Russia, the great bear of Europe and Asia, is the largest country in the entire world with an area covering over 17,075,200 sq km of the known world. The country borders over 14 countries and has a unique history as well. Its population from July 2007 was estimated to be over 141 million people. A majority of the population is Russian in ethnicity, followed by a number of Tartars, Ukrainians, and other mixed ethnicities. Their religion is a majority of atheists because of the Soviet rule over Russia.
Besides the non-believers, about 20% of the population is Russian Orthodox, 15% Muslim, and a minority of Christians and Jews. The official language is Russian, with many minority languages spoken as well. The literacy rate of the country is 99.6% with people being able to read and write over the age of 15. These are all the basic facts of Russia, but what is Russia? Is it just these facts? Russia and its history is something more than just mere facts, it is a strong national Slavic heritage with a collective watchful eye over its neighbors, especially the German state.
Even today, the Russians are weary of the motives of the West, "President Vladimir Putin has said he does not trust U.S. claims that the system (missile system) would be to guard the American East Coast and Europe from missiles launched from "rogue nations" in the Middle East" (News Channel 7). Throughout history Russia has been invaded countless times, from the Mongols to the German blitzkrieg of 1941. Now Russia is taking a turn to join the international community and live up to their standards of Capitalism and Democracy, but it is going to take a lot of work for this giant nation to conform.
[...] New York Mason, David S. Revolution and Transition in East-Central Europe. Westview Press. Boulder, Colorado “Russia: Poland, Czech Republic could be target of missiles if they host U.S. bases.” www3.whdh.com 2007. [...]
[...] The revisionist school does not accept the contention that the Soviet Union alone caused the Cold War. Some revisionists argue that the United States overreacted to a minimal or dubious threat from the Soviet Union” (Mason. Pg 12). Once the Cold War started between the two nations boundaries throughout the world were set. The world was split in between first world countries (western capitalistic democracies), second world countries (communist authoritarian countries), and the third world countries (countries that were underdeveloped). [...]
[...] Finally, they have a judiciary system with a Supreme Court but it is still as weak as it was in the time of the Soviets. Some challenges the Russians face are improving its economy, declining its executive power, and improving its judiciary power. In conclusion, Russia has gone through much in its history, from tyrants to an authoritarian style democracy. They have been invaded many times by their neighbors and still have a paranoid eye on the world. Today, their democratic system has many flaws but is an improvement from the past. [...]
[...] Before Communism, the people of Russia have had quite an extensive history. The land of present day Russia was populated by numerous tribes all combating one enemy, the Mongols. In the 11th and 12th century, the divided tribes finally united under the Muscovy dynasty. This dynasty was able to combat the Mongols out of most of Western Russia, giving room for expansion and stability. Their kingdom was ruled under a normal feudal system under such great Czars as Peter the Great, Ivan the terrible, and Catherine the Great. [...]
[...] All in all, Russia's democracy is not as bad as it seems, as long as the two terms law is effectively enforced, this stops anyone from being a dictator (hence they can only dictate for 8 years maximum). Russia has gone a long way in history, from turmoil to triumph; now they are finally becoming part of the world theater in a positive light. Work Cited Page Bronner, Stephen E. Twentieth Century Political Theory. Routledge Publishing. New York 2006 Longworth, Philip. Russia. St. Martin's Press. [...]
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