Download CHAPTER THREE

2/2/2010
• Largest territorial state in
the world: 12 former republics
• Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonian
• Largest territorial state in the
world: 12 former republics
• Latvia, Lithuania, Estonian
• Population of 140 million
• Population of 140 million
• Mostly cold and dry
• Mostly cold and dry
• Once a major colonial power;
both under the Czar and Soviet
Rulers
Multicultural state; 30 ethnic internal
republics; function as politicalgeographical entities
• Concentrated development west
of the Ural
• major cities
• leading industrial regions
• densest transport networks
• productive farming areas
Russia in economic disarray due to failure
of the Soviet communist system
Major source of raw materials but not
manufacture of export products
1. North European Plain (Russian Moscow plain: western sub region
European Russia; densely populated, Industrial area;
Volga River
2. Ural Mountains: low barrier; border between Europe and Asia
3. West Siberian Plain: largest plain,
Oil reserves, permafrost, Ob River,
Novosibirsk
• Once a major colonial power;
both under the Czar and
Soviet Rulers
•
Multicultural state; 30 ethnic internal
republics; function as politicalgeographical entities
•
Russia in economic disarray due to failure
of the Soviet communist system
•
Major source of raw materials but not
manufacture of export products; except
weaponry
4. Central Siberian Plateau; Permafrost,
sparsely populated , temperature extremes
5. Yakutz Basin: high relief
6. Pacific Mountain Zone or Eastern Highlands
- volcanic activity
Pacific Plate sinking under Eurasian Plate
Lake Baikal
Harsh continental climate
 long, dry cold winter
 short warm summer
Protected from moderating
oceanic winds by
mountains to the south
high latitude location
Size of landmass
• Port cities of St Petersburg
and Vladivostok
Agriculture focused in west,
where precipitation is
maximized
Best soils are found in
southwest
• Concentrated development
west of the Ural
• major cities
• leading industrial regions
• densest transport
networks
• productive farming areas
7. Central Asia
Ranges
8. Caucuses
Mountains; border
Russia and Georgia
Climate as a Limiting Element
•
•
•
Agriculture
– Affects growing seasons
– Drought
– Erosion
Settlement patterns and transportation
Industry
– Consumes a lot of energy
– Specialized, equipment and facilities
– Permafrost in far north
Taiga found in northern
Siberian vastness, coniferous
forest
1
2/2/2010
► Pre-communists
Russian Empire
Russia: The Rise of the
 Russian czar: lived in splendor
►Serfdom
remained in place until mid-1800s
 Similar to other European colonizers:
resources appropriated, private property
upheld over communal property
 Different from other European colonizers:
large numbers of Russians migrated in,
surpassing indigenous populations
► The
Communist Revolution and its
Aftermath
 During WWI, czar overthrown, Bolsheviks
take power
►Communism: criticizes
capitalism for
centralization of production in a wealthy
minority
►Redistribution of wealth
 Centrally planned economy instituted by
Stalin
►Government
owned all land and means of
production
►Government directs all economic activity
►Significant successes and failures
► The
► World
War II and the Cold War
 Almost single-handedly won WWII
►23
million casualties
 Created buffer of allied Communist countries
 Cold War confrontation over ideology
►Arms
race, promotion of communism overseas
 Steady drift away from hard-line communism
►Dragged
Former Command Economy
 Successfully eradicated abject poverty,
basic needs met
 Still, because of inefficiencies,
scarcities and gluts
►No
competition, therefore inefficient
production methods
►Products of poor quality and overpriced
►Lack of technological innovation outside of
military, space exploration
down by war in Afghanistan
► Soviet
Regional Development
Schemes
 Central government in charge of
locating industry
►Spread
throughout vast territory to boost
standards of living in distant areas
►Also, protected from enemy attack
 Cost of transport made industry
inefficient
 Many industries incapable of being
sustained after breakup of USSR
► Transport
Issues
 Water transport: cheapest
►However,
Soviet rivers generally run northsouth
►Few oceanic ports
 Land transport: best option
►Hindered
by permafrost, swampy forests,
complex upland landscapes, limited car
ownership
 Therefore, USSR (2.5x size of USA) has
1/6 the roads
 Importance of Trans-Siberian Railway, air
transport (expensive)
2
2/2/2010
► The
Post-Soviet Years
 1985; Gorbachev: glasnost (open-ness),
perestroika (restructuring)
►Failed
to solve problems, stoked nationalism
 Russia: major inheritor of USSR’s mantle
 1991: other new republics in this region
►Haphazard
transition to free market
economies
►Rollback of democratic reforms in Russia?
►Boris Yeltsin as President 1991 – 2000
►Putin 2000-2008, Medvedev; present
Russia’s demographic disaster
► Recent
Population Changes
 USSR: Relatively high standard of living
and well-being
►Post-1991, rapidly
deteriorating
 Decline in life expectancy (esp. men)
►Physical
and mental stress from lost jobs and
social disruption
►Alcoholism; 7 million deaths per year
►Nutritional deficiencies
 Women choosing not to have children
Population Patterns
► European
Russia: densest population in
the region
 Wedge from Odessa north to St.
Petersburg and Novosibirsk (best
farmland)
► Siberian
settlement follows the TransSiberian Railway
 Concentrated in a few cities
► End
of Soviet Union unexpected,
sudden
► Increase in:
 Self-expression and individual initiative
►Crime
►Rise
and corruption
of oligarchs
 Political participation
 Cultural and religious revival
► Decrease
in:
 Employment
 Pension System; housing, food, and
health care for the elderly
 Civil order
Economic Reform in the Post-Soviet Era
► Privatization:
 Democracy slower to develop
►Russia, Belarus,
Central Asia: legislatures are
rubber stamps
►Power of oligarchs over politicians
 Russia: older people likely to vote for
socialists, authoritarians; younger people
more reformist, less likely to vote
government-owned industries sold
to private companies or individuals
► Price Controls
Price controls: Initial scarcity during
privatization led to massive profits
 Oligarchs: early profiteers, now powerful
3
2/2/2010
► High
energy prices end debt crisis
 Russia owed 90% of GDP in 1998
 Defaulted in 2000, rescheduling
contingent on economic reforms
 By 2008, debt expected to be 12% of
GDP
► New
Trading Partners
►
►
 Shift away from intra-regional trade to
EU; other Asian countries (India, China)
► The
Military in the Post-Soviet Era
► Impatience
with the Present,
Nostalgia for the Past
 Cutbacks have created reservoir of
discontent
 Smuggling of nuclear warheads?
► The
 Modern cities surrounded by rural
stagnation
 In rural areas, great nostalgia for Soviet
past
Political Status of Women
 In USSR, women officially equal but had
little power in government
 Women still fare poorly in elections
 Today, large role in NGO work within
country
► Capitalism
and communism share disregard
for environment
► Soviet Union disregarded environment in
quest for industrial development
► Today, lack of desire, money to deal with
environmental damage
► Lack of unitary government to deal with
fallout from USSR’s environmental policies
Supplying Oil and Gas to the World
 Russia’s exports: 1st in world for natural gas; 2nd in
world for oil
►Gazprom: 10th largest oil and gas company in the
world
►Oil: over half of Russia’s tax receipts
Greater Integration with Europe and USA
 Russia: joining WTO, G8
 EU: over 50% of Russia’s foreign trade
►Russia provides 20% of Europe’s natural gas
►Lack
of willingness to see painful reforms
through
 Many embrace more authoritarian Putin in
hopes he will restore greatness of Russia
►
►
►
Resource Extraction and Environmental Degradation
 Region has tremendous natural resources
 Lack of environmental monitoring
 Some signs of reprieve, but not many
Urban and Industrial Pollution
Nuclear Pollution
 Chernobyl: 1986 explosion of a nuclear reactor
 Soviet military bases east of the Urals
4
2/2/2010
► Living
► Irrigation
and the Aral Sea
 Disappearing because of irrigation
projects
 By 2001, 25% original size
 Huge environmental impact
 Kazakh efforts to re-fill the sea having
some success
standards beginning to improve in
most of the region
 Increasing inequality within, and between,
countries
► HDI falling for virtually every country in the
region
► GEM data incomplete
 No equality of women with men
5