Chapter 9: The
Russian Domain
Learning Objectives
Understand the challenges of cold,
northern climate that affects this region
Learn
about the cold war between the
Know
the difference between a political system and an economic system
Students should become familiar with
the physical, demographic, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of
the Russian Domain
Understand these concepts and models:
Introduction
Russian Domain includes
Rich
in resources, but has among the worlds harshest climates
The Russian Domain has had extremely
rapid political and economic change since 1990
From
centrally planned economy to capitalism
From
authoritarian dictatorship to democracy
The
regions economy is currently weak, commitment to democracy uncertain,
nationalist movements threaten stability
Environmental Geography: A Vast and Challenging Land
Russian
Domain has good farmlands, metal and petroleum resources
High
latitude, continental climate, temperature extremes
Cold
climate and rugged terrain limit human settlement and agriculture
Sturgeon
(caviar-producing fish) nearly gone
Few domestic regulations to protect
them
Poaching adds to the problem
Physical Geography of the Russian Domain (Fig. 9.2)
Environmental Geography: A Vast and Challenging Land (cont.)
The European West
European
Russia,
3
environments influence agriculture in this region
Poor
soils, cold temps, forests north of
South
of 50 N Latitude, grassland and fertile soils support commercial wheat, corn,
sugar, beets, meat production
The Ural Mountains and
Urals
separate European Russia from
Tundra
(mosses, lichens) north; Taiga (coniferous
forest zone) south
Farming
possible only in southwest
Permafrost
in
Climate
Map
of the
Russian
Domain
Agricultural Regions (Fig. 9.5)
Environmental Geography: A Vast and Challenging Land (cont.)
The Russian
Near
Longer
growing seasons and milder climates than
Ussuri and
Vegetation
includes conifers, taiga, Asian hardwoods
The
In
extreme south of European Russia, forms
Highest
peak is
Climate:
high rainfall in west, arid or semi-arid in east; good soils and farming
Environmental Geography: A Vast and Challenging Land (cont.)
A Devastated Environment (cont.)
Air and Water Pollution
Extreme
environmental pollution, from industrialization, urbanization, careless mining,
nuclear energy production; legacy of U.S.S.R.
Air
pollution caused by clustered factories, few environmental controls, reliance
on low quality coal
Water
pollution caused by industrial waste, raw sewage, oil spills; pulp and paper
factories polluted
The Nuclear Threat
Former
U.S.S.R. nuclear weapons, energy production caused pollution
Above-ground
testing made radioactive fallout; nuclear waste dumped
Nuclear
weapons used for seismic experiments, oil exploration, dam building
Construction
of new nuclear plants
Possibility
of warehousing of international nuclear wastes
Environmental
Issues
in the
Russian
Domain
(Fig. 9.9)
Population and Settlement: An Urban Domain
Overview of the Russian Domain
More
than 200 million residents, most in cities
Population Distribution
Most
people in best farmlands
European
The
European Core (
Contains
the Russian Domains largest cities, biggest industrial complexes, most
productive farms, higher population densities
Siberian
Hinterlands
Relatively
sparse settlement, with two zones influenced by transportation
Industrial
cities along Trans-Siberian Railroad (1904)
Thinner
settlement along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM)
Railroad -- newer (1984)
Population Map of the Russian Domain (Fig. 9.12)
Population and Settlement: An Urban Domain (cont.)
Regional
Migration Patterns
Eastward Movement (1860-1914)
Trans-Siberian
Railroad sped pace of eastward movement
Almost
1 million settlers lured by farming opportunities in southern
»Tsars
czars; authoritarian leaders who dominated politics of pre-1917 Russian
Empire (comes from Caesar)
Political Motives
Infill
in
Political
dissidents; troublemakers sent to
Russification: Soviet policy moved Russians into
non-Russian portions of U.S.S.R to increase Russian dominance in those areas;
Russians are a significant minority in former Soviet republics
Recent Migration Flows in the Russian Domain (Fig. 9.17)
Population and Settlement: An Urban Domain (cont.)
Regional Migration Patterns (cont.)
New International Movements
Russification often reversed in post-Soviet era
Citizenship,
language requirements encourage Russians to go
Movement
to other regions
Brain
drain to other countries
Jewish
Russians move to
Mail-order
Ukrainian brides to the
The Urban Attraction
Marxist
philosophy of Soviet planners encouraged migration to cities
Soviets
planned cities, limited population levels and regulated migration
In
post-Soviet era, Russian citizens have greater freedom of movement; many older
industrial areas are now losing population
Population and Settlement: An Urban Domain (cont.)
Inside
the
Russian
cities carefully in planned form and function, with circular land-use zones
Core
has superior transportation, best stores and housing
»Core
predates Soviets era
»Sotzgorods: work-linked housing (including dorms)
»
Chermoyuski: apartment blocks from 1950s/60s
»Mikrorayons:
Self-contained housing projects of 1970s/80s
»Dachas:
country houses available only to the elite
The
Demographic Crisis
General
population decline caused by low birth rates and rising death (mortality)
rates, especially among middle-aged males
Causes
»fraying
social fabric
»economic
uncertainty
»declining
health among women of child-bearing age
»stress-related
diseases
»rising
murder and suicide
»toxic
environments
Cultural Coherence and Diversity: The Legacy of Slavic
Dominance
The Heritage of the Russian Empire
Growth
of the Russian Empire
Slavic
Rus in power from 900AD around
Eastern
Orthodox Christianity came in 1000AD
By
1400s, new and expanding Russian state after Tatar and Mongol rule
Expansion
eastward in 16th & 17th centuries; westward expansion
slow
Final
expansion of Russian Empire in 19th Century in
The
Significance of Empire
By
1900, Russians were found from
Growth of the Russian Empire (Fig. 9.20)
Cultural Coherence and Diversity: The Legacy of Slavic
Dominance (cont.)
Geographies of Language
Slavic
languages dominate in the Russian Domain
About
80% of
There
are other language groups
Finno-Ugric
(Finnish) in the north
Altaic
(Tatars and Turkic peoples) in middle
Yakut (Turkic) in
»Similar
treatment to indigenous in
Geographies of Religion
Soviets
prohibited religion, religious revival underway now
Eastern
Orthodox Christianity most common
Other
forms of Western Christianity practiced
Non-Christian
religions
20-25
million Sunni Muslims live in the
Over
1 million Jews, mostly in larger western cities
Languages of the Russian Domain (Fig. 9.22)
Cultural Coherence and Diversity: The Legacy of Slavic
Dominance (cont.)
Russian
Culture in Global Context
Strong traditions, influenced by
Soviet Days
Soviets
promoted social realism: a style devoted to the realistic depiction of workers
harnessing the forces of nature or struggling against capitalism
Turn to the West
Young
Russians adopted consumer culture in 1980s
In
post-Soviet era, globalism and consumerism came to
The Music Scene
American
and European popular music gaining fans
Home-grown
music industry is evolving
Geopolitical Framework: The Remnants of a Global Superpower
Geopolitical Structure of the Former
Russian
Empire collapsed abruptly in 1917
Briefly,
a broad-based coalition of business people, workers, and peasants replaced
tsars
Soon,
Bolsheviks (faction of Russian
Communists representing the interests of the industrial workers), led by Lenin,
centralized power and introduced communism (economic system)
The
Soviet
leaders designed a geopolitical solution to maintain the countrys territorial
boundaries, and theoretically acknowledged the rights of non-Russian citizens
by creating
Autonomous
areas: minor political sub-units designed
to recognize special status of minority groups within existing republics
Soviet Geopolitical System (Fig. 9.26)
Geopolitical Framework: The Remnants of a Global Superpower
(cont.)
Geopolitical Structure (cont.)
Centralization and Expansion of the
Communism
did not eliminate ethnic differences
In
1930, Soviet leader Stalin centralized power in
Land
added
Occupation
of
Exclave
(outside
End of the Soviet System
Union
republics encouraged ethnic identification
Glasnost:
greater openness; Perestroika: economic restructuring
1991: all 15
Geopolitical Framework: The Remnants of a Global Superpower
(cont.)
Current Geopolitical Setting
(1992-present) (Fig. 9.30)
Formed
Denuclearization
(the return and partial dismantling of nuclear weapons from outlying
republics to Russian control completed in
1990s; tactical nuclear weapons moved to
Military,
political and ethnic tensions remain in parts of the region
Devolution and the Russian Federation
Devolution:
more localized political control in
Russia
Russian
leaders fear other areas will secede
Geopolitical Framework: The Remnants of a Global Superpower
(cont.)
Current Geopolitical Setting (cont.)
Regional Tensions
Chechnyan Republic seeking independence
Russians
sent military
Chechnya
has metals and oil
The Shifting Global Setting
Boundary
issues between Russia and China
Dispute
with Japan over Kuril Islands
Expansion
of NATO concerns Russian leaders
Russia
recently joined the Group of Seven (G-7)
Other
members: U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy)
Geopolitical Issues in the Russian Domain
(Fig. 9.27)
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment
After
economic decline of 40% in the 1990s, Russias economy stabilized in 2000 and
2004
The Legacy of the Soviet Economy
Communists
came to power in 1917, and instituted centralized economic planning: a situation in which the state controls
production targets and industrial output
Soviets
nationalized agriculture, but it was inefficient
Soviets
expanded industrialization and transportation
Industrialization
more successful than collectivized agriculture
Trans-Siberian
Railroad, canal system
Improvements
in housing and education after WWII
Literacy
near 100%
But
economic and social problems increased in 1970s-80s
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment
The Legacy of the Soviet Economy
(cont.)
Soviet
industry more successful than its agriculture
Soviets
added major industrial zones (Fig. 9.31), many near energy sources and metals
Moscow
had fewer raw materials, but had some of Russias best infrastructure, large
pool of skilled labor, and demand for industrial products
Soviets
developed a good transportation and communication infrastructure
Soviets
had a massive housing campaign in the 1960s
Soviets
made literacy virtually universal, and health care readily available; eliminated
the worst of the poverty
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment (cont.)
The
Post-Soviet Economy
The
region has replaced its communist system with a mix of state-run operations and
private enterprise
Redefining
Regional Economic Ties
Independent
republics negotiate for needed resources with Russia and each other rather than
accept centralized control
Russia
continues to dominate the regions economy
Privatization
and Economic Uncertainty
Russia
removed price controls in 1992; sold state-owned business to private investors
in 1993
Higher
prices, lack of legal safeguards created problems
Agriculture
still struggles, in part due to harsh climate, landforms
Many
people see little economic gain from changes
Major Natural Resources and Industrial Zones
(Fig. 9.30)
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment (cont.)
The Post-Soviet Economy (cont.)
The Russian Mafia
Russia
Interior Ministry estimates that the Russian mafia controls 40% of the private
economy and 60% of the state-run enterprises; 80% of banks in Russia may be
under mafia influence
Protection
money, corruption result
Russian
mafia has gone global
Money
laundering (Russia, U.K., U.S.); gambling (Sri Lanka); drugs (Colombia);
legitimate Israeli high tech companies
Social Problems
High
unemployment, rising housing costs; lower welfare spending
Divorce
and domestic violence increasing; prostitution increasing
Health
care spending dropping
Vaccine
shortages allow disease to return
Chronic
and stress-related illnesses on the rise
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment (cont.)
Growing
Economic Globalization
Starting in 1970s, Soviets exported
fossil fuels, imported food; ties now stronger
A New Day for the Consumer
Western
consumer goods available (e.g., McDonalds, Calvin Klein; even some luxury
items)
Attracting Foreign Investment
Region
struggles to attract foreign investment
Most
investment from
Fossil
fuels, food, telecommunications, consumer goods
Foreign
investment growing by more than 14% annually
Economic and Social Development: An Era of Ongoing
Adjustment (cont.)
Growing Economic Globalization
(cont.)
Globalization and
Mostly
in
Worlds
largest gas exporter
Primary
destination for Russian petroleum products is western Europe
Former
U.S.S.R. republics depend on
Foreign
investment in new pipelines, other technology
Local impacts of globalization
Vary
from place to place
Investment
in
Pro-business
Local
economic declines in older, uncompetitive industrial areas
Conclusions
Russian Domain has seen great change,
from empire, through revolution and break-up
Ethnic and cultural differences
continue to shape this region
Russian Domain is rich in natural
resources, but has limited agricultural potential and lingering economic
difficulties
Massive readjustments growing from
the political and economic upheavals of the 1990s continue to affect the area
Environmental devastation in the
region and its effects continue to cause social and health problems
More uncertainty lies ahead for the
people of the Russian Domain.