WRS: Unit 9 - Russia and the Post-Soviet States Test Review
Describe the space tragedies that happened in 1986 and 2003.
1986-7 astronauts died when the space shuttle, challenger, exploded during takeoff. 2003- The space shuttle, Columbia, Disintegrated while reentering the Earth's atmosphere and 7 more astronauts died.
Explain the President/Prime Minister situation from 2000 to the current election in March:
2000 Election: President:Vladimir Putin, 2008 Election: President:Dmitri Medvedev Prime Minister: Vladimir Putin, 2012 Election: President: Dmitri Medvedev Prime Minister: Vladimir Putin
Warsaw Pact
A Soviet Union response to the creation of NATO.
What was the Strategic Air Command?
A U.S. Air Force command charged with intercontinental air strikes, especially nuclear attacks.
Iron Curtain
A boundary that hard been drawn between the Soviet controlled countries in Eastern Europe and the Western Democracies.
Describe Russia in the years immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991?
A third of its empire escaped Moscow, economically devastated Russia was for many years unable to play the grand role on the world stage it had been accustomed to when the Soviet Union shared superpower status with the U.S. There was little Russia could do as its former republics and Eastern European satellites grew closer economically, politically, and militarily to the U.S. and Europe.
Collective defense
AND armed attack against one or more member is considered as an attack against all.
In 1979, what country did the Soviet Union invade?
Afghanistan
What happened in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved?
Major republics became independent nations.
Why did the Soviet Union collapse in 1991?
Popular uprisings started to sweep away the communist regimes throughout eastern europe. The Soviet Union then disbanded. Gorbachev gave up his rule.
Why are Russia's resources difficult to obtain?
The soviets tried to match military power of the U.S. so they diverted their resources to military and away from economic and social development.
Describe the former Soviet republics today.
There were 15 independent states that emerged from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 12 out of the 15 states formed the CIS and most going CSTO, while the Baltic states focused on European Union and NATO membership.
Why was the National Defense Education Act passed?
To improve teaching and research and encouraged students to study science, math and foreign languages.
**What is NATO's purpose today?
To provides security and intervene in regional conflicts, when needed.
**Some countries that were once in Warsaw pact are now in NATO
True
**Which physical feature divides the continent of Europe and Asia
Ural Mountains
Which physical feature divides the continents of Europe and Asia?
Ural Mountains
**First Communist leader of Soviet Union
Vladimir Lenin
Have countries that were once in the Warsaw Pact joined NATO?
Yes, Romania and Bulgaria
**Marshall Plan In 1947
a plan was set up that gave 12 billion dollars to help countries to rebuild their Eastern Countries. **revive the economies of Western
Why is Northern Eurasia experiencing a negative population growth rate?
a. Low birth rates and aging population BUT human well-being is much lower than developed areas of world i. Reasons for decline 1-2 children , women's education, housing shortage, free health care, retirement pensions, declining life expectancies 1. Reasons for low life expectancies health care loss , stress, alcohol, suicide, smoking b. Population: 143 million people - one of the least densely populated areas on Earth with c. Population Density: 32 people per square mile d. Where most live: European Russia west of Ural Mts. e. Ethnic Groups and Languages: over 100 speak more than 200 languages
Why does Russia have such a low percentage of arable land?
agriculture is hampered by harsh climate, rugged landforms, short growing seasons, boggy soils, or require extensive labor/water/fertilizer
Perestroika
economic restructuring which called for a gradual change from command system to private ownership of goods and services.
Containment
is the idea that the Soviet Union and Soviet communism should not be allowed to spread.
Trans-Siberian Railroad _________ railroad in the world
longest
How big is the landmass of Eurasia?
nearly 1/2 of the northern hemisphere (8.5 million square miles)
What are some long term effects of the Chernobyl disaster?
water pollution, birth defects, various kinds of cancer
**Glasnost
(openness) which allowed citizens to say what they wanted without fear of government.
** Russian Taiga largest continuous area of forest in the world
- coniferous trees
In what Northern Eurasian country did genocide occur during the WWI era?
Armenia
What has happened to the Russian economy and foreign investments in the last decade?
At first when Putin came into power the economy shot up and the people loved it, but recently the economy has started to decrease.
**Describe what Russia CAN and CANNOT do according to the May 2002 Agreement between NATO and Russia
Be a member of NATO, Be bound to NATO's defense pact, Have a veto over NATO's decisions, Have a vote over NATO's decisions **NOT: Russia will contribute financially to NATO budget
Why are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania closer to Europe than Russia?
Because they are Baltic States
Where is NATO headquartered?
Brussels, Belgium
**Directly above Latvia
Estonia
What three Northern Eurasia countries are current members of NATO?
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
How has Putin been consolidating power in Russia?
Even through his term was up a long time ago Putin still seems to maintain his power/leadership over Russia.
**Russia is current member as NATO
False
How did Putin stay in power in Russia once his first two terms as president ended?
He rigged the elections by having Dmitri Medvedev run and become president and then Putin being his prime minister,
What are the different regions in Northern Eurasia?
I. Slavic State: Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine ii.Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. iii. Caucasus Region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia iv. Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - closer to Europe than Russia.
What is the Kremlin?
It is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow.
**Joseph McCarthy
Known as the red scare in 1953 the U.S. senator of Wisconsin, McCarthy says that the state department is "infested" with communists- a decade of investigations into Communist infiltration in the government and hollywood then follows this. **held the senate who has infiltrated the US sates dependent
What are the two small regions in Georgia that there has been a long-simmering dispute over?
South Ossetia and Abkhazia
What U.S. organization was created in response to the space race between the USSR and the U.S.?
NASA
Who became first U.S. men to walk on the moon?
Neil Armstrong
Is Russia a member of NATO - why or why not?
No, because Russia first of all refuses to help NATO in any way. Also on April 1, 2014, due to a situation in Crimea, Ukraine, Nato stated "we have decided to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation between NATO and Russia.....Political dialogue can canoe....we will review in June."
Why did Putin's first presidency end in 2008?
Putin finished his term.
Why did Russia invade Georgia in 2008?
Russia's invasion was a result of a long dispute over 2 small regions in Georgia.
What was the first artificial satellite in space?
Sputnik
What was the purpose of NATO at its creation?
Started as a military alliance consisting of the U.S., Canada, and 14 other countries in Europe. It was formed in 1949. NATO was set up to discourage an attack by the Soviet Union on the non-communist nations of North America and Europe.
Cold War
The Cold war was a state of political hostility between the U.S. and USSR, it was characterized by threats and propaganda. 50 year geopolitical rivalry between USSR and the U.S.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile crisis was a confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1962 over the presence of missile sites in Cuba.
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, what did the U.S. do?
The U.S. went to help. They helped to create a islamic group called Mujahedeen (Now people think that those people may have went on to be apart of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda).
What is the largest man made ecological disaster on Earth?
The decline/disappearance of of the Aral Sea (due to water diversion)