The Transition from the Soviet Union to Russia
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The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was one big Socialist state, consisting of 15 subnational Soviet republics with Russia as the largest, with more than 50% of the Soviet population. It existed between 1922 and 1991, and was ruled by the Communist Party with its capital as Moscow.
The 15 Soviet republics were:
1. Russia (1922 ), 2. Ukraine (1922), 3. Belarus (1922), 4. Uzbekistan (1924), 5. Kazakhstan (1936), 6. Georgia (1936), 7. Azerbaijan (1936), 8. Lithuania (1940 ), 9. Moldova (1940 ), 10. Latvia (1940 ), 11. Kyrgyzstan (1936 ), 12. Tajikistan (1929), 13. Armenia (1936), 14. Turkmenistan (1924) and 15. Estonia (1940)
During World War II, the Soviet Union was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941. It became the largest and bloodiest war in history. It was by this time Joseph Stalin who controlled the Soviet Union. The period from 1964 to 1982 began with a high economic growth and rising prosperity, but ended with a much weaker Soviet Union facing social, political, and economic stagnation.
The transition from the Soviet Union to Russia The final collapse of the Soviet Unions in 1991 happened after a failed coup, which had attempted to topple the reform-minded Premiere minister, Gorbachev. The republics wanted freedom and democracy. Boris Yeltsin, originally a supporter of Gorbachev, became one of Gorbachev’s most powerful political opponents during the perestroika reform. Perestroika means restructuring, and the reform was Gorbachev’s political movement for a new political and economic system for the Soviet Union. It was his intension to open the Soviet market for other countries and trading. This led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin was elected on the 12 of June 1991. He was the second leader in Russian history that had been democratically elected, but the first in a direct presidential election. He vowed to transform Russia’s socialist command economy into a free market economy - to fulfil what Gorbachev had started.
In 1992, the prices on everyday shopping went crazy and increased by 250%, which caused inflation. The inflation fell during the following years. Due to the sudden introduction of liberalism it became possible to invest in companies’ stocks as the government no longer was in the position of owning the market. The parliament was mostly communistic and therefore they disagreed with Yeltsin and the hyper-liberalism he represented. In 1993, Yeltsin’s political opponents were arrested, and by public election it was decided to make a new constitution. The same year Yeltsin was re-elected as president. Then the war in Chechnya began in 1994. Yeltsin reacted with brutal force because Chechnya’s location is so important tp the Russian infrastructure. The government also used military force to set an example to other regions, which may have been considering breaking free from Russia. But in 1995 Yeltsin’s popularity fell. In 1996, there was a ceasefire in Chechnya. Yeltsin allied himself with the oligarchs (the richest people in Russia who were in control of the Russian media) and won the election. In 1999, Russia was back on the track and the economy was growing once again. Yeltsin stepped down as president and Vladimir Putin took over. Putin won the election in 2000. The Russian economy has grown with 5 % each year through his time of rule.
Summing up, Russia has been through huge changes during the transformation from a communistic system to hyper-liberalism and back to communism. Russia is still working with their economy and the differences between rich and poor. But it seems to be going in the right direction, as the middle-class grows.
Written by Victor Stampe, Sofie and Suvi
The 15 Soviet republics were:
1. Russia (1922 ), 2. Ukraine (1922), 3. Belarus (1922), 4. Uzbekistan (1924), 5. Kazakhstan (1936), 6. Georgia (1936), 7. Azerbaijan (1936), 8. Lithuania (1940 ), 9. Moldova (1940 ), 10. Latvia (1940 ), 11. Kyrgyzstan (1936 ), 12. Tajikistan (1929), 13. Armenia (1936), 14. Turkmenistan (1924) and 15. Estonia (1940)
During World War II, the Soviet Union was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941. It became the largest and bloodiest war in history. It was by this time Joseph Stalin who controlled the Soviet Union. The period from 1964 to 1982 began with a high economic growth and rising prosperity, but ended with a much weaker Soviet Union facing social, political, and economic stagnation.
The transition from the Soviet Union to Russia The final collapse of the Soviet Unions in 1991 happened after a failed coup, which had attempted to topple the reform-minded Premiere minister, Gorbachev. The republics wanted freedom and democracy. Boris Yeltsin, originally a supporter of Gorbachev, became one of Gorbachev’s most powerful political opponents during the perestroika reform. Perestroika means restructuring, and the reform was Gorbachev’s political movement for a new political and economic system for the Soviet Union. It was his intension to open the Soviet market for other countries and trading. This led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin was elected on the 12 of June 1991. He was the second leader in Russian history that had been democratically elected, but the first in a direct presidential election. He vowed to transform Russia’s socialist command economy into a free market economy - to fulfil what Gorbachev had started.
In 1992, the prices on everyday shopping went crazy and increased by 250%, which caused inflation. The inflation fell during the following years. Due to the sudden introduction of liberalism it became possible to invest in companies’ stocks as the government no longer was in the position of owning the market. The parliament was mostly communistic and therefore they disagreed with Yeltsin and the hyper-liberalism he represented. In 1993, Yeltsin’s political opponents were arrested, and by public election it was decided to make a new constitution. The same year Yeltsin was re-elected as president. Then the war in Chechnya began in 1994. Yeltsin reacted with brutal force because Chechnya’s location is so important tp the Russian infrastructure. The government also used military force to set an example to other regions, which may have been considering breaking free from Russia. But in 1995 Yeltsin’s popularity fell. In 1996, there was a ceasefire in Chechnya. Yeltsin allied himself with the oligarchs (the richest people in Russia who were in control of the Russian media) and won the election. In 1999, Russia was back on the track and the economy was growing once again. Yeltsin stepped down as president and Vladimir Putin took over. Putin won the election in 2000. The Russian economy has grown with 5 % each year through his time of rule.
Summing up, Russia has been through huge changes during the transformation from a communistic system to hyper-liberalism and back to communism. Russia is still working with their economy and the differences between rich and poor. But it seems to be going in the right direction, as the middle-class grows.
Written by Victor Stampe, Sofie and Suvi