COGO Russia Base Vocabulary

Asymmetric federalism

• the second strongest party in the Duma
• leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation who ran for president in 1996 and 2000 and came in second. In 2008, he received less than 18% of the vote.
• When some regions in Russia are much stronger than others, so the power is devolved unequally across the county.
• Peter the Great built a city (St. Petersburg) on conquered lands near the Baltic which faced the western states. His plan was to "modernize" Russia with a stronger army and navy, an infrastructure of roads and communication and a reorganized bureaucracy.

Berezovsky, Boris

• a youth movement created by Putin to build up a loyal following of young people.
• is a former Russian oligarch, once a supporter of Vladimir Putin, ________ clashed with the new president soon after his election in 2000. He is now in exile in Great Britain.
• instituted by Lenin which allowed a great deal of private ownership to exist under a centralized leadership. It brought prosperity to farmers but did not promote industrialization.
• a Russian social liberal party

Bolsheviks

• State security Committee who operated domestic security during the time of the Soviet Union. Today, domestic security is carried out by the Federal Security Service.
• Russia's government in which it is both parliamentary and presidential.
• Lenin's followers who took control of the government in 1917.
• a group of 300 party leaders under the Soviet era that met twice a year.

BRIC

• a body of Christians under the leadership of the Patriarch of Moscow. It was earlier headed by the Tsars.
• president of Russia in 2000, 2004, 2012. He has been widely credited for overseeing a return of political stability and economic progress to Russia, ending the crisis of the 1990s. He has been criticized for his increasingly authoritarian powers.
• a term coined in 2001 by the chief economist of Goldman Sachs to describe the fast growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China
• Lenin's followers who took control of the government in 1917.

Central Committee

• an extreme nationalist party led by Zhirinovsky - who embraces quick military attacks on other nations, makes frequent anti- Semitic remarks, and sexist comments
• a group of 300 party leaders under the Soviet era that met twice a year.
• Those who favor nationalism, the defense of Russian interests and Slavic culture, strong military and protection from foreign influence; and those who favor Russian integration into the world economy and trade.
• the second strongest party in the Duma

Chechnya

• president of Russia in 2000, 2004, 2012. He has been widely credited for overseeing a return of political stability and economic progress to Russia, ending the crisis of the 1990s. He has been criticized for his increasingly authoritarian powers.
• Totalitarian dictator of Russia whose primary goals were to collectivize farms and carry out heavy industrialization by central planning. Those who opposed him were either shipped off to the Gulags or executed.
• a primarily Muslim region that has fought for years for its freedom from Russia. In recent years, ______ have been involved in various acts of terrorism.
• Lenin's followers who took control of the government in 1917.

Collective farms, collectivization

• an interest group that controls businesses, natural resources, and banks through payoffs, money laundering, and deals with government officials who were members of the KGB.
• A group of 12 men who ran the country. Their decisions were carried out by government agencies and departments.
• interest group established around 1988 to protest unfair practices in the military, little support for returning soldiers and low support for families of fallen soldiers of the
• State run farms whose main goal was to feed the workers in the cities who contributed to the industrialization of the nation.

Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)

• parties strongly sponsored by economic and political power-holders and remain in power such as United Russia.
• Totalitarian dictator of Russia whose primary goals were to collectivize farms and carry out heavy industrialization by central planning. Those who opposed him were either shipped off to the Gulags or executed.
• early strong, autocratic leaders of Russia before the emergence of the Soviet Union.
• the second strongest party in the Duma

Confederation of Independent States

• Speech given by Khrushchev in which he revealed the existence of a letter written by Lenin before he died that was critical of Stalin. It was used to denounce Stalin's rule and practices.
• unites the fifteen former republics of the Soviet Union with Russia as the clear leader. However, the organization is weak with very little power, mostly used for trade agreements.
• primary Russian newspaper. Putin has tightened its hold on the press so that ________ today is primarily a tabloid.
• a Russian social liberal party

Constitution of 1993

• Totalitarian dictator of Russia whose primary goals were to collectivize farms and carry out heavy industrialization by central planning. Those who opposed him were either shipped off to the Gulags or executed.
• Russia's government in which it is both parliamentary and presidential.
• in the former Soviet legal system, a government bureau concerned with ensuring administrative legality. In many instances those who procured justice were linked to the KGB
• New Russian Constitution that provided for a strong president checked by popular election and by the lower house of the legislature.