Russia: From Empire to Great Power
Military parade held on 66th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War (WWII)
2011
 What was it like for the average
Soviet living under communist
rule?
 What does the government
control in a communist
economic system?
 Who the Soviet Leader that
When did
the Cold War
end?
expanded the Soviet Union by
taken over much of Eastern
Europe?
Joseph Stalin, after WWII controls Eastern Europe.
Stalin installs communist leaders and communist economy in Eastern Europe.
Living Under Soviet Communism
Examples from video clips…..
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Free Healthcare
 Lack of
 Jobs for life
 No Religion
 Free Education
 Government control of most
 Housing was
provided
 Security
Information/Censorship
aspects of life
 Purge of dissidents
 Ultimate collapse of the
economy!
Communist government owns the
Means of Production…
In communist system there is no profit for capitalist/individuals.

 If guaranteed a job, nobody is inspired
to work, production of faulty goods
 Corruption in system
 Emphasis on military and defense
spending over consumer goods- bread
lines and food shortages
 Soviet Afghan War- economically drains
“satellite nations” country
Why did the
Soviet Union
collapse in
1989?
 Supporting “satellite nations” drains
economy
 Hatred among different nationalities
(ethnicities) in empire.
Common wealth of Independent States
CIS
What political and economic strides are Russia & the
Common Wealth working towards?
 Web quest: The Fall, 20 Years after the Collapse of
the Soviet Union
 Based on, Mapping The Patterns of Change; which
countries seem to be moving toward freedom of the
press & economic change? Has corruption index
improved in any of the countries?
 How difficult is it to change from a one party rule to
multiparty rule? From a communist, state owned
economy to a capitalist economy?
 Personal videos and interviews from the website
Putin & the erosion of
Russia's fledgling
democracy.
2012- President for a third time;
now 6-year terms.
Dmitry Medvedev selected as
Prime Minister
(after four year gap could run)
2008-2012 Dmitry Medvedev was
President & selected Vladimir
Putin was Prime Minister.
(couldn’t run again)
2004- 2008 - President
2000-2004 - President
 Time Magazine
Opportunity to show Russia’s
influence!

Call for a Boycott… any previous
boycotts?

U.S. and Russian Relations…

Boris Yeltsin &
Oligarchies &
Multiparty Elections
1991-1999 Economic changes funneled
enormous wealth into hands of a fewOligarchies
Privatization process gave state-owned
industries to wealthiest businessmen
(Oligarch)
Economic reform hurt more people than
it helped!
During Soviet era, few people were lived
in poverty; officials kept cost low for basic
needs
Job security, low costs, fee education,
healthcare… end of Soviet Union = end of
economic security.
Collapse of USSR= Multiparty
Elections 1991
Boris Yeltsin; first multiparty elections since 1917.

It is very difficult to change from a state
controlled economy to capitalist….
China was able to change to
capitalist system…
In Russia the rich buy up
the Means of Production..
Mikhail Gorbachev reforms led to collapse of U.S.S.R
Glasnost literally openness- “opening to the press”
Perestroika was the policy of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system
The Soviet economy had been in a period of stagnation for two decades and was in desperate need of reform.
Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989
Commonwealth of
Independent States
 1990, the (CCCP) Central
Committee of the
Communist Party of the
Soviet Union agreed to give
up its monopoly of power.
 Over the next several weeks,
the 15 republics of the USSR
held their first competitive
elections.
Cold War System- Bi- Polar System
Soviet Union & the United States were the two main power centers after WWII .

From this point on…..
 Overview of the Cold War in America……
CCOMPETITION OF IDEOLOGIESDEMOCRACY VS. COMMUNISM
CAPITALISM VS. COMMUNISM
COMPETITION OF IDEOLOGIESDEMOCRACY VS. COMMUNISM
CAPITALISM VS. COMMUNISM
Propaganda in America
Duck & cover drills
Bomb Shelters
 Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R had enough
bombs to destroy the world many times
over! What stopped the superpowers
from using their weapons…..Mutually
Assured Destruction (MAD)
 The Soviet threat was weak, destroying
America would not have benefited the
Soviets!!!
 More of a threat in Europe. Fear
Was the
Soviet Union
really a threat!
against communism in U.S. helps to
fund defense budget.