Russia - AP Comparative Politics

What was the secret police Lenin created to suppress opposition?

Cheka

What was the Communist Party-appointed elite holding influential positions?

Nomenklatura

What was the Soviet system of forced-labor camps?

Gulag

What was the Communist Party's top decision-making body?

Politburo

What was Gorbachev's policy of political openness?

Glasnost

What was Gorbachev's policy of economic restructuring?

Perestroika - economic decentralization and limited-free market elements

What term describes wealthy business elites who gained power during privatization?

Oligarchs

What were rapid market reforms in the 1990s called?

Shock therapy

What term describes security-service officials who gained political influence under Putin?

Siloviki

What is the term for independent organizations outside government?

Civil society

What is the principle that laws apply equally and government is constrained by law?

Rule of law

What is a federal system in which regions have unequal powers?

Asymmetric federalism

What is the division of power between national and regional governments?

Federalism

What is a system where political power and resources are distributed through personal loyalty?

Patrimonialism

What is a system in which the state directs production and resource allocation?

Centrally planned economy

What is transferring state-owned businesses into private ownership?

Privatization

What was the transfer of farmland into collective farms under Stalin?

Collectivization

What are government policies designed to increase production through set economic targets?

Five-Year Plans

What is a political system that seeks extensive control over public and private life?

Totalitarianism

What is the glorification of a political leader?

Cult of personality

What is a political system where meaningful opposition and competition are restricted?

Authoritarianism

What is a party that dominates government and uses state power to maintain control?

Party of power

What is a legislature with two chambers called?

Bicameral legislature

What is a system where citizens elect representatives to make laws?

Representative government

What is the economic system based primarily on private ownership and markets?

Market economy

What is the term for a country relying heavily on natural-resource exports?

Resource-dependent economy

What is the organization created to encourage cooperation among former Soviet republics?

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

What is the regional economic integration project promoted by Putin?

Eurasian Economic Union

What term describes rule by a small, powerful elite?

Oligarchy

What term describes national pride and support for national strength?

Nationalism

What term describes the return of industries or assets to state control?

Renationalization

What was the Russian Orthodox Church's role in early Russian state development?

It reinforced political and religious authority.

What geographic region is vast, cold, resource-rich, and sparsely populated?

Siberia

Where has Russia's population historically been concentrated?

The European west of Russia

What geographic vulnerability shaped Russia's historical security concerns?

Exposure to invasion across its broad land borders

What early East Slavic state emerged by the late 10th century?

Kievan Rus

Which religion reinforced authority in early Russian state development?

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

What outside power ruled Russian lands for more than two centuries?

The Mongols

What major event helped trigger the 1917 Russian Revolution?

World War I, food shortages, economic hardship, and unrest

Who led the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution of 1917?

Vladimir Lenin

What political group seized power during the October Revolution?

The Bolsheviks

How did Lenin consolidate Communist control?

Suppressing opposition, nationalizing industries, and creating the Cheka

Who ruled the USSR through collectivization, purges, and forced industrialization?

Joseph Stalin

What was Stalin's campaign of arrests, executions, and repression called?

The purges

What did Stalin's collectivization policy attempt to do?

Bring agriculture under collective state-directed control

What economic approach did Stalin use to industrialize the USSR?

Central planning and Five-Year Plans

Which Soviet leader reduced some of Stalin's repression?

Nikita Khrushchev

Which Soviet leader was associated with stability and stagnation after Khrushchev?

Leonid Brezhnev

Which leader introduced glasnost and perestroika in 1985?

Mikhail Gorbachev

What was the main goal of Gorbachev's reforms?

Revitalize the Soviet system through openness and restructuring

How did Gorbachev's reforms weaken Communist rule?

They encouraged criticism and nationalist demands and reduced party control.

What happened during the August 1991 coup attempt?

Communist hardliners tried to remove Gorbachev; Boris Yeltsin resisted.

Who became Russia's first president after the Soviet Union dissolved?

Boris Yeltsin

When was the Soviet Union established?

1922

When did the Soviet Union dissolve?

December 1991

How many independent countries emerged from the dissolution of the USSR?

15

What happened to the Soviet Union's political system after 1991?

It dissolved into independent states; Russia adopted multiparty elections and a market economy.

What did Russia's 1993 Constitution establish?

A strong presidency and a federal political structure

What is the Kremlin's role in Russian politics?

It is the center of presidential and executive power.

Who is Russia's head of state and holds the strongest executive powers?

The president

What is the Russian prime minister's formal role?

Head of government, overseeing domestic policy and ministries under presidential authority

What is Russia's national bicameral legislature called?

The Federal Assembly

What is the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly?

The State Duma

What is the upper house of Russia's Federal Assembly?

The Federation Council

Why is the State Duma relatively weak under Putin?

United Russia dominates it, limiting meaningful legislative opposition.

What is the main characteristic of Russia's political system under Putin?

Authoritarianism with power concentrated in the presidency

How has Putin changed Russian federalism?

He has centralized power and weakened regional autonomy.

What is the key feature of a Russian republic within the federation?

It is often associated with an ethnic group and may have its own constitution and official language.

What electoral system did Russia originally use for the State Duma?

A mixed system combining single-member districts and proportional representation

How did electoral reforms under Putin reduce political competition?

Changes favored larger parties and disadvantaged smaller parties and independents.

What is Russia's dominant pro-Putin political party?

United Russia

What is the main opposition party that retains Communist ideology?

Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)

Which Russian party is associated with liberal politics?

Yabloko

Which Russian party is associated with nationalist populism?

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)

What two political groups merged to help form United Russia in 2001?

Unity and Fatherland–All Russia

What weakened Russia's democratic competition during the Putin era?

Restrictions on opposition, media, civil society, and electoral competition

What is one major weakness of Russia's rule of law?

Corruption and politically influenced courts

How has the Russian government restricted independent media?

By bringing major outlets under state control or influence

Why has civil society historically been weak in Russia?

Long periods of state control and repression limited independent organization.

What did glasnost allow that had previously been restricted?

More public discussion, criticism, and openness

Which investigative journalist was known for reporting on abuses in Chechnya and Russia?

Anna Politkovskaya

Which Russian activist group became known for political performances and protest?

Pussy Riot

Which opposition activist became a prominent critic of Putin?

Alexei Navalny

Which two wars involved Russian efforts to suppress Chechen separatism?

The First Chechen War (1994–1996) and Second Chechen War (beginning in 1999)

How did the Chechen conflict affect Russian politics?

Security concerns helped justify stronger central control.

Who became the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya?

Ramzan Kadyrov

What two major hostage crises heightened Russian security fears?

The 2002 Moscow theater crisis and 2004 Beslan school crisis

What political values have often been emphasized in Russian political culture?

Order, centralized authority, stability, and national pride

What happened to the Communist Party's legal monopoly after 1991?

It ended, allowing a multiparty system in law.

What caused severe economic hardship during Russia's early transition to capitalism?

Shock therapy, rapid price liberalization, inflation, and recession

What happened to inflation in Russia in 1992?

It exceeded 2,000%, sharply reducing the value of savings.

How did privatization contribute to inequality in Russia?

Politically connected insiders acquired valuable state assets, creating oligarchs.

What was the loans-for-shares scheme of the 1990s associated with?

The transfer of valuable state assets to well-connected business elites

What happened to Russia's economy during much of the 1990s?

It experienced a severe contraction, rising poverty, and greater inequality.

How did Putin deal with some powerful oligarchs?

He limited their independent political power and increased state control over strategic assets.

Which oligarch was arrested in 2003 after challenging Putin's government?

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

What helped fuel Russia's economic growth during the 2000s?

High global prices for oil and natural gas

What is a major risk of relying heavily on oil and gas exports?

Economic vulnerability to changes in global commodity prices

What are the siloviki in Russian politics?

Officials with backgrounds in security, military, or law-enforcement institutions

What was the Cheka's relationship to later Soviet security agencies?

It was an early secret police organization in the lineage of later state-security agencies.