Chapter 16

Section 1

1. Agriculture, industry, communications and transportation have changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Agriculture in Russia used to be based on state-controlled kolkhozes and sovkhozes - farms owned by either the farmers, or the government - but since the decline of the soviet union, and the growing market economy, the stability of agriculture depended on crop imports from other countries. Industry is slowly increasing its GDP in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. The main focus of Russia's industries is the extraction and processing of crude oil, and the import of minerals and metals. Communications post-Soviet era have recognized new view points, and is not as restricted of criticizing the government as it was under soviet rule. the use of cell phones has doubled, and the use of the Internet is above the world's average of 12%. Finally, transportation is difficult, at best, in Russia. Often, snow-fall and -melts often make roads unsafe, and unusable. Russia depends on waterways and rail systems to transport goods and people all across the country.



The Trans-Siberian railroad is the largest
contributor of transportation across Russia.



2. Russia is developing into a full part of the global trading community. Its major trading companions are the Japan, the EU, China, and other former Soviet republics.

creative writing: Russia, under Soviet rule, started with a control economy. The government controlled what products were made, where they were sold, and how much they cost. many working consumers could not afford day-to-day things, and therefor, both the economy and the working population suffered. Mikhail Gorbachev, who ruled starting in 1985, began changing the economy over to a market one in order to save the economy, which was failing. he allowed businesses to become privately owned, and he reduced the government's control on consumer products. The next ruler, Boris Yeltsin, further removed price controls and encouraged investing profits in foreign reinvestment's. Eventually, Russia's economy became a fully market economy.


Section 2
1. Russia manages its natural resources by forcing companies in mining, fishing and timber industries to take environmentally aware actions, by replanting trees, increasing private investments to protect forests, and meeting strict environmental standards.

2. The future environmental challenges that Russia faces are the shrinking fish populations in Russia's oceans and rivers, the use of super trawlers in the fishing industry - which unnecessarily kills millions of sea mammals and fish every year. Pipelines that transport gas and oil across the country threaten the environment with leaks and busts, which can kill the surrounding areas for miles. Also, the thawing of peat bogs in Siberia could release millions of metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the air.

creative writing: Pollution is a global issue, but it affects some people more than others, and in places like Russia, with lots of lands and forests to care for, the impact is greater. The Soviet's disregard for environmental preservation did not help maters. The soviets tested the effects of nuclear bombs and explosions. Nuclear wastes and radioactive materials, if not properly contained, can cause severe cancer, destroy the environment in a large area, and contaminate water for generations. One example of a severely disasterous exposure of the effects of radiation was in the fire in the nuclear plant in the Russian town of Chernobyl. The fire set off an explosion releasing tons of radioactive particles into the air. This disaster still affects people today.


The nuclear power plant after the explosion in Chrnobyl.



Chapter 15

flag of the Soviet Union

Section 1

1. In post-Soviet Russia, the role of religion has changed from being illegal, to being very important and influential.

2. Russia's major ethnic groups are Russian, Turkic, Ukrainian, Uralic-Altic, Ossetian, Paleo-Siberian, and Caucasian.

creative writing: If I were a teen in Europe who wanted to persuade my parents that attending high school in the post-Soviet era is better than it was during the Soviet era, my essay would look something like this:

Dear Mama and Papa,
   I know that you attended high school during the soviet era, and you may believe that it was great. But the post-Soviet era that we now live in has provided an even greater education for me. This is because of the greater variety of subjects that I am being taught. You only learned about mathematics, engineering and science, and although these are very important, so is history, language, and literature! Without these, much of our humanity is lost, and where would we be without that?
   It is in my opinion that post-Soviet education is of higher quality than that of the Soviet era. Although you may disagree, stating that because of the Soviet Union, you now have a good paying engineering job, but I say, so do all of the other parents who grew up under Soviet rule. An entire generation was turned monochromatic, the same, with the same jobs and educations. but now, with a variety of subjects to master, my generation will flourish with color of varying educations and employments.
  This is why I believe that the quality of education in post-Soviet Russia is higher than it was in Soviet Russia.
   Thank you for your time, from your child,
   Akilina



map of major ethnic groups in Russia


Section 2
1. The ancient Slavs were the ancestors of the ethnic Russians.

2. The causes of the Soviet Union's collapse were the weakened economy, the Cold War, and  the disagreements between the privileges of the leaders, and the wages of the workers in the USSR.

creative writing:
   The United States played part in the downfall of the soviet union in Russia, although, it was also contributed to by the failing economy and disagreements of the wages and privileges of its people.
   As more people suffered under Soviet rule, the Soviet leaders went toe-to-toe with the U.S. and its allies. as both powers fought for international power and influence. Although both threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy the other's land and sent used other countries' soldiers to fight a proxy war, the two sides used propaganda to get more people and nations on their side. Eventually, the soviets lost, and soon after the cold war, the soviet union fell apart, leaving individual countries to find their own political stand.