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World Geography > Russia and Post Soviet States > Flashcards

Russia and Post Soviet States Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a capitalist

A

someone who gets majority of their income from return of investments

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2
Q

what is inflation and its causes

A

process of money losing value over time; simple population growth and a strong, growing economy

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3
Q

what is productivity

A

the amount of workers it takes to make a good/do a service

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4
Q

why was the soviet union so behind in technological advancements?

A

no pressure to invest in technology under communism

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5
Q

who was the last leader of the USSR

A

Mikhail Gorbachev

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6
Q

what were the two main reforms of Gorbachev and their meanings

A

Glasnost (political transparency)
Perestroika (economic restructuring)

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7
Q

what was the solidarity movement in Poland urging for

A

workers rights

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8
Q

when did Gorbachev visit China

A

April 1989

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9
Q

why did Nixon visit China in 1972

A

to liberalize the Chinese economy

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10
Q

what is devolution

A

the transfer/delegation of power and decision making to the lower states

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11
Q

What is globalization

A

the spread of industry throughout the world

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12
Q

Why was China seen as a model?

A

political openness, want for democracy and freedom of speech/press

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13
Q

what were the revolutions of 1989

A

Several revolutions across Europe to overthrow their countries governments

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14
Q

what does it mean for the Soviet Union to become isolations

A

They focused on issues within their country rather than those going on around the rest of the world

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15
Q

Why was the gulf war a disaster for Iraq

A

Complete mismatch of militaries; US unveiled new military equipment and completely wiped them out

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16
Q

When did the USSR finally dissolve

A

December 25, 1991

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17
Q

Who is Alexander Lukashenko and why was he important?

A

Belorussian president, the longest serving dictator in Europe

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18
Q

When newly formed soviet countries formed and were essentially broke, what did the West offer for an exchange?

A

financial aid in exchange for surrender of nuclear weapons and peace between countries

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19
Q

What happened in the first Chechen war

A

Russia attempted to put down the Chechen revolution and their red army was decimated by the Chechens

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20
Q

what does Islamist mean

A

a muslim religion that follows very strict law based on the Qur’an

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21
Q

who was the first Russian president

A

Boris Yeltsin

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22
Q

who was the second Russian president and when was he elected

A

Vladmir Putin, 2000

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23
Q

Russia is a mosaic of nations and languages. What are the name of their “states”?

A

oblasts

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24
Q

What nomadic tribe did Russians originate from?

A

The Rus tribe

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25
The Eurasian steppes laid the groundwork for ____?
the silk road
26
Russia is the successor state to which empire?
The Byzantine empire
27
what is the main religion in Russia
Eastern (Russian) Orthodox
28
What does Tzar mean and what is it?
It means Caesar and it is a title for the emperor of Russia
29
why was Russia not affected by the great depression
communism (isolated from the global market)
30
name all 15 newly formed countries after the fall of the Soviet Union.
U TALK 2 MR BEG Uzbekistan, Ukraine Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Azerbaijan, Armenia Lithuania, Latvia Moldova Russia Belarus Estonia Georgia
31
What US city is Vladivostok compared to and why?
San Fransisco due to its topography and location on the pacific.
32
What is the Donbas region?
It is the region of Ukraine that is largely inhabited by a Russian population
33
Why is Crimea a flashpoint?
It was annexed from Ukraine in 2014, however it is not accepted as independent by everyone.
34
why was nato formed and what is its current use
formed to counter the soviet union and is now more or less a European defense union
35
Why was Russia upset upon the extension of Pax Americana in Siberian concentration camps
Russia considers Serbia in their spear of influence
36
Political Realism/Real Politiks centered on what 4 points?
no higher authority than the state the whole world is anarchy security is the #1 interest each state is responsible for its own well being
37
what are Americas two main interests?
security and protecting American commerce and economy
38
the 30 years war was the most devastating war in Europe before WW2. What treaty ended this war and what was its main takeaway?
Treaty of Westphalia. Stated that sovereignty rests with the states
39
What happened to 6 million Russians when the Soviet Union broke apart?
they woke up in a foreign country the next day
40
What does de facto independent mean
essentially independent, but not recognized internationally
41
What does de jure independent mean
independent and recognized
42
what were the two breakaway countries of Georgia?
South Ossetia Abkhazia
43
why does majority of central Asia experience a high HDI?
communism allowed for equal opportunities for education, healthcare, etc.
44
What income is Russia mostly?
middle-low income
45
Where does majority of Russias GDP come from
Oil and Gas
46
Why is oil and gas a boom and bust industry
Varies between high supply and demand and excess supply with no buyers
47
what is a tundra
frozen grassland
48
what are one commodity countries
countries thats GDP relies on one (or few) exports for revenue
49
what do you need to ensure you have security
power
50
what was the main fear of Russia after USSR collapse
That they would break into several smaller countries
51
What is Political Liberalism
The idea that you have to freedom of choice (also has the idea of the rule of law - no one above the law)
52
why does Russia choose to not be a democracy
its mosaic of nations would make this very difficult
53
what is Russia main fear involving the EU and NATO
by taking their buffer states, they would have easier access for invasion/encroachment
54
Ukraine had interest of applying for membership with the EU and NATO. Why did this upset Russia and what was the outcome.
Russia did not want Ukraine falling under the influence of the West as it is one of their last buffer states. This eventually led to the invasion of Ukraine.
55
When did Russia launch a full scale invasion of Ukraine?
Feb 2022
56
why is Russia v Ukraine so deadly
it is the 1st war between industrial powers since WW2 and has caused over 200,000 deaths for each side
57
What is the name of the de facto independent state in Moldova
Transnistria
58
What caused a resurgence of religion in Russia after fall of soviet union?
religion and outward displays of it was heavily policed during the Soviet Union
59
Who did Russia invade to prevent the spread of islamism to muslim soviet countries?
Afghanistan
60
What is a primate city?
The largest city within a country that is most responsible for their economical, political, and cultural life/developments.
61
What is Russia's primate city
Moscow
62
What river did Russian slavs settle near?
The Volga river
63
what alphabet do the Russians use?
Cyrillic
64
why was the Bolshevik revolution so important
It led to the creation of the Soviet Union
65
the forced consolidation of individual farms into being government owned was called what?
collectivization
66
Russia refers to its former soviet countries that are within their spear of influence as what?
near abroad
67
what is a blue navy?
a navy that is capable of fighting oversees sustainably
68
what must a global superpower have to be considered one? (4 things)
blue navy nukes strategic bombers second strike capability
69
what is the largest plain in the world
the West Siberian Plain
70
mountains dividing European Russia and Siberia
Ural mountains

World Geography (1 decks)

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