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My Russian Research Paper (Beware, text wall)

By Tommy60,
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Tommy60 406

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I would be a ******ed teacher if I were to give you less than 100% just because of the paper's sheer length.

 

Yeah, I don't think she'll ever say "You can make your paper as long as you want, pupils," ever again. :lol:

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Tommy60 406

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I'm russian, you're right at all moments.

This text is the first ten pages of my history book :wink:

Text is really good, full of information.

And, yeap, i've read it all 8)

 

Thank you. :)

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GoodKn1ght 16

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I finished this thing in December of 2011; it earned me a 100%. As you can tell' date=' it was by far the longest paper my teacher had ever read. [b']If you hate text walls, then don't read this![/b]

 

This is for those of you who would like to better understand our Russian neighbors, and to know where they come from.

 

Development of Modern Russia (1900-2003)

The country of Russia has existed through a myriad number of political and economical reforms and revolutions since its establishment in the Eighth Century, B.C. (Kirchner 1). Perhaps the most notable was the formation of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) shortly after the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Around the year of 1900, Russia and its people were ready for a revolution of their current government; little did they know how long this process would take, and what impacts it would have upon the world.

For the five hundred years preceding 1900, the Russian people were ruled by an extensive dynasty of supreme rulers, called “tsars,” the latest of which had been under the title and crest of the Romanov family. This particular branch of emperors and kings were characterized by Alexander II and Nicholas II, the most recent rulers. These two tsars were personified by good moral values, yet also were known for an unfortunate neglect of the current state of their subjects. (Kirchner 241)

In the late 1890s, the major cities of Russia, under the rule of the Romanov family, had been experiencing extreme industrialization. This drew massive swarms of people to the already overpopulated urban areas. With the influx of workers, the common wage of workers declined sharply, demanding lower prices on everything, from

 

foodstuff to shelter. Since there was a lack of revenue and an increasing demand of common necessities, the living and working qualities were drastically lowered, causing

the rise of abysmal living tenements, poverty, and widespread crime. These circumstances heralded the formation of labor unions and small, radical political parties, the most historic being the United Socialist Revolutionary Party, which would play a large part in the years to come. (Zickel 42-43)

Through 1900 to 1904, there were many small social revolts and upheavals occurring throughout Russia. Very few of these went to the extent of being historically noted. The notables in this series of events were mostly initiated by the recently formed Bolshevik party. (Zickel 43)

The Bolsheviks were started by a workers’ union in early 1900. This group’s policies were highly popular in its native region. Higher wages, some insurance, and the ability to negotiate on the collective’s behalf were part of its core values. The Russian root word, bol’shenstvo, directly translates as “member of the majority,” and was rightfully called so, being the party of choice for most of the working class. The working and peasant classes were the lowest yet most abundant categories in the Russian social structure. During its infancy, the party had no particular leader, no personification to represent it to the nation. That all changed with the coming of an ambitious man.

(Zickel 80)

A good time before the introduction of the Bolsheviks, a young Vladimir Ulyanov was being raised in the rural area to the north of Moscow. His father was a school superintendent of a lower social class, who often was too busy at his work to spend time

with his son. In his childhood, Vladimir was most noticeably influenced by the death of his brother, who was part of an assassination attempt on an earlier tsar, Alexander III.

The sudden loss of the one most close to him was devastating, and, on the day following his brother’s execution, young Vladimir swore to avenge his brother against tsarism and all its injustices. In 1895, at the age of twenty-five, Ulyanov was arrested for his radical political views, and was exiled to Siberia in 1897. (Kirchner 253)

For the ensuing three years, Vladimir went abroad in Europe under the name of Vladimir Lenin. For a time, he resided in Munich, Zurich, Geneva, and Paris, editing any revolutionary papers he could. After being granted executive amnesty in 1900, Lenin returned to Russia, where he went on to participate in the Socialist Party Congress of 1903, eventually rising to lead the socialistic movement and the cause of the Bolsheviks. (Kirchner 253)

Russia and its southern neighbor, Japan, had some very intense conferences and negotiations in the year 1904. The recurring issue was of whose right it was to control a large portion of land in the southeast of Russia. This land included an important trading system of railroads, and Russia’s only oceanic port. The conflict could not be resolved by diplomatic means, so the two countries engaged in war. Russia greatly underestimated its foe, assuming Japan’s smaller army would be no match for the Russian army’s brute strength. When Japan used its advanced technological and strategic plans to win the initial battles, a surge of Russian nationalism coursed through the veins of its [the Russian] people. This created a temporary unification of Russia, since the old saying of “War is peace,” rings true throughout history. However, as the tsar Nicholas II,

began to lose more and more battles, the morale of his subjects began to decline. By the middle of 1905, Russia went into political chaos yet again. By the end of the

year, Nicholas II was forced to sign a peace treaty with Japan, which saved Russia from international humiliation. This was regarded as a certification of a war failure by his advisors and the rest of the country. In an utter revolt, more social uprisings sprang forth, tossing the country into the greatest turmoil seen in over a century. (Zickel 44-45)

Shortly after the Russo-Japanese War, a Russian Orthodox Priest named Georgii Gapon, led a peaceful march in St. Petersburg to present a petition to the tsar. A few nervous guard men and soldiers inevitably opened fire upon the crowd. Hand in hand with the previous war, this “Bloody Sunday,” as it was called later, stirred even more rebellions and even mutinies in the army. (Zickel 45-47)

During this time of confusion and tension, a more city-centered series of revolts and rebellions were taking place. Realizing that his position was becoming more and more fragile, the tsar, Nicholas II, and his aristocratic advisors quickly went to work. This flurry of activity successfully lifted Russia’s economic structure, which greatly pleased the people inhabiting it. (Zickel 47)

Another way in which Nicholas II was able to please the majority was in instituting the Duma. The Duma was comparable to the United States of America’s House of Representatives and Britain’s lower parliamentary house. This political congress was comprised of 450 Russian representatives chosen by the inhabitants of each region.. This created a feeling of representation among the common people, and a revolution was put off for another length of time. (Kirchner 221-223)

Yet again, in 1912, a discombobulating state of panic was induced when the Duma could not reach virtually any agreements. This was due to the diversity and different needs of different regions of Russia. This time, Lenin tried to bring his revolutionary ideas to light. He failed for a number of reasons. First, the tsar’s advisors took immediate notice of what Lenin was trying to do, and halted his efforts with the imposing aid of the Russian military. Second, the Bolshevik conceptualization seemed to many Russians, a bit out of place. The common people did not believe that such a course of action such as a government overhaul was necessary at the time. Lastly, Lenin’s speaking skills were still in the process of being perfected. He did not quite put the emphasis on his speeches that the rest of his party wanted. Amidst the relative peace which had washed over the country, the revolutionary had time to practice his skills. (Kirchner 48)

Beginning in the early 1910s, a war-weary Russia sought out to find allies with which it could trade and grow economically with. The first and foremost option was Serbia, the next-door neighbor. During the next few years, the connection between the two Eurasian countries gradually became stronger, each side supporting the other one. In the year of 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria (a neighboring country) was participating in a royal parade. There, he was shot and killed by a Serbian terrorist. Austria put the blame towards Serbia. In its ally’s defense, Russia, then France went to the side of Serbia, while Germany sided with Austria, whom it had close ties. After a few

weeks of high tensions, Germany invaded France. This was the first act of aggression of World War I. (Zickel 49)

Despite Russia’s enormous population advantage over Germany and Austria, the Russian military was at a disadvantage in every other way. The Germans produced more experienced and refined officers than their opposition, and their military technology exceeded that of Russia’s. It was during this time that the Bolshevik party had their best chance at spreading their ideas; morale was low, people were scared and confused, and did not know what to do. After some mass media advertising, Lenin was able to spread his beliefs throughout Russia. His speaking skills perfected, his tone strengthened, Lenin’s ideas caught on virtually everywhere. The concepts were thought to be perfect for the current needs of the Russian people. (Zickel 49)

Despite the unstoppable push of change, the war kept among the people of Russia a feeling of nationalism and the determination to win. This sense of loyalty kept the country together for the two more years needed to finish the war, which ended with a victorious Russia and humiliated Germany. However, the previous living conditions had returned yet again. The previously supportive feelings for the military turned sour when it was realized that the army had not done everything it could have in order to prepare for the war. It was found to be true that the few lazy and indifferent army officers had cost the country and its people a great deal. This urged the rebellion forward. (Zickel 50)

In 1916, many major occurrences and changes began to happen simultaneously. The tsar’s revered counselor and medical healer, the Rasputin, was assassinated by nobles while at a dinner party. The death of this longtime national icon, remarkably, did not

cause much change in the current people’s attitudes. Another major happening occurred in the Russian city of Petrograd (currently known as St. Petersburg). During a rebellion-

based demonstration, the guards did not fire upon the crowd, though they were under orders to do so. The majority of them went as far as to give their weapons to the rioters and join the mob. These, among other events heralded the death of tsarism, which would finally be realized in 1917. (Zickel 51)

In February of 1916, the Bolsheviks had gained enough power to overrun the tsarist government. They did so with relative ease. Nicholas II and his family, the Romanovs, were removed from office peacefully, and were brought out to a countryside estate. They were promised that no harm would come to them. These series of events is known both by “The Bolshevik Revolution,” and “The February Revolution.” (Zickel 55)

For approximately a year, the newly established provisional government ran rather smoothly, since the majority of the country’s population was supporting it. In remembrance of Karl Marx, the founder of their movement (and communism) well over a decade ago, the Bolsheviks began to call themselves communists. As the initial mass-support feeling of the rebellion began to fade, many people belonging to the upper and middle classes began to realize that they did not necessarily agree with all the laws being made by the new governing body. These ill-feelings would eventually escalate to the Russian Civil War, which would last for three years. (Zickel 55)

The Russian Civil War was seen by the rest of the world as a small experiment, determining which side was stronger: the highly educated and refined upper classes (known as White Russians), or the masses of the worker class, which constituted the

majority of the population (also called Red Russians). (Zickel 55)

As it would turn out, the communistic Red Russians were victorious in the end. This was the predicted outcome by most people, since both the government and the [majority of] people were on their side. The Whites were left desperately emigrating from the country to seek a more hopeful future in neighboring European countries. Shortly after the end of the war, the entire Romanov family was executed in their country home. The reasons are still unknown. (Zickel 55)

Ultimately under Lenin’s guidance, the next few years were extremely successful for Russia as a whole; inflation began to decrease, living conditions improved, and there were hardly any riots in the cities. A contributing factor to this time of prosperity was the “hype,” or motivation and support, for this new system of government. Everybody worked hard and felt like they were helping their country. Among these happy times, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters officially named their new government “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).” This new title was also recognized under the name of the “Soviet Union.” Once again, the name and policies of this new nation were immensely popular amongst its inhabitants. Once again, this new communist government was very successful through its infant years. (Zickel 55)

Throughout the revolution and the creation of the USSR, a young and ambitious politician, named Joseph Stalin, was quickly accumulating power in the new government. Eventually, he took many powerful positions. Entrusted with the power these positions held, Stalin quickly spread his influence around Europe and Asia, forcing other small

countries to join the Soviet Union or peril under a forceful military occupation. Nearly every confronted nation acceded to these new terms. Observing these happenings, Lenin openly stated that what Stalin was doing was “rude,” and that he should be removed from office before he gained too much power. Fortunately for Stalin, his power already had its grip around the main body of the government, and nobody dared to oppose him. (Zickel 65)

Vladimir Lenin died in the year of 1924, due to the effects of a stroke. This left a new opening in the government, and multiple political figures fought for it. Following the disappearance of his rivals, Joseph Stalin took control of the USSR, in the seat of “General Secretary”, which formerly belonged to Lenin. He would go on to establish himself more firmly in the Soviet Union going into the late 1920s. (Zickel 55)

In order to motivate his people, Stalin introduced the first of his many “Five-Year Plans.” This political itinerary was intended to help build up the socialist economy by boosting certain parts, such as crop and livestock production. This entailed having all privately owned businesses and land being collectivized, or being completely controlled by the state government. This new system utterly failed, resulting in tens of thousands of farming peasants dying from starvation. This was due to both the unwillingness of the people to give up their land, and bad planning on the state’s part. This caused some anger and confusion among the people, which was immediately suppressed by the Soviet military, also known as the Red Army. (Zickel 55)

In 1929, Stalin began to get comfortable in his position, and felt that he could publicly announce himself as the “leader” of the new empire. In doing so, a former

political colleague of his, Leon Trotsky, spoke out against Stalin and some of his newer policies. Within a few weeks, Trotsky was on his way to Turkey, an exile from the USSR. In the dawn of the new decade, there was yet again another rise in the number of uprisings throughout the country. This prompted an irate Stalin to initiate the first of his notorious “Purges.” His reasoning, he said, was that the members of his political party were becoming tainted and drifting away from the original concept of the Bolsheviks. In this “cleansing,’’ a total of five million people were either killed or executed in the Soviet Union in the 1930’s. Despite the massacres, the country began to flourish with its industrialized economy in the years leading up to the next World War. Nobody rebelled at this time. (Zickel 55)

Also climbing to power in the 1930s was Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party in Germany. When the group finally came to power in the late 1930’s, Joseph Stalin had come to terms with Hitler, allying the two former rivals. Together, these two countries invaded Poland, the first act of aggression in World War II. In 1939, Stalin and Hitler both signed the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, stating that neither country would invade or attack each other or its allies. (Zickel 55)

The Nazis invaded western Soviet territory anyway in 1941. In retaliation, the Russian government began to internally draft soldiers, both voluntarily and forcefully. One of the most well-known motivators was the depiction of “The Motherland Calls!” This picture of an average Russian woman rallying for war is comparable to the United States’ “Uncle Sam.” This military gimmick was extremely successful, resulting in a huge increase in number of people in the Red Army. (Zickel 56)

Also happening in the Soviet Union around the 1940s, was the development of a new type of army vehicle, the “Panzer” tank. This amazing invention slightly resembled a tread-set, armor covered, turret mounted army jeep. This vehicle was one of the most destructive devices on the battlefields of World War II. They were quick despite their large size, maneuverable in many terrains, and were virtually impenetrable by common artillery. The Panzer tank would help the Soviet Union throughout the rest of the war. (Zickel 56)

Finally, after realizing that he could not win the war alone, Stalin decided to become allies with the great western powers, such as Great Britain and the United States of America. In doing so, they subjected themselves to innumerable instances of being heavily fired and beaten upon while their allies tried to develop new strategies and better weapons. (Zickel 56)

Eventually, the Allies were able to go on the offensive, invading previously occupied Nazi soil. Helpless to stop the onslaught of his forces, a weary Adolf Hitler retreated to his bunker in Berlin. There, he supposedly committed suicide, shooting and killing himself, so that he would never have to be held prisoner by his enemies. This marked the beginning of the end for the World War II. (Zickel 56)

Tired and exhausted from its years of fighting, the Soviet people began to settle down in their country. Much to their dismay, the persistent United States dragged the USSR into helping to destroy the Japanese threat in the Pacific region. Reluctantly, the

Soviet Union fought there until the two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II. (Zickel 56)

Taking advantage of his subjects’ happiness, Stalin channeled that feeling to further build up the soviet economy. In addition to this, Stalin “converted” (forced) some of the USSR’s European and Asian neighbors to socialism. In Europe, Stalin easily manifested his beliefs. He did so by saying that small countries such as Poland, Finland, and Ukraine needed to repay their debts to the USSR, since they were liberated and freed by the Russian military. He also claimed that by sending small occupational forces to these countries, any attempts in reviving Nazism could be immediately stopped. While in reality, the occupations were part of a much larger plan, which involved every occupied country becoming socialistic. This was made possible by the Soviet support of local communist parties, and the degradation of all other opposing parties. The plan was successful in multiple countries. The USSR was expanding its borders. (Zickel 56)

To the south, the Soviet Union was making an ally of China, sending aid to communist leaders and parties in the country. Though it took a great investment of time, the Soviets’ efforts were finally successful, and China, under the rule of Mao Zedong, became an ally of the United Soviets Socialist Republic. (Zickel 56)

Throughout the years of 1948 to 1950, a second nationwide purge began to form and take place. This new wave in Stalin’s sea of ideas was most commonly known as Zhdanovshchina. This concept was created in effort to prove Soviet ideas were superior compared to western capitalist concepts. Though there were hardly any deaths in this purge, many common people, such as authors, historians, farmers, and members of nearly

every other profession were either bullied by state agents or robbed by them, if they supported any western ideas. This again started a wave of nationalism amongst the Soviet people. (Zickel 78)

During this time, the United States and its World War II allies were having suspicions about what was happening inside Soviet borders (such as nuclear weapons development). The USSR, having its own suspicions about America, quickly began to take over more neighboring countries, creating a “buffer zone,” which would provide extra defense in case of a western invasion. This was popularly known as the “iron curtain,” dubbed by English Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The previous events triggered the Cold War. (Zickel 79-80)

Shortly after Germany fell to the Allies, the three powers (USSR, United States, and Great Britain) were deciding on what to do with the country. The final decision was to separate Germany into three parts, one ally occupying each. Comfortable that the Germans could function independently, both Great Britain and the United States pulled the majority of their troops out of the country. The Soviet Union, however, wanted to establish a communist government, and so continued to occupy East Germany. News of this leaked to the public, and masses of people began to leave the country. Alarmed, the USSR blockaded their entire territory, thus halting either immigration or emigration. (Zickel 80)

During this period of poverty, East Germans were starving and dying by the thousands. Wanting to aid the innocent people, both the British and American governments sent planes over the border between East and West Germany. These planes

would drop supplies down to the impoverished people via parachute. The Soviets did nothing to stop these planes from coming over. (Zickel 80)

In 1950, the two major communist powers, the USSR and China, made an alliance in opposition to the pact made by the United States and Japan. China, like its northern ally, had been trying to stretch its influence throughout the Asian continent. One of the countries affected was Korea, which was divided into two parts: the communist North Korea and the democratic South Korea. To Stalin’s and China’s urging, the north invaded the south in an effort to obliterate all non-communist governments. The United States, being a democratic country, went to South Korea to defend the people there. The Korean War, as the ensuing conflict was called, went on to last for three years. It officially ended in 1953, with the signing of a treaty, stating that South Korea would stay democratic and free of attacks by North Korea, which would remain communist. (Zickel 81)

Leading into the 1950s, an aging Joseph Stalin entrusted more and more of his power to his subordinates, indicative of his waning strength and power. From still mysterious reasons, Stalin died on the fifth day of March, in 1953. His inner circle of cabinet members and advisors, who had feared him for years, secretly rejoiced. Though millions of innocent people had died during his reign, Stalin’s style of control remained an integral cornerstone in the operation of the Soviet Union. Under his reign, the country admittedly went through a few major achievements, such as the

transformation of the USSR into a major world power and the development of the country into a powerful industrial state. (Zickel 81-82)

Stalin left no heir to his throne, so his subordinates fought for it. Seeing that no one person was arising out of the crowd, it was decided that a collective leadership would be the new governing power. It would be comprised of a few people who had previously held small positions of power during Stalin’s reign. Holding the highest position in the group was Georgy Malenkov. He occupied the positions of both prime minister and general secretary. Opposing his policies, Soviet secret service veteran Lavrentiy Beria challenged Malenkov. Beria was subsequently removed from office and secretly executed. A while later, the collective decided to abolish the position of general secretary and replace it with the first secretary, who currently was an ambitious young man named Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev went on to be a rival of Malenkov. Malenkov eventually resigned after the failure of many of his political campaigns, leaving Nikolai Bulganin as prime minister. Nikolai was a weak leader, and had virtually no influence or power in the government. This left Nikolai Khrushchev with the ultimate control of the collective leadership. (Zickel 82)

Assuming the reigns of command, Khrushchev took it upon himself to heal previously stormy relations with European and North American countries. He met with United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower in Geneva, Switzerland, saying that he and his people were willing to have a “peaceful coexistence” with western capitalism. He would then go on to tour the United States in 1959. Realizing their relatively new freedom, many of the previous “buffer zone” countries began to break away from the

Soviet Union, much to the latter’s dismay. Upset about their ally’s lack of radicalism, China set itself against a more moderate USSR. (Zickel 86)

In another attempt to boost his prestige, Khrushchev began a campaign known as “De-Stalinization.” In this, Nikita and his inner circle denounced and degraded Stalin in nearly every way possible. They blamed him for the Soviet Union’s early World War II losses and shortcomings. Statues of the former dictator were removed and crushed, and all of his policies were viewed as the quintessence of evil. During this “thaw,” many political leaders tried to oust Nikita from office, only to have him return with the aid of his “friends in high places,” (close friends in the collective leadership). Their attempt backfiring, nearly all of Khrushchev’s foes were removed from office during the next few years. Despite his unrivaled power, Nikita never assumed Stalin’s role as full-fledged dictator, giving small amounts of power to his subordinates. This was thought to help preserve his own position of power. (Zickel 84)

Also in the mid to late fifties, Khrushchev began a large campaign to increase crop production. Many people had faith in their new leader’s capabilities, so no precautionary measures were being made. As it would turn out, the plan failed miserably, and was even followed by a nationwide drought and famine, in which many peasants starved. This, along with the retirement of many of his political allies, were major contributions to the fall of Nikita Khrushchev. This was fully realized when Nikita was voted out of office while vacationing in Crimea. Though he was criticized for his high-reaching dreams, Khrushchev is fondly remembered by the Russian people for his denunciation of Stalin and his policies. (Zickel 87-88)

In 1957, the science and research division of the Soviet Union achieved a major accomplishment. They successfully launched the first artificial satellite into space, named Sputnik. This prompted a hurried and worried United States to launch satellites of their own into orbit around Earth. This series of events and time of tension during the Cold War was known as the “Space Race.” The next notable step in the race was the launching of a man into space. This Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was quickly followed by the American John Glenn. The USSR would continue to lead the Space Race until 1969, when Neil Armstrong, a young American, became the first man to set foot on the moon. (Kirchner 681)

After the removal of Khrushchev, collective leadership was reinstituted for a time, and the position of general secretary was once again added to the group. The position would be claimed by a middle aged man named Leonid Brezhnev. A political veteran, Brezhnev had spent the last twenty years of his career slowly climbing to power, unnoticed by most superiors. He would cunningly eliminate his rivals yet add to his own prestige, the latter making him a popular favorite among the Soviet people. For the first six years of his reign (1964-1970), Leonid’s motives would remain rather vague. His true intentions were revealed when four of his close friends were appointed to the Politburo, the country’s elected government body at the time. Throughout the late sixties and early seventies, Brezhnev signed many anti-weapons treaties with the United States, creating a relaxation of tensions between the two countries. In 1977, after a few years of semi-dormancy, Brezhnev was once again electively promoted, this time to the position of

“Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet,” which showed his supreme, dictator-like rule over both his party and the state. (Zickel 88-89)

For the main bulk of Brezhnev’s years in power (1964-1980), the average age of a member in the Politburo rose from fifty-five to sixty-eight. This reflected Brezhnev’s stubbornness in office, and his unwillingness toward change in the government. Though this was widely noticed, very few people spoke out against this action, or lack thereof. (Zickel 89)

For a time, Czechoslovakia had been adapting some Western capitalist ideas, such as privately owned businesses and democratic elections for government positions. In response, the Soviet Union set up a small regime in the country, preventing any further “contamination.” To further oppress the potential spread of capitalism, the USSR began another campaign. This pro-Soviet operation resulted in a new wave of socialist expansion, integrating small countries such as Vietnam and Ethiopia into the Soviet Union. (Zickel 90)

In the early 1980s, the USSR’s relations with Muslim countries were degrading rapidly. One such country was Afghanistan, which was previously ruled by a Soviet-established communist government. Not wanting to lose its grip in the region, the Soviet Union sent its armed forces to Afghanistan. The Muslim population there, which was the majority in the country, rebelled. The Afghan War, as it was called, lasted throughout the 80s, continuing even after Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982. (Zickel 91)

1985 heralded the coming of a new type of ruler in the USSR. Weary of collective leaderships, the Politburo decided among its members to choose a sole leader, a head for the country. An upbeat, reform-minded man named Mikhail Gorbachev came to office. He would not only start the country’s most important reformation since the Bolshevik Revolution, nearly seventy years ago, but also change the world’s political view on Russia. (Longworth 285)

Almost immediately after assuming office, Gorbachev began three major operations as the cornerstones of his reformation campaign. The first, “uskorenie,” was translated to English as “to speed up production.” His plan was to speed up the production of the country’s energy, crop, and industry exports, which would give the economy a lift. The second is “glasnost,” which means “openness” in Russian. The plan behind this was to make information accessible to everyone in the Soviet Union, along with health care and welfare. This allowed information to be publicly discussed and debated, a freedom which was previously unknown to the Russian people (Zickel 987). The last was “perestroika,” which translates as “reconstruction,” and rightfully so. The goal of this was to begin the steps toward a political reformation, which would change the operations of the government. (Longworth 285)

“Gorbachev soon began to look more and more like a Western politician in the run-up to an election.” The previous quotation from Author Philip Longworth was a common opinion on Mikhail, with his fresh, exhilarating, and unorthodox ideas. Though his promises were costly for the government, they were helping the country toward a better and stronger international position (Longworth 285)

Ukraine was a member of the USSR. Being thus, the plans for perestroika affected it just as it would Moscow and St. Petersburg. Orders were given to increase production of everything, including energy, which was used to help produce everything else in the country. It was necessary to rely on nuclear power plants, which had the potential to create vast amounts of energy at a reasonable price. One such Ukrainian power plant was located in the province of Chernobyl. At first, the plant was able to make enough energy to supply the growing demand. But eventually, there was a meltdown in the core of the reactor, causing the world’s largest nuclear disaster. Thousands of people were killed in the first few days due to radiation poisoning. Infant animals and people born shortly after the incident were commonly found to have genetic mutations, such as an extra leg or lack of arms. Though this tragedy was mourned throughout the world, Mikhail Gorbachev’s reformation continued at the same pace. (Longworth 286)

The territorial state of the Soviet Union from the 70’s to the 80’s was comparable to a supernova following the death of a large star. After the rapid expansion in the 70’s, the succeeding decade encountered large, fast-paced reduction in Soviet land, leaving only the original buffer zone countries and what used to be known as Russia. The countries which began to loosen themselves had previously been having surges of nationalism for their original countries. Affected countries included Lithuania, Soviet Georgia, Ethiopia, and others of the like. This series of events were the end of the Cold War, which lasted for thirty years. (Longworth 286)

Formally ending tensions with the United States and its allies, Gorbachev openly stated that he wished to have better relations with the West. Also in the late 80’s, Soviet citizens were introduced to democracy. They were given the right to vote for their local government leaders. In 1989, the Berlin Wall, which had been separating East and West Germany, was finally torn down, at the request of the United States, Britain, and literally the rest of Europe. Some Russian people watched these proceedings with interest, others with worry. The worrisome opinions were often made by staunch communists who abhorred the idea of democracy. (Longworth 287)

The late 1980s was an extremely troubling time for the dwindling USSR; problems with its satellite countries caused major problems. At the time, Gorbachev was pretty much supporting democracy and capitalism to the fullest extent. This put Mikhail into a strange position. Though the Soviet Union’s bulk had transferred to democracy, a few of the satellite countries had kept their communist governments. Not wanting the West to think badly of him, Gorbachev wished to oust all non-democratic governments from his empire, the USSR. However, doing so would be against the will of the smaller countries, which would violate his [Gorbachev’s] vow of non-interference with other countries. He decided to set the satellites free. Doing so displayed Gorbachev’s want of approval from others, which showed the fragility of his position. (Longworth 289)

In 1989, a new figure stepped up to the political stage. This man, Boris Yeltsin, was the leader of the Moscow Party and wanted the reformation to speed up rapidly. Though urging the revolution on, he himself was void of ideas to further aid the

reformation. Despite this certain shortcoming, Yeltsin became popular among the people. (Longworth 290)

While Yeltsin’s prestige continued to grow, Gorbachev did his part to further contribute to the reformation. At his request, the Socialist-controlled Politburo loosened its political monopoly on the government. This example of “follow the leader,” was a time-honored tradition, dating back to the days of Stalin. (Longworth 293)

With 1990 came the election of Boris Yeltsin to the position of Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federal Public, a position comparable to that of the United States’ president. The few remaining satellite countries felt that it was safe to succeed from the Soviet Union, so they did just that. This caused the Russian economy to plunge into chaos. Yeltsin and Gorbachev both tried to help the Russian infrastructure by collaboratively ending collectivization of businesses and land. (Longworth 294-295)

Ending collective ownership together, Yeltsin and Gorbachev joined forces. Feeling happy with what he had been doing, Gorbachev took a vacation to Crimea, where he was put under house arrest for suspicious reasons. Hearing about this, Yeltsin gave the executive command to release him. Gorbachev felt weak after this incident, and knew what he had to do. (Longworth 295-196)

The next few months had a foreboding feel to them. The general population was sure about what would happen next; it would just be a matter of time. Then, at midnight on December 31, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev went on to public television and announced his resignation, thus ending Russia’s fourth ruling empire. The Soviet Union was nonexistent from that point onward. Before Gorbachev could clear his desk, Boris

Yeltsin, the first Russian president, threw a party in the Kremlin. Of course, Gorbachev was invited. After the festivities, Gorbachev would retire as a private citizen, never appearing on the political stage again. He changed world politics and views towards his beloved country, and he was relieved that his ultimate plan succeeded. An accurate description of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is provided by Philip Longworth, “Born of war and revolution, it [The USSR] had been shaped by necessity and hardened by time into a fixed, rigid, and ultimately brittle system.” (Longworth 297-298)

Crowds swarmed every city in the Russian Federation. Most of the people in these crowds were of the younger generations; they had more excitement for their future than their parents and grandparents did. There were many positive things. People anywhere in the country could freely interact and trade with other countries. Because of this, some people became rich beyond their wildest dreams. Despite the pros, there was still a long list of cons. Since the previous satellite countries were no longer being forced to trade with Russia, the Russian economy collapsed. (Longworth 302)

By 1994, the economic infrastructure was beginning to stabilize, and the previous chaos was simmering. However, there were still large quantities of poor and impoverished people, especially in the cities. A group of poor Middle Eastern immigrants in southern Russia, calling themselves “Chechens,” began to kidnap busloads of Russians and hold them for ransom for the government to pay. Not willing to comply with terrorists, Russia sent military troops to arrest these men. This was called the Chechen War. (Longworth 308)

Random acts of violence were committed by both sides in the Chechen War. Chechens occasionally recorded videos of hostages being tortured and killed by knife wounds and gun shots. Extremely angered by this, the young Russian army sought Chechen operatives, only to commit equally inhumane crimes. After two years of inner-city combat, the Chechen leader was killed, disorganizing the terrorist group. The remaining terrorists negotiated with the Russian government that, in exchange for nearly every hostage they had taken, they would be allowed to safely flee to Afghanistan. Both sides honestly kept their end of the deal, ending the Russian Federation’s first war. (Longworth 308)

1996 was an election year for position of President. The main contenders were Boris Yeltsin, hoping for re-election, and a vengeful communist party. Since Yeltsin had both control over the Russian government and support from the West, he easily won the election for a second time in a row. (Longworth 309)

In 1997, the world began to think that Russia could safely be integrated into modern society. NATO had expanded its operating borders to Russian frontiers, and the Roman Catholic Church began to send missionaries to various parts of the country. Also during this time, a law was passed allowing an ancient Russian custom to be carried on: drinking alcoholic beverages in public, namely vodka. This clever monopoly was set by Boris Yeltsin, who knew that Russian people would buy large quantities of alcohol from local vendors. This greatly increased the amount of wealth in the country. (Longworth 309)

The increased quantity of money caused an enormous increase in inflation. The Russian ruble lost three-fourths of its earlier value. This, along with a few other blows to his reputation caused Yeltsin to resign in 1999. He placed a newer, more powerful figure in his position. The replacement was Vladimir Putin, who took office on January 1, 2000, becoming the second President of Russia. Boris Yeltsin, like his predecessor, retired as a private citizen. Vladimir Putin is responsible for the ironic alliance between Russia and NATO. The irony is that NATO was first created in the 1940s to protect Europe and the United States from Russian attack. (Longworth 307-313).

In the span of a century, the country of Russia was ruled by three diverse systems of government. From tsarism to communism to democracy, Russia and its people have endured. Although changes will occur, Russia will remain a world power and continue to change the world in its own way.

 

 

If you read the whole thing, I love you. If you skipped the whole thing and skimmed down to the bottom just so you could hit "quick reply," then you're a moron (Someone with the intelligence of a 9-12 year old.); there's a reply button on the top left of this page!

 

 

:mrgreen: [/i never did understand why history is so important to have all elements (The Good Combined with the Bad) ..it is true that we learn from our mistakes but should we keep the old mistakes? just like a computer the human brain should not be filled with clutter we should discard bad memories Defraggmented sort of speak, so if you removed everything but what is good it would teach when great things happened and only the good reasons as to how :wink: ]

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Tommy60 406

Posted
Posted
Yay' date=' I am a moron because I do not read pages upon pages of random text with grammatical errors![/quote']

 

 

My English teacher, parents, college-going siblings, and myself found no "grammatical errors," in the paper. Would you mind pointing them [ a few, of course] out to me?

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Tommy60 406

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Posted
*Meme fail*

 

Once I saw your name under this topic's "latest reply," I knew it had to be some ridiculous meme. :?

 

So predictable these days, Conta. :roll:

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r_therussian0

r_therussian0 47

Posted
Posted
Yay' date=' I am a moron because I do not read pages upon pages of random text with grammatical errors![/quote']

 

 

My English teacher, parents, college-going siblings, and myself found no "grammatical errors," in the paper. Would you mind pointing them [ a few, of course] out to me?

 

I shall indulge. Not grammatical, but even more abhorrent:

 

ready for a revolution of their current government

 

The real question is which way did the government revolve, clockwise of counter-clockwise. Honestly, I have no desire to continue, but this should suffice anyway.

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