Russia F 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
– 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 F 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 49 th parallel (northern border of US/Canada)
F 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
F Landforms – European section u Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine lie within Eastern European plain u drained by numerous rivers like Volga and Dnieper u fairly flat with low mountains on Kola peninsula u mountains border plain on south- Carpathian Mts. , Crimean Mts. , Caucasus Mts. u Mt. . Elbrus 18. 5 k, highest peak in Europe u European plain ends at Ural Mts. . – Siberia u western Siberian lowland 1, 000 miles to Pacific
u Ob river drains most of western Siberian lowland u Yenisey and Lena Kazakhstan and Central Asia u Kazay uplands to south of western Siberian lowland u Aral sea fed by two rivers that originate in Pamir and Tian Shan Mts- Amu Darya and Syr Darya
– Vegetation zones u 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 u 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
• 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
u 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 u 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
u 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 u Mountain areas – Central Asia countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikstan, Uzbekistan, and Transcaucasus – Russian Far East
Russia: Physical Map Kamchata Peninsula Russian Plain Ural Mts Kazay uplands
Russian Climate Map
F 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)
FPopulation –General Observations upopulation of 15 republics that once constituted the former USSR was 290 million; Russia alone has 150 million u 6 th most populous country of the world uformer soviet states vary in size from Estonia at 1. 5 mil to 52 mil in the Ukraine –Formation of a Multinational State upresent state of Russia about 3/4 size of USSR u. Tsarist and Soviet rulers able to expand territory at expense of indigenous peoples
u Latvians, Lithuanians, Armenians, and Tadzhiks also speak languages belonging to Indo-European family u pervasive power of state maintained empire with allowance for a few ethnic rights- native languages, ethnic customs, etc u CPSU dominated by Russians u practice of Russification u after 73 years of communist rule, ethnic cleavages could not be contained any longer – Ethnic Composition u eastern Slavs- Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians speak languages belonging to Indo-European family
u 50 million in Central Asia speak a language belonging to the Altaic family. Live in Central Asia, middle Volga Valley and Caucasus u small representation of Uralian family (5 million) in Estonia, northern Europe, western Siberian section u variety of other languages spoken by Georgians, Mongols, Koreans, tribes in Siberia – Religious composition u Eastern Orthodox- Moscow core region u Christianity- Baltic states u Islam- Southern Muslim Republics u Roman Catholicism- Baltic states u Jewish- Russia
– Political Divisions u Former political units of USSR were the 15 union republics (S. S. R. ’s) u In early 90’s all become independent republics u CIS- Commonwealth of Independent States (12/15 SSR’s) u host of other ethnic groups wanted representation u Russians were significant minorities in the Baltics, Central Asian republics, and other territories u Gorbachev’s call for “demokratizatsiya” opened up Pandora’s box u old Soviet constitution said USSR was a “voluntary” federation with right of succession
u demonstrations and conflicts all over Russia u Lithuania took boldest step in declaring independence u abortive 1991 coup by right wing Communist officials leads to other declarations of independence in Latvia and Estonia u By 1992 all former SSR’s declared statehood u hammer and sickle on Soviet flag replaced by old Tsarist flag; Gorbachev resigns as president – Post-Independence Nationality Problems u challenge of political cooperation among different ethnic groups u 80 border disputes due to ethnic conflicts u citizenship questions for Russian minorities in ethnic republics
u Russians and Ukrainians in Moldova declared Dniester Republic u War between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno. Karabakh u Southern Ossetians and Abkhazy declared independence from Georgia u Tatars in middle Volga demand independence u Chechnya war raging since 1990. Devastation of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya today. u 50 million Muslims in Central Asia desire pan-Islamic federation u Russian federation main successor to RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic)
– demographic characteristics u Slavs and Baltic peoples have low birth rates and low death rates u ethnic groups in Central, Caucasus, and Siberia have high birth rates and low death rates u Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan have birth rtes like Third World u between 1979 -89 Russian grew by 5. 6% and Ukrainians grew by 4. 2% u Tadzhiks, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz grew by 45%, 34%, and 33% respectively u Slavs have declined from 75% of total population in 1959 to 51% today
u life expectancy in Russia is 64 years for Russian males vs 72 in US u life expectancy in Russia is 74 years for Russian females vs 79 in US u Alcoholism and inadequate health care u imbalance of male/female ratios (USSR lost 20 million men in WW II) u imbalances slowly being rectified u use of females in labor force u shortages in labor force u pronatal policies of Marxist ideology plus stipends have not increase birth rate u birth rate too high in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Caucasuses but too low in urbanized, Slavic Russia
Russia: Fertile Triangle
– distribution of population u fertile triangle from St. Petersburg to Urals to Crimea on Black Sea (Russian core area) u distribution varies from 250 people per sq. mile western Ukraine to virtually nothing in Russian tundra and Asian deserts u 75% of total population lives in European Russia u outside European Russia, heaviest populations concentrated in foothills and valleys of Central Asia, along rivers, and irrigated areas – urbanization u 18% of population lived in cities in Tsarist Russia u industrialization in Stalinist Russia increased urbanization to 33% before WW II
u today 75% of Russian live in cities u 70% of Estonians, Belarussians, Latvians, and Lithuanians live in cities u 30 -40% of Tadzhiks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks live in cities u most large cities in European Russia u large cities in Russian Siberia mostly in southern part of region or along Trans-Siberian railway – Summary u Russia has diverse environmental and human resources u serious environmental disruption, polluted atmosphere and contaminated lakes, rivers, soil u Nuclear wastes Novaya Zemlya; biological toxins Aral Sea u control over diverse ethnic mosaic very challenging problem for Russian government
Russia: Political Map
Russia
Russia-Economic Activities F 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
– Bolshevik Revolution and establishment of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics F 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
F 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
F 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
– 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 F 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
– 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
– military/security problems with soldiers not being paid, equipment deteriorating, command 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.
F 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
F 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 u good growth potential for oil and gas production u USSR prior to 1992 was world’s leading producer of oil and gas u 1/2 of region’s oil comes from West Siberian fields u problem of permafrost u antiquated equipment and poor management
u Volga Urals fields second most important oil-producing area u Caspian Sea area has major reserves rivaling that of the Persian Gulf u Japan and US interested in foreign investment u Soviet Union was world’s leading producer of coal u good reserves in Siberia; most coal production today in western Russia and Ukraine u Donets Basin is major source of coal u electric generation from peat, coal, oil or gas u atomic power about 10% now could rise to 25% soon u 15% of generation from hydroelectric with Volga and Kama rivers particularly important
Caspian Oil
– Metallic Ores u diverse base of metals u iron ore reserves largest in world (40% of known reserves) u 50% of iron ore extracted in USSR came from Ukrainian Krivoi Rog fields u Urals and Kursk deposits u manganese and mercury in Ukraine u Kazakhstan has bauxite, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, led, zing, and world’s largest copper deposits u mercury and gold in Uzbekistan
F 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
– Center u Moscow most populous and largest industrial city u large market; good supply of skilled labor; good transportation u good electrical supply from Volga hydroelectric and gas/oil pipelines from Ukraine u manufacture linen, cotton, wool, silk fabrics u machine construction, engineering, chemical, food processing and woodworking – St. Petersburg u Peter the Great, window to the West u deficient in resources u machine tools, shipbuilding
– Mid Volga u extensive energy resources u petroleum producing areas in “Volga-Urals fields u hydroelectricity u good transportation along Volga with 60% of all freight transported by river u automotive plant build at Tolyatti with Fiat – Urals u third largest industrial production center u iron and steel industries u copper smelting, zinc refining, aluminum production u Yekaterinburg major rail center
– Siberia u rich coal deposits in Kuznetsk Basin u Novosibirsk, major rail junction on Trans-Siberian line u great industrial potential but high transportation costs and high production costs u location of industries with high power requirements because of good hydroelectric potential u Baikal-Amur Mainline Railroad (BAM) u development of Siberia could be facilitated by Japanese but political problems complicate relations
– Ukraine Industrial District u principal heavy-manufacturing area u good availability of coal, iron, ore, ferroalloys, heavy machinery construction u gas fields to north and oil fields in Caucasus u high productivity of agriculture u food processing and agricultural equipment u Kiev- capital with diversified industrial base u Kharkov- important in production of heavy machinery u Odessa- main port city
Russian Industrial Regions
F 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
– Problems of Collectives u peasants thought to be a latent capital class u wanted to control peasants u forced peasants into collectives u control of agricultural prices and wages at low levels u feed industrial labor force cheaply u mechanization possible u millions of peasants (kulaks) killed u livestock herds slaughtered rather than surrender them – Types of farm organization u collective farms (kolkhoz) u state farms (sovkhoz)
u collective farms brought several villages together with centrally located machinery and private plots near houses u state farms paid a set wage with bonuses for extra performance u insufficient incentives to increase production u state investment in fertilizers, machinery and technology inadequate u private plots took up 4% of cultivated land but produced 48% of vegetables, 52% of meat, 67% of milk, and 84% of eggs. u agriculture was Achilles heel of Soviet system
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