Understanding contemporary Russia / edited by Michael L. Bressler. [print]

Includes bibliographies and index.

1. Introduction Michael L. Bressler

2. Russia : a geographic preface Denis J.B. Shaw -- The Imperial heritage: Russian territorial expansion -- Population and settlement distribution -- Climate, settlement, and the natural environment -- Some implications of Russia's natural environment -- Environment and development -- The Imperial heritage: Russia's ethnic geography

3. The historical context Steven G. Marks -- Kievan Rus, 750-1240 -- Mongol rule, 1237-1400 -- Muscovy, 1400-1700 -- Peter the Great and the birth of Imperial Russia, 1682-1725 -- The age of women rulers, 1725-1796 -- Absolutism and its discontents, 1801-1855 -- Reform and reaction, 1855-1904 -- The revolutionary era, 1905-1923 -- Stalinism, 1924-1953 -- Hope, apathy, and decline: The Soviet Union, 1953-1991

4. Politics Michael L. Bressler -- Concepts: democracy, the State, and institutions -- High hopes and harsh realities: post-Soviet Russia, 1991-1993 -- The 1993 Constitution -- Russian politics under Yeltsin -- Putin's road to power -- Putin's understanding of the problem -- Taking control of the system -- Mass attitudes toward democracy

5. The economy James R. Millar -- The institutions and workings of the planned economy -- The planned economy after Stalin, 1953-1964 -- The Brezhnev Era, 1964-1982: from stability to stagnation -- The Gorbachev Era and the end of the Soviet System -- Boris Yeltsin and the transition to capitalism -- Vladimir Putin and the quest for stability

6. International relations Allen C. Lynch -- Historical patterns in Russian foreign policy -- The early Soviet Period -- The Cold War -- Gorbachev's foreign policy revolution -- Patterns of Russian foreign policy in the Yeltsin period -- Patterns of Russian foreign policy under Putin

7. Ethnicity and identity Katherine E. Graney -- A survey of multicultural Russia -- Making Russia multicultural: empire, statehood, and nationality in the Tsarist Era -- An affirmative action empire: The Soviet Union -- The reemergence of Russia: The Russian Federation and the quest for a new multicultural order -- Creating legal chaos: Yeltsin and the parade of treaties -- Origins and consequences of the first Chechen War -- The Putin Era: restoring order to chaos or threatening non-Russian rights? -- The second Chechen War and rising interethnic tensions in Putin's Russia -- Conclusion: the future of multicultural Russia

8. Population, health, and migration Timothy Heleniak -- Russia's recent demographic history -- Factors influencing fertility -- Health, morality, and life expectancy -- Mortality and HawaiiV AIDS -- Migration -- Russia's population in the Twenty-first Century

9. Environmental problems Philip R. Pryde -- Pollution -- Biotic preservation -- Radioactive contamination -- The environment, public health, and prospects for the future

10. Women in a changing context Sarah L. Henderson -- women in Imperial Russia -- The Soviet woman -- Women in post-Soviet Russia -- Conclusion: prospects for Russian women

11. Religion Olga Kazmina -- religion in Russia from ancient times to the demise of the Soviet Union -- Religion in post-Soviet Russia -- The contemporary religious makeup of Russia's population -- Religion and identity

12. Literature and film Adele Barker -- Nineteenth-Century Russian literature -- The Soviet period -- Cultural lament and the advent of Pop Culture -- Soviet and Russian film -- Conclusion: the new texture of cultural life

13. Trends and prospects Michael L. Bressler.

Understanding Contemporary Russia provides a thorough introduction to this complex country as it confronts the challenges of today?s interdependent world. Interdisciplinary in design, the book is intended for use as a core text in introductory survey and politics courses and also as a supplement in a variety of discipline-oriented courses. The authors draw on the best scholarship in their fields to provide sophisticated yet accessible treatments of subjects ranging from geography and history, to politics, economics, and international relations, to ethnicity, population movements, the environment, the role of women, religion, and literature and film. Numerous maps, photographs, and suggestions for further reading enhance the text.

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