Research-03
The Soviet Union: Russia's physical and historical context
Study
the following sites for information on the scope and size of the former
Soviet Union, the Soviet republics and national groups represented,
the nature of the Soviet empire and its organization, the Soviet
system and mechanisms of control. (REMEMBER: Russia, the Russian Federation, is
different from the SOVIET UNION, which was a larger empire of "republics"
that collapsed in 1991!)
General
information on the Soviet Union (read carefully either the Columbia or Wikipedia summary accounts):
On
the Soviet System and US-Soviet Relations: This is an
"exhibit" -- take a "tour" of both "floors" --
spend some time reading the explanations and looking at the exhibits.
CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS AS YOU RESEARCH THESE SITES:
- What were the republics and nationalities of the Soviet
Union? What were the Baltic, Southeastern, Caucasian, and Central Asian
republics? What has happened to them: what is the NIS,
the CIS? What does USSR mean? CPSU? RSFSR?
- What elements of the centralized structure of the USSR made
the transformation of USSR into the Russian Federation difficult, even
impossible? What were some effects of the Russification
policies of the Soviet Union when it dissolved? What elements
(positive, negative) of the Soviet Union did the Russian Federation
inherit?
- Define: communism, Communism, the Communist Party, the CPSU, socialism, Soviet socialism, soviet, Soviet,
soviet system, Soviet Socialist Republic.
- The USSR operated with a totalitarian political
system: what does this mean? What does the word mean? How was totalitarianism
implemented in the USSR? What are the major aspects, historical traits,
and/or events of Soviet totalitarianism?
SEARCH
THE INTERNET FOR DEFINITIONS OF THESE, IF YOU CAN'T FIND THEM IN THE PREVIOUSLY
SUGGESTED LOCATIONS.