Russian History and Geography

Eurasia

continental area of Europe and Asia

Siberia

cold region in Russia near the Arctic Ocean with permafrost layer

Steppe

large unforested area in Siberia

Chernozem Soil

black soil with a high percentage of humus (organic material)

Permafrost

layer of soil that is frozen on the ground year round

Tundra

frozen desert

Taiga

pine trees in a forest, green year round

Baltic Republics

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Seceded from Russia

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; military alliance between 28 countries

USSR

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Name of Soviet Union from 1922-1991

Collective farms

everyone works but nobody owns the land; individuals get what they need but without ownership

Privatization

transfer of businesses from public to private

Soviet

citizen of the Soviet Union

Czar

emperor or ruler of Russia until the 1917 Revolution

Proletariat

A Marxist term used to describe the working class in a society, poor Russians

Bourgeosie

A Marxist term used to describe the upper-class

Glasnost

Russia becoming more open to ideas and concepts in politics; Part of Gorbachev's plan to reform

Perestroika

The literal meaning is 'restructuring', referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system to a more market oriented economy. Part of Gorbachev's plan to reform

Karl Marx

writer and philosopher who is credited with being the primary author of the Communist Manifesto in 1848; came up with the idea of communism

Fredic Engels

revolutionary socialist German philosopher who helped with Marx and the communist manifesto

Adam Smith

Scottish economist that played a role in the Scottish Enlightenment; wrote Wealth of Nations book that represents free market economies

Czar Nicholas II

last emperor of Russia, ruled 1894-1917

Vladimir Lenin

Became the leader of Russia after the 1917 Revolution; leader of Bolshevik party, first dictator of Russia, introduced communism

Joseph Stalin

Leader after Lenin's death. Ruler during World War II. Dictator of Russia from 1924-1953

Nikita Krusschev

A political leader after Stalin that tried De-Stalinization; wanted a peaceful coexistence with the West

Mikhail Gorbachev

Became the last leader of the Soviet Union in 1985; a reform-minded leader

Vladimir Putin

Current President of Russia

Red Army

Bolshevik Army and supports communism

White Army

Army that supports democracy

Cold War

the power struggle between the Soviet Union and the US after World War II

Iron Curtain

The metaphorical name given to the curtain that had divided Europe between democratic and communist countries

Domino Theory

A theory during the Cold War that if one country fell to communism then others would follow

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite, launched by the USSR in 1957

Bolshevik Revolution

The radical, far-left Marxist revolution that overthrew the Russian monarchy in 1917

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance consisting of Eastern European countries and the USSR