19.4 - 20.3 Geography

Destruction Chernobyl caused

26 people died Hundreds of people were injured Millions were exposed to radiation

Lithuanians Religion

Roman Catholic

The climate of Russia

Subarctic or Continental because the water of the Arctic sea is frozen many months of the year

Under Soviet rule for the blatkans

Tens of thousands of people were removed from their homelands and Resistance was forcibly stamped out

The three Baltic states have all changed their economies since becoming free from the Soviets

They have tried to privatize industries Invited foreign investment Wanted to increase trade with nations other than Russia

Caucasus Mountians

They are huge and are home to the tallest mountain in Europe the black sea and the Caspian sea Separates Russia from the middle east

Ural Mountains

They severe as a migration barrier and are mineral rich

Russian Czar ("Caesar")

They were trying to pattern themselves after the roman empire

Russian revolution

They couldn't pay the military and then the military turned on the Czars and forced the Czars to give up the throne

How did reforms introduced by Mikail Gorbachev affect political organization?

They gave the people more freedom and made the government less strict by giving individual people the right to own independent businesses and run their own farms

Perestroika

an economy plan which called for gradual change from a command system to private ownership

Taiga

is a forest of conifers that covers almost half of Russia's land covering 4 million sq miles

Volga River

it is the Longest river is the most important river in Europe it is important to russia because it provides irrigation and hydroelectric power

tundra

largely treeless zone dominated by very small plants and animals that have adapted to the polar conditions of the region

Glasnost

A policy which allowed citizens and news media to say what they wish without fear of government persecution

How are Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova different?

Belarus has tried to reconnect with Russia after the fall of the Iron Curtain through the Union Pact. the Ukraine is trying to get more involved with western counties but rely on Russia for natural gas. Moldava was going to join with Romania but their people decided against it

What was Catherine the Great known for?

Catherine the Great moved west and absorbed Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. They Russians were happy with her because she was expanding the country toward europe.

What is the highest mountain range in Russia?

Caucasus Mountains

What Russian republic in the Caucasus region attempted independence in 1994 but failed to achieve it?

Chechnya

Which former Iron Curtain nations are part of NATO today?

Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia , and Albania and Croatia.

What are the physical characteristics of the Baltic States?

Flat land with marshy lowlands and fertile low plains that were carved by Glaciers.

Annex

Formal added or incorporated into a country

What two countries invaded Russia during the winter in the 1800s and the early 1900s?

France under napoleon and Germany under Hitler

Did the U.S. and U.S.S.R. ever fight any actual battles?

No, they just both built up their militaries to assert dominance over the other and battled through proxy wars but they both knew that if one of them fired that the other would fire and that the number of nuclear explosions would wipe humans off the earth

How did the Baltic States join the Soviet Union?

The Baltic states joined the Soviet Union by force. They were annexed and put under the Iron Curtain.

How was life different under the rule of the Czars versus under Soviet rule?

The Czars instituted serfdom which pretty much slavery, and it was very dictatorial. Communists didn't allow slavery or serfdom but farmers were forced to work on collective farms and state-run farms.

The Caspian sea

a body of water that lies below sea level and is landlocked

Abdicate

gave up the crown

Estonian Language

Finish

What two countries claim the Crimean peninsula?

Russia and the Ukraine

Soviet

A governing Council

How would you describe Siberia's location?

East of the Ural mountains and it is very cold and sparsely populated

What has Siberia experienced many environmental problems?

Extracting resources from Siberia causes pollution

Vladimir Lenin

Invented communism

What is significant about Lake Baikal?

It is the the deepest freshwater lake and home to freshwater seals

How does life in Russia today differ from life in the Soviet Union?

It's a free-market economy vs. command economy. Businesses are privatized vs. state-run and collective farms were under soviet rule

Who is Karl Marx and what is he credited with creating?

Karl Marx was a German economist who was credited with the ideas to start communism.

Around what modern day capital of a neighboring country did the Russian ethnic group start?

Keiv

Plains

Located in Western Russia Most of the southern area of Russia is the plains (steppes)

Which Russian leader instituted glasnost and perestroika?

Mikhail Gorbachev

Generalize the physical, population, and natural resource characteristics of Siberia.

Most of Siberia is Tundra and the region is very cold in the winter swampy in the summer and the region is sparsely populated. Its resources include trees, natural gases, petroleum, gold, silver, platinum, diamonds and zinc

What does M.A.D. stand for?

Mutually Assured Destruction

permafrost

Permanently frozen soil

What did Czar Peter the Great accomplish for Russia?

Peter the Great expanded Russia from Baltic to the Pacific by riding his horse all the way to the pacific and claimed everything he saw as his. When he returned he Established St. Petersburg as the Capital so the capitol could be esiar connected to the rest of Europe.

How do Russians move most people and goods around the country?

Rail road

Animals in the Tundra

Reindeer, rabbits, foxes and polar bears

What kind of animals live in Russia's arctic tundra?

Reindeer, rabbits, foxes and polar bears

What country is the largest by area in the world?

Russia, it is bigger than two of any of the other largest world countries combined

How would you describe life in modern Russia?

Russian people love their countryside and enjoy being in it because it allows people enjoy much a desired break from city life. The Black Sea Coast is a favorite vacation spot. Things that are popular: soccer, sports, movies/television, music (pop, rock and jazz), opera, concerts, ballet. Russia has a long tradition of artistic creativity.

Lithuanians and Latvians language

Slavic

What is the dominant climate type in Russia?

Subarctic

What type of ecosystem constitutes almost half of Russia's land area?

The Taiga

Which country in this region do you believe is going to struggle the most in the near future (politically, economically, militarily, etc.)? Justify your choice.

The Ukraine because Russia is tearing them apart and trying to get the nation to rejoin Russia as well as oppressing the Ukrainian people. The Ukraine also relies on Russia for Natural Gas which could become difficult for the country. Transnistria is an area carved off of the Ukraine that borders Moldova that is full of Russian troops to prevent the counties from joining the EU or NATO.

What is Europe's longest river?

The Volga River

How did the Soviets handle agriculture?

Through collective and state run farms

What are the physical characteristics of Russia? (From north to south)

Tundra, Taiga, Steppe

What does U.S.S.R. stand for?

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Who is Russia's current president?

Vladimir Putin

Diversify

increase the variety of something

What are the primary characteristics of Moldova?

. Moldova has hilly terrain slopes which gradually slope in a southerly direction towards the Black Sea. It is a historic route between Asia and Southern Europe because of its location and inviting terrain. Soviet planners built up Moldova's factories but Moldova's economy still depends on exporting wine, sugar beets and seed oils.

Ethnic make up of Russia

80% of Russia's citizens consider themselves Russian and Ethnic minorities make up the rest of the population

How Ukrainians leave soviet power

A Communist revolution broke out in Russia in 1917 which caused the Ukrainians to successfully attempt to establish their own independent country

Cold War

A period where both the US and Russia build up their military to prove their dominance over the other. There were no shots fired because everyone would die because of the amount of nuclear weapons would kill all humans

Czar

A series of monarchs in Russia

Which ruler expanded Russian territory from the Baltic to the Pacific?

Peter the Great

Why did the Ukraine's welcome the Germans in WW2

Because the Germans were against the soviet union and the Ukrainian people so badly wanted the Soviets out

Belarus's Natural Resources

Belarus has oil reserve and large deposits of potash which is used to make fertilizer

Estonia and Latvia's big Russian minorities

During the Soviet Union rule it tried to put lots of Russians in these countries so they would slowly become just as Russian as Russia and they could put it into Russia permanently

How did living conditions in the Soviet Union influence the ways in which Russians spent their free time?

During the Soviet Union rule, there were housing shortages. The Soviet government built huge apartment blocks to combat this, but even so, sometimes two or three families had to live in one apartment. Since living conditions were so crowded people looked forward to weekend getaways and vacations in the country to get away from the crowded conditions.

How do the Baltic States differ from each other culturally?

Estonia speaks a language closely related to Finnish and Latvia and Lithuania speak Slavic languages. Estonia and Latvia are Lutheran and Lithuanians are Roman Catholic

Peter the Great (1682-1721)

Expanded Russia from Baltic to the Pacific and established St. Petersburg as the capitol

Joseph Stalin

He was a brutal leader and was responsible for the deaths of about 20 million people

Which of the problems facing Russia is the most significant?

I think the most significant problem facing Russia is the state of its environment. It isn't getting helped out as much because other issue like housing, food and jobs are more important to people's welfare. These are very important but in the midst of these, they need to make sure they don't further pollute their environment. For example, I think the government should invest money to make sure the environment doesn't become further polluted and then wait until people become more stable to invest in cleaning up past problems.

Would you expect to find a higher standard of living in the Baltic states or in the border nations? Explain.

I would expect a higher standard of living in the Baltic States for a two main reasons. They are strategically located on the Baltic Sea which is very good for trading and exporting. They also have more natural resources than the border nations which is helpful for industry and, in Ukraine, agriculture. The Baltic States also trade with the western nations and they are part of the EU and NATO which helps them have a higher standard of living.

How do landscape and climate affect transportation in Russia?

In Russia, there is a very harsh climate so roads aren't always practical. For example, in the winter they get pulverized and buckled by winter frost and the roadways are turned into mushy swamps in the summer. Airplanes aren't very useful for transporting natural gas and oil so the main transportation in Russia is railways.

How does permafrost affect construction in Siberia?

In Siberia, construction is altered because of permafrost. Modern high rise buildings are raised up six feet of the ground on pilings. This lets the cold air circulate under them to counteract the heat buildings produce so that they don't thaw the soil around their foundation.

Moldova is densely populated

It has 4 million people living in an area the size of combined Maryland and Delaware

How has the move away from communism affected the Russian economy and environment?

Like other nations turning away from communism, Russia has had a hard time changing into a free-market economy. Some challenges in this are: inflation, corruption, old, inefficient industries, quality of healthcare declining, and the standard of living dropped. These things have all brought down the Russian economy. The Russian environment was greatly hurt during Soviet rule. For example, the Volga River is so polluted and choked by dams, many fish species are now extinct. In the Barents Sea, the Navy dumped more than 17,000 containers filled with nuclear materials. Many people are becoming concerned about the environment but issues like shortage of money push issues like housing, food and jobs above it so the environment isn't getting helped.

Estonians and Latvians Religion

Lutheran

Catherine the Great (1762-1796)

Moved west and absorbed Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine.They russians were happy with her because she was expanding the country toward europe

Russian Economy under the Soviate Union

Officials in Moscow set production goals for the managers of state-run farms mines and factories

How did other countries find out about Chernobyl when the Ukraine was under the Iron Curtion?

People in other countries had radiation alarms go off which is how they found out it was coming from Russian territory (Ukraine) The Chernobyl reactor was right next to the river that connected to an enormous reservoir for drinking water

Why has Russia been unable to end fighting in Chechnya?

Russia has been unable to end fighting in Chechnya because Russia and Chechnya want different things so they keep fighting in the hopes that the outcome will be the one they want. Chechens want complete independence but Russia isn't willing to give it to them. Russia believes they will spread violent opposition to Russia and to other parts of the region.

What do you know about the Chernobyl disaster? (wildlife, Soviet reaction, clean-up, Pripyat)

The Chernobyl disaster was a Nuclear Reactor meltdown that caused 12.3 million acres to be uninhabitable for thousands of years and left millions exposed to the radiation. It also caused water pollution, birth defects and cancer. The city of Pripyat had to be evacuated and it is still empty and animals and plants have overrun the area

Why did the Soviet Union establish naval bases in the Baltic States?

The Soviet Union established naval bases in the Baltic States because of their strategic locations. They wanted a clear shot out into the ocean. The Baltic States are located right on the Baltic Sea which is why the Soviet Union decided to build them there

How have the Ural Mountains affected Russia?

The Ural Mountain have mainly affected Russia because of what they contain. These mountains are very important to Russia because they hold many valuable minerals which are mined. Another reason is because originally they stopped migration

Tundra Plant life

The area is covered by very small plants and animals that have adapted to survive in polar conditions. Plants must be able to retain what little moisture they can gather in these desert like condition

Which ecosystem provides a great source of paper and other forest products?

The ecosystem that provides a great source of paper and other forest products is the Taiga. The Taiga is a large band of trees that cover 4 million square miles which makes it a valuable ecosystem.

Feudal Serfdom

The group of knights/kings/nobles ruled the area and everyone else is a peasant. Virtual slavery - you were a peasant for life the serfdom was abolished in 1861 at the same time the US abolished slavery

How did centrally planned spending affect the economy of the Soviet Union?

The standard of living remained poor and people had no freedom to make personal decision

Which ecosystem provides most of Russia's agricultural production?

The steppes is the ecosystem that provides most of Russia's agricultural production. On the steppes there is a rich soil called chernozem which is why it is such a good place for agriculture. The Northern European Plain also produces a lot of agricultural production.

How does this map suggest that many of Siberia's natural resources are undeveloped?

This map suggests that many of Siberia's natural resources are undeveloped because there aren't any major cities in Siberia.

Russian revolution occurred in 1917

True

How does the lack of certain natural resources limit industrial growth in Ukraine?

Ukraine doesn't have many natural resources which would benefit industrial growth. For example, they must import large amounts of natural gasses and oil. This is expensive and it doesn't allow their industries to grow. This causes them to be dependant on other countries.

Ukraine economy since Indapendace

Ukrainian farmers grow a variety of crops especially wheat, rye, barley and potatoes it also has coal resources

How do natural resources benefit Ukrainian agriculture?

Ukrainian land has natural benefits that make it very good for farming. The most prominent of these is the facts that the soil is a rich, black-earth soil called chernozem which formed underneath the lush grasses that once covered the steppe. It is helping them with agricultural productivity.

USSR

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Founding Russia

Vikings (Varangians) and Slavic Tribes arrived around 800 meet in the territory known as Russia and establish foundations around Kiev.

Weather of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia

Wet moderate winters and summers

Compare and contrast serfdom under the czars with state farms and collective farms under Communist rule.

When came to the serfdom the property owners virtually control the people because they had to ask the landowner's permission to do most things including marry.

Post Soviet Union Belarus

When the Soviet Union dissolved many Belarusians were in favor of reestablishing close economic and political ties with Russia. In 1996, Belarus and Russia signed a pact to form a "union state" which would strengthen political, cultural and economic ties

What steps has the government of Belarus taken to promote closer ties with Russia?

When the Soviet Union dissolved, Belarus wished to reestablish close political and economic ties with Russia. For example, in 1996, Belarus and Russia signed a pact to form a "union state" which would strengthen political, economic and cultural ties. In following years they signed more treaties that would bring them even closer together.

Moldova has close ties with Romania

When the Soviet Union fell, Romanian was once again the language used to schools Although this region has strong ties with Romania, Moldova's residents rejected a proposal to unify itself with Romania in 1994

What is the USSR?

a group of 15 soviets that is governed by a supreme soviet

Transnistria

a place of land in Moldova and Russians put a bunch of troop there so the counties can't join NATO because this creates a preexisting fight

1986

an accidental explosion destroyed a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl

Command Economy

an economy in which a central authority decides what goods will be produced

taiga

broad forested zone, extending across Russia to the south of the tundra

steppe

broad, open stretches south of the forest

When the people of the Ukraine resisted the switch to collectivize farming by burning the fields the Soviats did what?

confiscated all of the grain leaving all the people to starve Between 5-8 million Ukraine people died in the famine

Belarus's economy

depends mostly on industry and services but it must import most of the raw materials used to manufacture and produce the goods

black market

goods and services move unofficially without formal record keeping

Under Soviet Rule the Ukraine suffered from:

harsh government policies, forcing the farms to become collective and the people resisted by burning the crops

Moldova's physical characteristics

hilly terrain slopes which gradually slope in a southerly direction towards the Black Sea

Winters in russia

long and cold. The coldest temperature ever outside of Antarctica was in easter Russia at a temp of -91˚F

chernozem

meaning "black earth" it is the name of the soil in the Russian Steppes

The Belarus Poeple

mostly Slavic and their religion is Orthodox Christianity

Lithuania's Economy

primarily based on agriculture before 1940 Now Lithuania takes parts and industry such as food processing, shipbuilding and the manufacturing of machinery

Winter and fall

short transition periods between the warm and the cold

Summers In russia

shorter but the daylite can still bring temperatures of about 80˚F

Chernozem in the steppes

the Chernozem provides nutrients for the soil making it Russia's most productive agricultural area

ruble

the Russian currency

Kiev is the current capital of Ukraine and it is where the first Russian state began more than 1,000 years ago

the Russians think the Ukraine should still be theirs

Groups the Ukrain has been controled by

the Russians, Mongols, Lithuanians and then the Poles

1991

the balkan countries were granted indapendace

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Physical Geography

they all have flat terrains and marshy lowlands and fertile low plain that was carved by glaciers

Latvia Industries

they include the production of motor vehicles and electrical Equipment

What is the issue for the Ukraines industries?

they need to import a lot of oil and natural gas, and the machinery is old and out of date. They have to get natural gas from Russia which is becoming an issue

Why is the taiga referred to as the land of the little sticks?

trees can't grow very tall in cold conditions but they do grow very dense

The Baltic nations have all been successful in trying to diversify their industries

true

Great Patriotic War

what the Russians called WW2 it was known as the Patriotic war because the Russians defended their country from invasion. They one by sheer numbers and over 24 million Russians died in the war