus - Georgia - Ukraine - Moldova 1. Ukraine is shrinking faster than Russia 2. These 5 countries are included because of persisting cultural & economic ties with Russia 3. Russia is insistent on maintaining its influence in this region

Russian rule

From totalitarianism to communism

in the past 5 years, Russian troops have invaded:

Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine

Under the Soviet Union, Russification

Russification a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, voluntarily or not, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian one. Part of the way this process was carried out was by distributing Russians into non-Russian territory. The result today is that many ethnic Russians have returned to Russia.

The Russian Empire: when countries were added

The Russian Empire: Belarus and Ukraine were added more than 200 years ago while Moldova, Georgia & Armenia were added in the 19th century. Like most former colonies, political, economic & social ties persist.

The relatively small principality of Russia grew to an impressive size over how many years?

a 700 year period

in 2018, Vladimir Putin's approval rating was 67%; 67% indicates a _______ from previous polls.

a decline

Two of the world's most polluted places: Dzherzhinsk, Russia

heavy chemical pollution makes this city one of the most polluted places on earth. Chemical pollutants include persistent organic chemicals, sarin, sulfur mustard, hydrogen cyanide, and lead (among others), which form a sort of toxic sludge throughout the city.

Two of the world's most polluted places: Norilsk, Russia

home to the world's largest heavy metals smelting complex. The soil is contaminated with copper & nickel.