Chapter 4

Russia and Neighboring Countries

Figure 4.1

INTRODUCTION

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) Soviet Union Disintegrated in 1991 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Economic Union between of 12 of 15 former Soviet republics Similar economic needs and policies

Diverse culture and ethnicity

Sub-regions
Slavic countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova Southern Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbiajan

Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Uzbekistan

Figure 4.2

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
MIDLATITUDE CONTINENTAL INTERIORS CLIMATES

NATURAL RESOURCES

SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN WALL

DESERT, GRASSLAND, FOREST AND TUNDRA

PLATEUS, PLAINS AND MAJOR RIVER VALLEYS

Natural Environment

Northerly location and continentality (extreme cold and hot) Southern Mountain Wall Caucasus Mountain (7,400 m) Plateaus, Plains and Major River Valleys Plateaus - East Belarus, Ukraine and ends at Ural Mountain Plains - North Black, Caspian and Aral Seas Don River, Volga River, Ob, Yenisey, Lena Transportation, hydroelectricity, industrial and domestic usage. Desert, Grassland, Forest, and Tundra Desert east of Caspian Sea North steppe grassland, fertile black soils (chernozems), Southern Poland eastward through Ukraine Further north - deciduous forest, fertile brown soils, farming Northward and eastward birch, pine, fir and spruce, northern coniferous forest (taiga) Tundra eastern and central Siberia, frozen ground (permafrost)

Figure 4.3

Figure 4.5a

Figure 4.5b

Figure 4.6

Figure 4.23

Natural Environment

Environmental Problems Oil Pollution

Frequent oil pipelines breaks and leakages

Pollution at Norilsk
Metallurgical Industry release pollutants in the air

Nuclear pollution

Aral Sea Contraction

Bad planning from the bureaucrats

Threatened Fisheries
Black Sea, environmental degradation from industry

pollutants

Global Environmental Policies

Kyoto Protocol

Figure 4.7

Abandoned Nuclear Reactor

Crossroads, Imperialism, and Cultural Diversity War I Political evolution of Russia up to World
Eastern Slavs
Rus (800s -Eastern Slav with the Vikings, Balts and Finno-

Ugric) Muscovy (Prince Vladimir-Suzdal conquered and consolidated Rus territories)

1480 very powerful, Ivan IV adopted the word Czar Expand territories Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Alexander I

The Russian Empire

Russification
Czar remained in power but the real power is the creation of efficient

government The rise of nationalism, developed Russification to enforce minorities to be more Russian.

The Soviet Union Competing for Control by the Bolsheviks that believe in Communist principle. 1922 Lenin established USSR
Abolished monarchy and dejected capitalism and religion entities

Figure 4.11

Crossroads, Imperialism, and Cultural Diversity

Five-Year Plan
1928, it is called collectivization and industrialization Small firms are merged, the government is the owner of the

collectives and farmers became employees Command economy Central Planning

World War II
Victory in war, annex the Baltic countries and Moldova Beat the Hitler army Stalin moderated some its policies Created Warsaw Pact and Council for Mutual Economic

Assistance COMECOM, CMEA) to counter NATO and the Marshall Plan (economic aids from the USA)

Global Changes and Local Responses

Cold War between Soviet Union and the western countries especially the USA Communism at an Economic Standstill
The Stalin economy was rigid so it became inefficient

Perestroika & Glasnost

Introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika (economic restructuring) and Glasnost (international

openness) Against the Communist ideas, causing political turmoil Companies exist but without noncompetitive environment Lack of capitalist banking and financial system, poor transportation and communication system

Figure 4.14

Figure 4.15

Human Rights

Gulags & the Great Terror (Slave Labor Camp established by the Bolsheviks)

Solzhenitsyn & Sakharov, humanitarian

Status of women, equal opportunities

War in Chechnya, human right abuse, ethnic cleansing

Global Changes and Local Responses

Population Distribution and Patterns

Greatest concentration in western Russia,

East of Urals: along Transportation-Siberian Railroad to Lake Baikal, Vladivostok. Caucasus Mountain, uneven distribution During Russian imperial and Soviet:
Ethnic Russians in the Near Abroad,

encouraged to move to other republics

Most Armenians & Azerbaijanis do not live in their

respective countries

Figure 4.18

Figure 4.10

Figure 4.19

Global Changes and Local Responses

Population Dynamics
Slavic countries: declining populations, except

Southern Caucasus

Urbanization Areas that lack good agricultural land Areas that emphasize urban-industrial development Urban landscapes Secret cities Nuclear industry, biologic warfare research, missile and weapon design

Figure 4.22

The Slavic Countries

Countries
Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova Not entirely Slavic but many Slavs live there and it is tied closely to the Slavic countries

Economic hardship
Transition from Communism to Capitalism

Foreign Investment and Trade

1990s, corruption, poor infrastructure and

bureaucracy prevent FDI

Figure 4.26

The Slavic Countries

Political Divisions Republics, krays, oblasts, federal cities, okrugs Autonomous political units North European and Middle Volga-Urals North Caucasus Siberia and the Far East Territories of the Far North Heartland and Hinterland in Russia Heartland lies west of Urals Hinterland includes Kaliningrad, along Baltic Sea, Murmansk, east of Urals, Siberia. Science, Sports, and Society Establishment of sport centers, universities, free health care

Economic Activities
Ukraine iron and steelmaking

Services

Heavy Industries

Automotive, power generation and consumer goods

Oil and gas

The Southern Caucasus

Countries
Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

Rugged, mountainous region Oil resources Culture

Very diverse Christianity: Georgians & Armenians Islam: Azerbaijanis (Shia)

Figure 4.32

The Southern Caucasus

Ethnic Peace and Conflict

Georgia: Ossetians & Abkhaz
The problem with trust Persecution of Armenians & the Armenian

genocide Armenia & Azerbaijan

Nagorno-Karabakh, autonomous territory Largest conflict, clashes of culture

Economic Development
Agriculture Limited industrial development Heavily dependent on other Soviet republics 1991, altering and increasing its industrial and service sector in order to reduce dependency

Tourism Activities Oil producers Pipelines Develop trading relationship with other countries like Iran, Turkey etc

Central Asia

Countries
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan (Turkestan) The countries occupy strategic geopolitical positions

Landlocked
Arid & semiarid climates dominate

Islam Silk Road

Figure 4.36

Central Asia
Resistance to Russification People: Ethnic Conflict

Soviet definition of boundaries Fergana Valley

Titular groups & ethnic minorities

Central Asia

Economic Development
Historical orientation toward Russia
Drop in GDP following independence Oil

Natural gas
Cotton Water