Russia:Citizens, Society, and

the StateRebecca Naimon

Statistics

Population: 142,500,482Population Growth Rate: -.02%

[(popt2-popt1)/popt1]*100Life Expectancy: 69.89 years

(64.04 males, 76.02 females)Literacy (defined as age 15 and up can

read and write): 99.7%, very high

Geography

Federal DistrictsLeft to right: North Caucasian Federal District, Southern Federal District,

Central Federal District, Northwestern Federal District, Volga Federal District, Ural Federal District, Siberian Federal District, Far Eastern Federal District

Federal Subjects

Subdivisions of RussiaFederal District: supposed to strengthen federal authority at the

more local level, 8 totalOblast: province with some autonomy (has a governor and local

legislature), 46 in RussiaRepublic: more autonomy than an oblast (has a constitution), can

establish an official language (originally based on non-Russian ethnicities), 21 total

Autonomous okrug: originally to give autonomy to indigenous people in the north, 4 in Russia

Kray: same status as oblasts (a traditional name), 9 in RussiaFederal City: Moscow and St. PetersburgAutonomous Oblast: only one, originally created for the Jewish

population

Cleavages

Nationality79.8% Russian3.8% Tatar2% Ukrainian1.2% Bashkir1.1% Chuvash1.04% Chechen

Example: Chechnya (95.3% Chechen)

Has a movement for independence, causing violence in Chechnya.

Russia gave them a controversial referendum on a new constitution in 2003 in an effort to secure its hold over Chechnya.

Cleavages

41.00%

6.50%4.10%

1.50%1.20%

0.50%1.70%

25.00%

13.00%

5.50%

Religions in Russia (Self-identified)

Russian OrthodoxMuslimUnaffiliated ChristianOther Orthodox Chris-tianNeopagan and TengristTibetan BuddhistOther religionSpiritual but not re-ligious

Cleavages

ReligionMajority Russian Orthodox, although

Communism left many non-religious, but the statistics vary

Second-largest religion is Islam (estimated 19.6 million in Russia), most are Sunni, and live in Moscow, the Caucasus, or Bashkortostan and Tatarstan

CleavagesSocial ClassCommunism in the Soviet Union ended the cleavage of

noble vs. peasant, but then party members were given higher status: nomenklatura, the elite group appointed to significant positions by the Party.

Gap between the new rich and the poor, although there is a growing middle class (concentrated in urban areas).

Gini index: 40.1 (close to the U.S, not far from the Soviet Union)

Rural vs. UrbanIndustrialization led to a more urban population, and

there is an economic and cultural divide between urban and rural.

Beliefs and AttitudesMarxism (in the Soviet Union): the belief that the

struggle between social classes is a major force in history and that there should eventually be a society in which there are no classes

Stalinism (in the Soviet Union): the theory and practice of communism developed by Stalin from Marxism-Leninism and marked especially by rigid authoritarianism, widespread use of terror, and often emphasis on Russian nationalism

Mistrust of the government: People want free elections, liberties, rights, and other democratic ideals, but don’t believe that the government can provide them.

Beliefs and AttitudesStatism: concentration of economic controls and

planning in the hands of a highly centralized government, often extending to government ownership of industry

Economic beliefs: “Shock therapy” of Yeltsin’s 1990s reform was an attempt to quickly privatize the market and remove government regulation; created an economic decline.

Westernization: Here lies the choice: Slavophile or Westernizer? Russian nationalism and Slavic culture, or integration into the world and its economy?

Political ParticipationSocial Capital: the networks together with shared norms,

values, and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or among groups.

Voting: often above 60% turnout (65.27% for 2012 presidential elections)

State corporatist arrangement (in the Soviet Union): only the Communist party was supposed to represent the people, so organizations were state-sponsored to allow the government to remain in control

Youth groups: Nashi (youth democratic anti-fascist movement) was discontinued due to being “compromised” and will be replaced. Used questionable tactics and was involved in scandals.

Political ParticipationCivil society: not a lot of Russians take part in

organizations or associations, leading to low social capital

Putin/government makes it difficult http://www.dw.de/russias-civil-society-is-being-destroyed/a-17144456

Tightly controlled during the Soviet era, and developed with the idea of glasnost in the 80s.

http://www.hrw.org/features/russia-civil-society2-4% are integrated into church lifeThousands of nongovernmental groups overall, but

relatively few members

MediaTelevision is most popular. Channels include First Channel, Rossiya, and NTV. (Tightly controlled by the government.)Newspapers: second-most popular; more than 400 daily newspapers.Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia 148 out of 179 measured countries in terms of freedom of the press (2013). (U.S. was #32, Eritrea was 179.)

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