AP GOV Russia

The Leninist organizational structure that concentrates power in the hands of the party elite?

Answer explanation

Democratic centralism was the decision-making and disciplinary policy adopted by the Communist Part of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and then later by communist parties in other nations such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

It was purported by Lenin to combine two forms of opposing governments democracy, allowing for free and open discussion, and central control, which ensures party unity and discipline.

Under Gorbachev, Soviet policies that opened up the political system and allowed for freedom of expression

Answer explanation

Glasnost was a Soviet policy introduced by Gorbachev in 1985 allowing for expanded openness of public information originally intended to exposing corrupt government officials it became a method of discrediting Gorbachev's perestroika policies around social transformation and new political thinking.

Business and political leaders with, what some believe to be, undue influence in Russia

Answer explanation

While not unique to Russia, oligarchs have grown to increasing power in the nation since 1990. Businessmen and industry leaders which are heavily involved in and benefit from Vladimir Putin's regime. There is often a line of succession for oligarchs in Russian politics. For example, Dmitry Patrushev, the son of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, was appointed as Russia's minister of agriculture,

An ill-fated program of the 1980's introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev

Answer explanation

A series of political and economic reforms meant to attempt to kick start a stagnating Soviet economy. Gorbachev began calling for these forms along with expanded openness within the government shortly after becoming the leader of the Soviet Union. It loosened centralized control over many businesses allowing farms and manufacturers to control what they produced, allowed for the creation of cooperatively owned businesses, and instituted to a degree an idea of free market capitalism into the Soviet Union.

The most important departments of the Russian government

Answer explanation

Agencies such as the security service (FSB), Defense Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of the Interior which use their influence and military force to assist the reigning political party to hold power. Though there has been risk that those agencies with men at arms could potentially destabilize the regime.

The selling off of state owner companies

Answer explanation

Beginning in 1991 under Minister of the State Committee on the Management of State Property Anatoly Chubais Russia began to rapidly privatize business and just two years after the program began over 20% of all industrial workers in the Russia worked for privatized firms. Under this change businesses entered the hands of private citizens instead of being state run, unlike with perestoika these policies would be more successful and became one of the most successful economic reforms of the the Russian Federation.

Policies in formerly communist countries in which a rapid shift towards a market economy is possible

General secretary of the CPSU from 1964 until 1982. Largely responsible for the stagnation of the USSR.

Prime minister of Russia 1993-98.

Head of the CPSU and last president of the Soviet Union (from 2002). He takes control of the USSR in 1982 when it is on the verge of collapse.