Society Russia Russia intro How do people participate

Society Russia

Russia intro How do people participate independently of the government?

Civil Society Russia

Russia Civil Society Before the 1917 Revolution, civil society was weak Authoritarianism, feudalism, and low economic development prevented it from developing among people After the Revolution, any civil society that did exist came under the control of the Communist Party The Party should represent the “correct” interests of the population Corporatist institutions were created to link the people back to the party

Russia Civil Society Began to reemerge slowly after glasnost The first independent group was a fan club of a Moscow soccer team in 1987 After 1991, civil society grew dramatically. Many groups filled gaps left in the aftermath of one party rule. Under Putin, groups have come under state pressure and even control Tax codes, registration requirements, & police harassment are all tools of state

Russia Civil Society After 2006, all NGOs have to be approved by the government Their funding from foreign sources is restricted heavily They are subject to regular inspections and preapproval for any activity Any organization that gets foreign funding has to register as a foreign agent, which allows even more state oversight

Russia Religion Civil Society Soviet imposed atheism weakened the role of religion in Russia Orthodox Christianity has grown again, especially with Russian nationalism Other groups exist, but are restricted by the government They cannot proselytize, build seminaries, run education programs, or publish literature without some state approval Orthodox Christianity is reemerging as a quasi-state relgion

Russia Media Civil Society Most radio & television outlets remained in the hands of the state, or came under the control of the oligarchs, after 1991 Media played huge role in the victories of both Yeltsin and Putin has increased pressure on independent media, attempting to acquire many of them to end their independence All the largest private TV stations have come under direct ownership of the state or businesses that are indirectly controlled by the state

Russia Media Civil Society They were not objective before, being mostly mouthpieces for the oligarchs As more are nationalized, media is even less diverse & supports those in power The Kremlin pressures independent newspapers to provide a pro government slant & ignore some issues Media spreads conspiracy theories about how the US & EU are trying to destroy Russia In the past decade, 50 journalists have been killed in Russia

Ethnic & National Identity Russia

Russia Ethnicity Dissolution of the USSR made Russia way less diverse ethnically. 80% of the population are people of Russian ethnicity Russians are a Slavic people who share similarities with Ukrainians, Poles, Serbs, Croats, and Slovaks There are minority groups, but none make up more than 4% of the population These include other Slavic people, indigenous Siberians, other small groups

Russia Nationality Some groups in Russia have nationalist aspirations & want independence Non Russian populations in the Caucasus mountains outnumber Russians in the area & Islam is dominant there Domestic terrorism has declined in recent years in Russia, but more people from this region have joined jihadist forces in Iraq and Syria

Russia Chechnya Nationality Chechnya wanted independence as many other parts of the USSR got to split off and form their own nations. This has led to outright war between Russia and Chechnya. Tens of thousands of Chechens were killed Peace in mid 1990 s let Chechnya function as a de facto independent state The 1999 bombings were attributed to Chechen rebels & Russia invaded Chechnya again This strong response by Russians helped lead the way for Putin’s 2000 victory

Ideology Russia

Russia Ideology Like the political parties, ideologies in Russia are poorly defined. After Revolution, communism was the only viewpoint tolerated Since 1991, more diversity of ideas exists, but they have not found ways to have impact on political life. Surveys show that a plurality of citizens prefer state centralization and order over individual freedoms Nationalism is increasing in part because the state advocates restoring Russia to superpower status

Keep knowledge here. Russia

Main Ideas Russia LACK of civil society Religion Ethnic identity Putin’s Pointers! Problems with Chechnya