A Study of Russia

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A Study of Russia

• An American Businesswoman
• Kim Fleager Jennifer Skaggs

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Introduction

• Population
• 144,700,000
• Capital largest city
• Moscow, 13,200,000
• GDP/PPP p/c
• 8,300
• Adult literacy rate
• 98
• Life expectancy
• 65 years

World Factbook, 2001
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Geography

• Spans between Europe and Asia 21 republics
• One and four-fifths the size of the United States
• 5 natural zones tundra, forest, plains, arid,
  and mountain
• Urals Mountains divide the country
• Resources oil, timber, natural gas, coal, and
  minerals

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Map
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History

• Ivan IV, the Terrible (1533-84) founded the
  Russian state
• USSR was established as a federation on December
  30, 1922
• Soviet economy and society were stagnate until
  Gen. Gorbachev (1985-91) took over
• introduced glasnost (openness) perestroika
  (restructuring)

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History cont.

• Gorbachevs initiatives splintered the USSR into
  15 independent republics
• Boris Yeltsin took over in 1991-1999
• Vladimir Putin became acting president in 1999
• As an American businesswoman, its important to
  see the complicated history understand the
  rapid changes that have occurred

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Government

• Constitution adopted Dec. 1993
• guarantees rights to a multi-party system
• President and Prime Minister
• President (Putin) determines domestic and foreign
  policy
• Prime Minister (Mikhail Kasyanov)
• carries out administration following
  constitution and laws

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Government cont.

• 628-member parliament called The Federal Assembly
• Two chambers 450-member Duma 178-member
  Federal Council
• A businesswoman will want to know how laws are
  created and who are the political actors with
  power

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Economy

• Moving from a centrally-planned to a market
  economy
• Early 1990s major dissolution of central
  planning system
• Transition made through macroeconomic
  stabilization and economic restructuring
• Prices and inflation gradually stabilized

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Economy Statistics

• Exports 103.3 billion petroleum petroleum
  products, natural gas, wood wood products,
  metals, and chemicals
• Inports 51.7 billion machinery and equipment,
  consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar,
  semifinished metal products

• Unemployment 8.7
• Inflation 16.2
• GDP Components
• 7 agriculture
• 39 industry
• 53 services
• Population below poverty line (99) 40

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Language

• Created to spread Christianity throughout Russia
  in the 9th century
• 33 characters based on the Greek alphabet
• Very phonetic language
• Many dialects standard Russian is based on the
  Moscow dialect

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Religion

• In a nation predominantly from one ethnic group
  (Russian), it is not a surprise that there is one
  dominant religion 71.8 Russian Orthodox
• Church used to be viewed as oppositional under
  the communist rule
• Russian Orthodox Church is over 1,000 yrs. old
• Christmas is celebrated on Jan. 7th children
  receive gifts for New Years, not Christmas

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Breakdown of Religions
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Population

• Currently 284.6 million
• Majority live in urban areas (72.9)
• European side more populated than Asian side
• Majority are ethnic Russians

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Population breakdown
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Family

• Women spend much more time with the children than
  men
• Women provide the discipline in the household
• Jobs for women under communism, occupied
  numerous jobs since then, jobs harder to keep
  and men were replacing women
• An American businesswoman seeking employment
  could be successful with appropriate credentials

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Education in Russia

• Girls are supposed to learn to cook, sew, and
  care for the home boys learn how to handle
  rougher chores
• Daycare available to working families very
  expensive and hard to find.
• Formal schooling begins at age 6 or 7 must
  attend 9 years of school (very solid learning
  experience)

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Education cont.

• Students may continue to study academic subjects
  for two years, go to a vocational school, or get
  a job
• Higher education in Russia is much more
  specialized than in the U.S.
• Graduate degrees much more rare in Russia
• Education system faces problems schools in poor
  conditions, students often in poor health

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Culture

• In contrast to Americans, most Russians have
  lived much like their ancestors
• Russian art and architecture includes an array of
  exotic forms and alien sensibilities
• The buildings have a certain
• form about them that makes
• them original

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Leisure

• Sports are very popular Ice Hockey, Figure
  Skating, Tennis
• Non physical activities Chess, collections
  (stamps, coins, calling cards)
• Russian Circus is very popular
• government sponsored

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Conclusion

• It is important to learn some of the
  characteristics of the culture and country in
  order to assimilate into the society with greater
  ease. By learning information about the people,
  one is less likely to seriously offend a member
  of that culture. This should keep the world
  traveler happier, and more effective at his or
  her job.

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THE END