AP-Comparative-Government-and-Politics-Russia

Democratic Centralism

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

Nomenklatura

An ordered path from local party Soviets to the commanding heights of leadership.

Vladimir Putin

President of Russia 2000-08 and 2012-present, known for consolidating power and crushing opposition.

Dmitri Medvedev

Elected president in 2008 after Putin stepped down to stay on as Prime Minister.

Marxism-Leninism

Variation of communism based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

Stalinism

A brutal form of communism imposed by a small group of party leaders.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the government has total control over the lives of individual citizens.

Constitution of 1993

Provided for a strong president, checked by popular election and lower house of legislature.

Duma

Russian national legislature, lower house.

Glasnost

A policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems, initiated by Gorbachev.

Russian Orthodox Church

Church that was the main target of religious persecution under Stalin's regime.

V. Lenin

Led the communist revolution and was the leader of the Bolsheviks, ruling the Soviet Union.

Politburo

A seven-member committee that became the leading policy-making body of the Communist Party in the USSR.

General Secretary

Head of the Politburo, assumed full power as dictator of the country.

Five Year Plan

Plans outlined by Joseph Stalin in 1928 for the development of the Soviet Union's economy.

Nikita Khrushchev

Aggressive Soviet leader whose policy aimed to place missiles in Cuba.

Destalinization

Khrushchev's program attempt to remove Stalin influences.

Democratization

The process of creating a government elected by the people.

Perestroika

A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev involving restructuring towards a market-based economy and society.

Boris Yeltsin

President of the Russian Republic in 1991 who helped end the USSR and forced Gorbachev to resign.

Constitutional Court

Highest body in the Russian legal system, responsible for constitutional review.

Shock Therapy

An abrupt shift to free-market economics, involving lowering trade barriers, removing price controls, and ending subsidies.

Asymmetric Federalism

A system where power is devolved unequally across the country and its constituent regions.

CPRF

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the second-strongest party emphasizing centralized planning and nationalism.

Decrees

Rulings that have the force of law but do not need the approval of the legislature.

Federation Council of Russia

The upper house of the parliament of Russia.

Liberal Democrats

The neofascist and racist opposition party led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Proportional Representation (PR)

An electoral system in which political parties compete in multimember districts with seats awarded proportionally.

Single-member district

An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.

United Russia Party

Political party formed by the oligarchs of Russia to support Putin, currently the dominant party in Russia.