Understanding contemporary Russia / [print]
edited by Michael L. Bressler.
- Boulder : Lynne Rienner Publishers, (c)2009.
- xiv, 423 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.
- Understanding .
- Understanding (Boulder, Colo.) .
Includes bibliographies and index.
1. Introduction Michael L. Bressler 2. Russia : a geographic preface 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 Denis J.B. Shaw -- 3. The historical context 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 Steven G. Marks -- 4. Politics 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 Michael L. Bressler -- 5. The economy 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 James R. Millar -- 6. International relations 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 Allen C. Lynch -- 7. Ethnicity and identity 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 Katherine E. Graney -- 8. Population, health, and migration Russia's recent demographic history -- Factors influencing fertility -- Health, morality, and life expectancy -- Mortality and HawaiiV Migration -- Russia's population in the Twenty-first Century Timothy Heleniak -- AIDS -- 9. Environmental problems Pollution -- Biotic preservation -- Radioactive contamination -- The environment, public health, and prospects for the future Philip R. Pryde -- 10. Women in a changing context women in Imperial Russia -- The Soviet woman -- Women in post-Soviet Russia -- Conclusion: prospects for Russian women Sarah L. Henderson -- 11. Religion 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 Olga Kazmina -- 12. Literature and film 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 Adele Barker -- 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.