Russia

1. Russia • Background • Russia and newly independent neighbors once formed the USSR and cover an enormous area • European part of region includes Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania / Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Also includes Transcaucasus states of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan • Asian part of region includes Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tadzhikistan • region occupies 1/6 of earth’s landsurface, stretches 6,000 miles from west to east and 3,000 north to south; spans 12 time zones

2. image of unlimited raw materials and virgin lands compromised by difficulty of exploitation, remoteness of territory, lack of capital, and bad climate • Russia occupies 3/4 of former USSR • Natural Regions • large Eurasian landmass and high latitudinal location strongly influence severe continental climate (southern most area same latitude as Memphis, TN) • Moscow further north than Edmonton, Canada • 75% of area is north of 49th parallel (northern border of US/Canada)

3. Importance of Rivers to Russia • Longest north-south river is Volga which flows from the north to Caspian Sea • Dnieper River empties into Black Sea • Don River into Sea of Azov • “Mutushka” (mother) name of Volga • Boatmen towed barges up Volga to Moscow (The Volga Boatmen) • Volga-Don canal important for transportation

4. Landforms • European section • Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine lie within Eastern European plain • drained by numerous rivers like Volga and Dnieper • fairly flat with low mountains on Kola peninsula • mountains border plain on south- Carpathian Mts., Crimean Mts., Caucasus Mts. • Mt.. Elbrus 18.5 k, highest peak in Europe • European plain ends at Ural Mts.. • Siberia • western Siberian lowland 1,000 miles to Pacific

5. Ob river drains most of western Siberian lowland • Yenisey and Lena Kazakhstan and Central Asia • Kazay uplands to south of western Siberian lowland • Aral sea fed by two rivers that originate in Pamir and Tian Shan Mts- Amu Darya and Syr Darya

6. Vegetation zones • Tundra • 13% of Russian republic • mean temperature in warmest month 50-32 degrees F • short growing season, poor soils, only hardy plants • permafrost and high winds • very sparsely populated with only a few military bases, tribes, hunters, trappers, and miners • Forest regions • taiga of Russia • coniferous forests with swamps and meadows • subartic climate with temperatures as low as 90 degrees F • Permafrost much of the year • short summers, very cold winters, 100 day growing season

7. transportation and constructions problems • timber, fur-bearing animals, precious metals, oil and gas • mixed forests of Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine and European Russia • coniferous and broadleaf trees • temperatures and growing season increase toward south • less acidic and more fertile soils • broadleaf forests of Siberia in Far East • broadleaf forests • cold, dry winters, hot, humid summers

8. Forest steppe and steppe • forest steppe gives way to true steppe in south • Moldova, Ukraine, western Siberia, and Kzakhstan • chernozerm (black earth) soils in steppe • important for agriculture but unreliable rainfall • Deserts • trans-Volga area, southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan • 10 inches of rain per year • very hot, dry conditions in summer; cold in winter • vegetation consists of grasses and plants that can store moisture

9. Subtropical south • east coast of Black Sea (Georgia) and Crimean peninsula in Ukraine • Crimean mountains help protect narrow coastal region from cold north winds • famous resort areas on Black Sea • specialized agriculture with tea, citrus fruits, fertile soils, good moisture • Mountain areas • Central Asia countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikstan, Uzbekistan, and Transcaucasus • Russian Far East

12. Russia: Physical Map Kamchata Peninsula Russian Plain Ural Mts Kazay uplands

13. Russian Climate Map

14. Russian Climates • Polar climate (permafrost, very cold) • Continental climate (cold winters, cool summers, short growing season) • Dry climate (mid latitude steppe and desert with limited rainfall • Humid subtropical climate (hot summers, mild winters, longer growing season, good moisture)

15. Population • General Observations • population of 15 republics that once constituted the former USSR was 290 million; Russia alone has 150 million • 6th most populous country of the world • former soviet states vary in size from Estonia at 1.5 mil to 52 mil in the Ukraine • Formation of a Multinational State • present state of Russia about 3/4 size of USSR • Tsarist and Soviet rulers able to expand territory at expense of indigenous peoples

16. Latvians, Lithuanians, Armenians, and Tadzhiks also speak languages belonging to Indo-European family • pervasive power of state maintained empire with allowance for a few ethnic rights- native languages, ethnic customs, etc • CPSU dominated by Russians • practice of Russification • after 73 years of communist rule, ethnic cleavages could not be contained any longer • Ethnic Composition • eastern Slavs- Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians speak languages belonging to Indo-European family

17. 50 million in Central Asia speak a language belonging to the Altaic family. Live in Central Asia, middle Volga Valley and Caucasus • small representation of Uralian family (5 million) in Estonia, northern Europe, western Siberian section • variety of other languages spoken by Georgians, Mongols, Koreans, tribes in Siberia • Religious composition • Eastern Orthodox- Moscow core region • Christianity- Baltic states • Islam- Southern Muslim Republics • Roman Catholicism- Baltic states • Jewish- Russia

19. Political Divisions • Former political units of USSR were the 15 union republics (S.S.R.’s) • In early 90’s all become independent republics • CIS- Commonwealth of Independent States (12/15 SSR’s) • host of other ethnic groups wanted representation • Russians were significant minorities in the Baltics, Central Asian republics, and other territories • Gorbachev’s call for “demokratizatsiya” opened up Pandora’s box • old Soviet constitution said USSR was a “voluntary” federation with right of succession

20. demonstrations and conflicts all over Russia • Lithuania took boldest step in declaring independence • abortive 1991 coup by right wing Communist officials leads to other declarations of independence in Latvia and Estonia • By 1992 all former SSR’s declared statehood • hammer and sickle on Soviet flag replaced by old Tsarist flag; Gorbachev resigns as president • Post-Independence Nationality Problems • challenge of political cooperation among different ethnic groups • 80 border disputes due to ethnic conflicts • citizenship questions for Russian minorities in ethnic republics

21. Russians and Ukrainians in Moldova declared Dniester Republic • War between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh • Southern Ossetians and Abkhazy declared independence from Georgia • Tatars in middle Volga demand independence • Chechnya war raging since 1990.Devastation of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya today. • 50 million Muslims in Central Asia desire pan-Islamic federation • Russian federation main successor to RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic)

22. demographic characteristics • Slavs and Baltic peoples have low birth rates and low death rates • ethnic groups in Central, Caucasus, and Siberia have high birth rates and low death rates • Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan have birth rtes like Third World • between 1979-89 Russian grew by 5.6% and Ukrainians grew by 4.2% • Tadzhiks, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz grew by 45%, 34%, 34%, and 33% respectively • Slavs have declined from 75% of total population in 1959 to 51% today

23. life expectancy in Russia is 64 years for Russian males vs 72 in US • life expectancy in Russia is 74 years for Russian females vs 79 in US • Alcoholism and inadequate health care • imbalance of male/female ratios (USSR lost 20 million men in WW II) • imbalances slowly being rectified • use of females in labor force • shortages in labor force • pronatal policies of Marxist ideology plus stipends have not increase birth rate • birth rate too high in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Caucasuses but too low in urbanized, Slavic Russia

24. Russia: Fertile Triangle

25. distribution of population • fertile triangle from St. Petersburg to Urals to Crimea on Black Sea (Russian core area) • distribution varies from 250 people per sq. mile western Ukraine to virtually nothing in Russian tundra and Asian deserts • 75% of total population lives in European Russia • outside European Russia, heaviest populations concentrated in foothills and valleys of Central Asia, along rivers, and irrigated areas • urbanization • 18% of population lived in cities in Tsarist Russia • industrialization in Stalinist Russia increased urbanization to 33% before WW II

26. today 75% of Russian live in cities • 70% of Estonians, Belarussians, Latvians, and Lithuanians live in cities • 30-40% of Tadzhiks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks live in cities • most large cities in European Russia • large cities in Russian Siberia mostly in southern part of region or along Trans-Siberian railway • Summary • Russia has diverse environmental and human resources • serious environmental disruption, polluted atmosphere and contaminated lakes, rivers, soil • Nuclear wastes Novaya Zemlya; biological toxins Aral Sea • control over diverse ethnic mosaic very challenging problem for Russian government

28. Russia: Political Map

29. Russia

30. Russia-Economic Activities • Background • prior to Russian Revolution 80% of population were peasants • grinding rural poverty, high debts, no land, inadequate food, unyielding autocracy • industry growing in 1890’s • history of revolts, revolutions, demands for freedom and democracy in Russia • influence of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution

31. Bolshevik Revolution and establishment of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics • Soviet Approach to Development • Dictatorship of Communist Party of Soviet Union would lead backward country through economic development and eventually communism • significant achievement of industrialization under Stalinist Five-Year Plans • heavy costs on workers and rural peasants • human toll of Stalinist economic policy in 20’s and 30’s

32. Planned Development • Stalinist Five-Year Plans • planned economy, production goals for all goods and services • complexity of economic blueprints created problems in allocating resources • achievement of notable success in heavy industry and military arms (“heavy metal eaters”) • performance in agriculture and light industries poor • performance in consumer industries dismal

33. Gorbachev’s economic reforms • economic stagnation and decreasing growth in 70’s • USSR could not feed itself, importing food • ruble valueless (not convertible) outside Russia • military spending consuming 25% of budget • nothing available to buy in state stores • Gorbachev promised glasnost (more openness), demokratizatsiya (democratization), and perestroika (restructuring of the economy). • plan was to improve economic performance by introducing market reforms

34. high inflation unemployment in the short run • unemployment increased, prices rose, inequality of incomes apparent, decrease in the standard of living for many people, political instability • Challenge of Development • reformers losing political influence; nationalists and ex-communists gaining influence • level of economic well-being differs from republic to republic • difficulties in privatizing state enterprises • by 1993 most retail shops in private hands

35. agricultural and industrial production dropped by 50% in 5 years of market reforms • defense spending and other government spending cut, land privatized, inflation, declining economic growth, joblessness, poverty • centrally controlled distribution system curtailed • Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, and Azerbaijan have made fewest changes • Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Lithuania and Moldova committed to reform but little progress so far • Estonia and Latvia experiencing some success

36. military/security problems with soldiers not being paid, equipment deteriorating, command and control structures fragile, possibility of nuclear thefts • former republics highly dependent on trade with other republics; under market reforms trading between these former republics is more complicated • inability to pay for imported goods • Commonwealth of Independent States created to facilitate trade and political ties; most new republics suspicious of Moscow, fear dominance • Russia benefiting today due to high prices for gas and oil. New markets East and West.

37. Economic Development Potential • Russia and Ukraine have best chance of economic success • Ukraine has extensive agricultural land, industrial resources, good manufacturing capability • Russia has extensive natural resources, largest industrial regions, good agricultural land • Baltics have good prospects for industrialization and agricultural development • most other regions except the Baltics have economic problems • Central Asian Republics particularly weak

38. Industrial Resources • Russian region ranks among the leaders in natural resources, but these are not evenly distributed • many resources in remote areas, costly to obtain, harsh environment • Energy • good growth potential for oil and gas production • USSR prior to 1992 was world’s leading producer of oil and gas • 1/2 of region’s oil comes from West Siberian fields • problem of permafrost • antiquated equipment and poor management

39. Volga Urals fields second most important oil-producing area • Caspian Sea area has major reserves rivaling that of the Persian Gulf • Japan and US interested in foreign investment • Soviet Union was world’s leading producer of coal • good reserves in Siberia; most coal production today in western Russia and Ukraine • Donets Basin is major source of coal • electric generation from peat, coal, oil or gas • atomic power about 10% now could rise to 25% soon • 15% of generation from hydroelectric with Volga and Kama rivers particularly important

40. Caspian Oil

41. Metallic Ores • diverse base of metals • iron ore reserves largest in world (40% of known reserves) • 50% of iron ore extracted in USSR came from Ukrainian Krivoi Rog fields • Urals and Kursk deposits • manganese and mercury in Ukraine • Kazakhstan has bauxite, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, led, zing, and world’s largest copper deposits • mercury and gold in Uzbekistan

42. Industrial Regions • Soviets attempted to disperse location of industrial regions for security reasons • Kuznetsk metallurgical base in Siberia • impact of German occupation in WW II • Soviet planning favored development of manufacturing in several areas: (1) Center around Moscow; (2) St. Petersburg; (3) Mid-Volga area; (4) the Urals; (5) Kuznetsk Basin in Siberia; (6) Ukraine Industrial District

43. Center • Moscow most populous and largest industrial city • large market; good supply of skilled labor; good transportation • good electrical supply from Volga hydroelectric and gas/oil pipelines from Ukraine • manufacture linen, cotton, wool, silk fabrics • machine construction, engineering, chemical, food processing and woodworking • St. Petersburg • Peter the Great, window to the West • deficient in resources • machine tools, shipbuilding

44. Mid Volga • extensive energy resources • petroleum producing areas in “Volga-Urals fields • hydroelectricity • good transportation along Volga with 60% of all freight transported by river • automotive plant build at Tolyatti with Fiat • Urals • third largest industrial production center • iron and steel industries • copper smelting, zinc refining, aluminum production • Yekaterinburg major rail center

45. Siberia • rich coal deposits in Kuznetsk Basin • Novosibirsk, major rail junction on Trans-Siberian line • great industrial potential but high transportation costs and high production costs • location of industries with high power requirements because of good hydroelectric potential • Baikal-Amur Mainline Railroad (BAM) • development of Siberia could be facilitated by Japanese but political problems complicate relations

46. Ukraine Industrial District • principal heavy-manufacturing area • good availability of coal, iron, ore, ferroalloys, heavy machinery construction • gas fields to north and oil fields in Caucasus • high productivity of agriculture • food processing and agricultural equipment • Kiev- capital with diversified industrial base • Kharkov- important in production of heavy machinery • Odessa- main port city

47. Russian Industrial Regions

48. Agriculture • agriculture not as developed historically as industry • production increases from 1950’s to 1980’s • productivity of Soviet farms poor with one American farm worker producing 8 times more than his Soviet counterpart • 22% of Soviet work force in agriculture vs 2% in US • one Soviet farm worker feeds 8 Russians while one US farmer feeds 52 Americans • Collectivization of agriculture in 20’s proved to be a disaster

49. Problems of Collectives • peasants thought to be a latent capital class • wanted to control peasants • forced peasants into collectives • control of agricultural prices and wages at low levels • feed industrial labor force cheaply • mechanization possible • millions of peasants (kulaks) killed • livestock herds slaughtered rather than surrender them • Types of farm organization • collective farms (kolkhoz) • state farms (sovkhoz)

50. collective farms brought several villages together with centrally located machinery and private plots near houses • state farms paid a set wage with bonuses for extra performance • insufficient incentives to increase production • state investment in fertilizers, machinery and technology inadequate • private plots took up 4% of cultivated land but produced 48% of vegetables, 52% of meat, 67% of milk, and 84% of eggs. • agriculture was Achilles heel of Soviet system