Russia 375

In 2003 Mikhail Khodorkovsky bought Moscow News, a venerable liberal weekly that was one of the first Soviet newspapers to experiment with the freedom of glasnost (the paper disappeared from print and online sources in 2014, apparently by "order from the authorities"). What Soviet leader founded this newspaper?

Stalin

The 10 km "Exclusion Zone" remains an active burial place for Ukraine's nuclear waste

true

The only type of cancer that has been positively connected to Chernobyl is thyroid cancer.

true

There were no nuclear power stations in the Soviet republic of Belarus.

true

According to the documentary Babushkas of Chernobyl, how long did the fire that resulted from the Nuclear Plant's explosion last?

10 days

In an effort to transition the top-down, centrally planned economy to market forces, Boris Yeltsin ultimately decided to transfer everything that the state owned (factories, stores, etc.) to private owners. To make sure that EVERY Russian had a vested interest in the success of the new market system, the state also issued every citizen of Russia a voucher (shares in formerly state-owned enterprises). What was the value of these shares that each Russian citizen received?

10,000 rubles

Writing in 2015, Prof. Kotkin states that Russia's population is _________ million people (fyi: according to the U.S. census, U.S. current population is 324.7 million)

142

How many republics comprised the USSR?

15

Russia first claimed control of North Caucasus in...

1725

When did the bolsheviks seize power from the Tsars? (event that became known in history as the October Revolution)

1917

The Soviet system was in place during...

1917 - 1991

When did it become legal to establish private commercial banks in Russia?

1987

When did the Soviet Union collapse and all of the former Soviet republics declared independence?

1991

How large is the radioactive "Exclusion Zone" that was declared uninhabitalble?

2,600 square kilometers (approximately 1,000 square miles)

Apart from Chernobyl, how many more Nuclear Power Plants are there in Ukraine?

4

According to the Chechnya: War Without Trace documentary, what is the percentage of Chechen population that is currently unemployed?

40

The various republics and regions that comprised the USSR differed greatly in the standard and quality of life and the level of development (an important issue that became a sore spot during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991). Which of the republics listed below were - during the Soviet times - predominantly rural, agricultural and industrially under-developed?

Central Asian Republics (Tadjikistan, Kirgiziya [now Kyrgyzstan], Uzbekistan)

If you were to visit Chernobyl Nuclear Plant's Reactor №4, what is the level of radiation near this facility?

Approximately 60 times higher than the norm

Which former Soviet republic has the greatest percentage of affected land and people due the Chernobyl accident (in relation to this republic's total national territory and population)?

Belarus

As Vladimir Putin took office, much of the political power was in the hands of Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, known as "the Family." Match the following oligarchs backed by Yeltsin with the spheres of their control.

Boris Berezovsky-Television Channel One Vladimir Gusinsky-Privately owned NTV television station Rem Vyakhirev-privatized state gas monopoly Mikhail Khodorkovsky-much of the privatized

Under what Russian / Soviet leader did Russia's First Chechen War begin?

Boris Yeltsin

Beginning with the Second Chechen War to the present, the Kremlin has adopted an approach whereby Moscow cedes much of the responsibility for restoring order in Chechnya to local, pro-Kremlin officials. (Interestingly enough, these officials would always be "winners" of allegedly fair elections orchestrated by Moscow). Bottom line is: Moscow's handpicked Chechens are in charge of maintaining order in Chechnya. What did this approach come to be known as?

Chechenization

Who served as Russian president during 2008 - 12?

Dmitry Medvedev

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Putin was on an assignment as a KGB officer in...

East Germany

Babushkas of Chernobyl is set during what holiday?

Easter

Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin his successor and Putin became Russia's president in 2000 without going through an election process.

False

Chechnya is a federal subdivision of Russia, located in the country's far north.

False

If you visit the city of Moscow, you can see Putin's childhood apartment that has now been turned into a museum.

False

In 1943 and 1944, Stalin deported nearly half a million people from the North Caucasus (including the Chechens) to Central Asia for allegedly assisting the Nazis during World War. II. It was not until Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika that the deportees were allowed to return to their homelands. Perhaps not surprisingly, this forced expulsion produced what would become one of the region's epic stories of oppression under Russian rule.

False

In October 2002, 40 Chechen militants took hostages at a theater in Moscow, where the popular musical "Nord-Ost" was showing. Of the 912 hostages, 130 died at the hands of the Chechen gunmen and women.

False

Judging by the documentary Khodorkovsky, this former oligarch was not allowed to communicate with the world outside his jail cell.

False

Khodorkovsky was arrested by the Boris Yeltsin administration on the accusation of tax evasion.

False

Most Russians generally want to disassociate themselves from the Soviet times, therefore no advertisement campaigns today draw on the Soviet experience.

False

Similar to the U.S., all of today's Russian oil companies are privately owned.

False

The director and narrator of Chechnya: War Without Trace notes that more Chechen women wore veils before the wars than in the wars' aftermath (including today).

False

When he first came to power in 2005, Putin was a virtual unknown. However, in less than a year, media was talking about Putin's "cult of personality."

False

Most political economists agree that the majority of the Soviet population generally benefited from the Soviet system. Given all the negatives one can point out about the Soviet system, why would an average Soviet citizen actually had a lot to lose with the collapse of the Soviet Union?

For all of the reasons listed here: Because the state heavily subsidized the prices of necessities: the cost of rents, utilities (gas, electricity), public transport, and most basic food items were kept artificially low. Because, for better or for worse, the state provided the population with "cradle-to-grave" welfarism in the form of free education, health and basic social security The state consistently followed a policy of full employment.

The uprising dubbed "The Rose Revolution" happened in...

Georgia

The documentary Chechnya: War Without Trace talks about the arrest by the Chechen authorities of Ruslan Kutaev. According to the documentary, what did Mr. Kutaev do to provoke this arrest?

He publicly spoke about Stalin era deportations of Chechens, a topic not currently allowed to be discussed

As per one of your assigned readings, based on Russia's per capita GDP, the World Bank classifies Russia as ..

High-income economy

Which of the following statements properly describe the outcome of the First Chechen war? (note that more than one answer might be correct)

Indiscriminate Russia bombing led to a heavy human toll Correct! Chechnya received nominal autonomy, but the decision on its final status was deferred Despite significant difficulties, Russians were eventually able to achieve control of Chechnya Correct Answer After two years of fighting, Yeltsin negotiated a cease-fire with the Chechens Russian conscripts were ill-prepared for the war and were often "mowed" down as the Russian army tried to take Grozny

Why is it that today few journalists report from Chechnya? (note that more than one answer might be correct)

Khadyrov's regime has make it very difficult for foreign correspondents and independent Russian outlets to work in the region Correct! Journalists reporting from Chechnya put themselves at great risk (many of those who attempted to report from Chechnya have been threatened, detained, or physically attacked) Correct! In the current climate of Kadyrov's terror, most people no longer dare to speak to journalists

Vladimir Putin has a degree in...

Law

What was the first Soviet republic to declare independence from the Soviet Union in 1990?

Lithuania

In 1995, facing severe fiscal difficulties, Yeltsin's government adopted a program under which the state would borrow money from the oligarchs in exchange for select state assets (including state-owned shares in oil companies). The catch was: if the state couldn't pay the load on time, the oligarchs would be entitled to buy the properties outright. This deal that many economists call "rigged" became known as...

Loan For Shares

Which of the following oligarchs founded Open Russia, a charitable group modeled after George Soros's Open Society Institute, with projects ranging from educational initiatives for young people to the support of human rights NGOs?

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Altogether, how many countries were subject to fallout from Chernobyl?

More than 20

Chechnya is about the size of...

New Jersey

Which Soviet leader was overthrown by his opponents in the first and only successful coup in Soviet history?

Nikita Khrushchev

The first ad to appear on Russian television advertised...

Pepsi Cola

Which Russian leader launched the Second War in Chechnya?

Putin

The word intelligentsia entered the English language from...

Russia

Which of the following statements correctly characterize Russia's state of affairs during Vladimir Putin's first two terms (1999 - 2008)? (note that more than one answer might be correct; you must select ALL the options that are correct in order to get full credit).

Russian economy grew at a rate of 7% annually Correct Answer Russia's stock market skyrocketed, increasing 20-fold

Which of the countries listed below was the first to notice elevated radiation levels and to initiate inquiries about its origin?

Sweden

According to the CNN documentary made in 2014, the Sochi Olympics were the most expensive Olympic games in history.

True

After his two terms in office ended in May 2008, 86% of Russians expressed approval of Vladimir Putin as president.

True

As a student majoring in chemistry and specializing in explosives, Khodorkovsky was very active in Komsomol (Communist Youth League in the Soviet Union).

True

Between 2008 and 2012, Putin served as a prime minister of the Russian Federation.

True

Chechen is a language that is indigenous to Chechnya and is NOT spoken anywhere else in the world.

True

During some points of Putin's presidency, Moscow boasted 33 billionaire residents (more than any other city in the world, including New York). At the same time, one-fifth of the population lived below the poverty line.

True

In the late 1920s Stalin introduced an extreme system where the economy became a central function of the Soviet government. Under this system, numerous governmental committees decided what salaries should be paid in all jobs across the USSR, what prices all products and commodities should have, how to distribute good across the USSR, etc. To put it simply: the Soviet government determined and controlled prices for all items you could purchase in the store (bread, shoes, television sets, you name it!); the Soviet government also determined what sort of salary one would get as an engineer, teacher, doctor, etc.

True

Most Soviet groceries were sold unwrapped; for liquid goods (for example milk) customers had to bring their own containers.

True

Political motivations and anti-Russian sentiment of many Chechens (including Jokhar Dudaev, who led the rebels in the First Chechen War) were largely shaped by the experience of deportation and return, especially among those born in Kazakh exile.

True

There is a Putin avenue in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

True

Up until 1991, prices for consumer goods in Russia and the Soviet Union were "fixed" and determined by the state.

True

Vladimir Putin was the first Russian leader with NO direct memory of World War II or Stalinism.

True

Match the following parties / groups and descriptions below

United Russia- Openly pro-Putin party Rodina (or Motherland)-Ostensibly independent, but in fact pro-government party formed in 2003 Other Russia-Loosely organized opposition group that helped promote small protest demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 2007 All-Russian Popular Front-Populist organization intended to lure voters into supporting the government

As you might recall from the previous readings and lectures, when 15 Soviet republics declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Boris Yeltsin was a strong supporter of the USSR dissolution. Why was Yeltsin so strongly opposed to Chechen's independence movement? (more than one answer might be correct).

Yeltsin feared that, should Chechnya secede, other ethnic groups inside Russia (e.g. Tatars) would secede from the Russian Federation Correct! Unlike Ukraine, Lithuania, and other republics, Chechnya was NOT an independent entity within the Soviet Union. Chechnya was always a part of the Republic of Russia, hence it did not a right under the Soviet Constitution to secede Correct! Chechnya is a major chokepoint in Russia's oil infrastructure (not only is Chechnya rich in oil, it also has several important refineries). Hence Russia's economy depended on Chechnya

What was the name of the oil company that Mikhail Khodorkovsky acquired from the Russian government?

Yukos Oil

The Chernobyl disaster happened due to...

a failed safety experiment on one of the reactors

Lyubov Sirota, whose texts you read in this module's reading selection, is...

a poet, who - at the time of the Chernobyl accident - lived in the Pripyat neighborhood closest to the reactor

In the "City 40" documentary, one of the characters reminisces about his childhood friends who lived in the so-called City 40. He remembers his friends from this closed city would bring him...

bananas

According to many scholars (in this module explicitly expressed by David Satter in the PBS documentary), Vladimir Putin became "the most popular politician in Russia"...

before he became Russia's president; after the infamous apartment bombings in Moscow

During the Second World War, the Nazis destroyed 619 villages along with their inhabitants in the former Soviet republic of Belarusia. How many villages and settlements did Belarusia lose as a result of the Chernobyl disaster?

close to 500

Between 2005 and 2010, the Russian government...

did not build a single major modern highway

Judging by the documentary Babushkas from Chernobyl, if you were to go to the radioactive "Exclusion Zone," you will not see anyone using a cell phone

false

Removal of Nikita Khrushchev from the office in 1964 and the Coup of 1993 are the two successful coups in Soviet history.

false

Soviet authorities immediately released accurate and up-to-date information about the Chernobyl accident and immediately began evacuating people from the contaminated areas.

false

The majority of Russian artists did NOT support the Revolution of 1917 and actively opposed the Bolshevik regime.

false

The policies of glasnost and perestroika were introduced after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

false

When Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he was convinced that the Communist Party had to be banned on the territory of the USSR.

false

just like most Russians, many Chechens profess Christianity as their cultural and religious identity.

false

Which of these countries never was a Soviet republic? (for a comprehensive list of Soviet republics, see My Perestroika study guide, p.8)

look up

Chechnya was one of the 15 Soviet republics.

no

Did a Muscovite traveling to Kiev (Ukraine) or Minsk (Belarus) need a visa before the collapse of the USSR?

no

Will the 10 km "Exclusion Zone" ever be open to the general public?

no

During the Soviet era the Soviet government "owned" large oil companies. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1995 - 96 the government sold these key oil companies to...

politically-favored Russian businessmen

The explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power station released...

significantly more radioactivity than the Hiroshima bomb

Today, the Kremlin appoints governors of all 89 Russian regions, large provinces, as well as most mayors, regional police chiefs, and prosecutors. These positions used to be elected by a democratic vote, but Putin put an end to this after...

the Beslan massacre

Before Chernobyl, there had been other (albeit less serious) nuclear accidents, including the 1979 incident in the U.S. (near Harrisburg, PA)

true

During most of the Soviet rule (and certainly after 1934), any form of experimental art was considered dissident and, therefore, could only exist as a part of underground culture.

true

For most of the Soviet regime, members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union were above the law. In other words, Party members caught in illegal acts were NOT subject to the civil law, but only to Party discipline.

true

In 1958, Soviet authorities forced Boris Pasternak to reject the Nobel Prize that he won for his novel Dr. Zhivago (the novel was banned in the USSR and had to be published in Italy).

true

Mikhail Gorbachev was the first and only elected president of the Soviet Union.

true

Russia is the largest country (in terms of land mass) on Earth.

true

CNN news clip that opens up the Khodorkovsky documentary states that Khodorkovsky was a "patron to Russian political parties." Which of the parties listed below did Khodorkovsky support (financially)?

yabloko

As you learned in this week's readings, Vladimir Putin's (one could argue, successful) approach to keeping Chechnya free from terrorism, is appointing a representative from native elite, empowering them with political authority and hoping that they could deliver a quiescent countryside. Has this approach been practiced any time earlier in the history of Russian-Chechen relations?

yes

During the Soviet era, citizens of the USSR did not need to file an income tax form (or send in individual tax payments): the tax was automatically deducted from each salary before it was given to the workers.

yes

From what you can tell from the documentary Chechnya: War Without Trace, is Islam a powerful source of identity for today's Chechens?

yes

You now know that Boris Yeltsin replaced the top-down command economy with free market forces after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Were free market policies ever introduced in Russia or the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1991?

yes