Russia in the Modern World A New Geography

by Shaw, Denis J B

• ISBN13: 9780631181347
• ISBN10: 0631181342
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-03-12
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This book presents a geographical analysis of the new Russia which has emerged from the ruins of the Soviet Union since 1991. The author provides the reader with a comprehensive analysis of the new state. Topics examined include: the origins and rise of the Russian state and the heritage of the Soviet period; environmental background and present-day ecological problems; Russia as a federal state and problems of ethnicity and national identity; the changing industrial face of Russia; problems of rural life; the post-Soviet city; Russia and its regions; relations with the Near Abroad, Russia and the wider world.

Author Biography

Denis Shaw is Reader in Russian Geography in the School of Geography and Associate Member of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Birmingham. His previous books include Planning in the Soviet Union (with J. Pallot, 1981), Landscape and Settlement in Romanov Russia 1613-1917 (with J. Pallot, 1990), and The Post-Soviet Republics: A Systematic Geography (Editor, 1995).

Table of Contents

List of Tables
List of Maps
Preface
Acknowledgements
The Territorial and Imperial Heritage	p. 1
Russia: the Territory and Its Acquisition	p. 1
The Natural Environment and Resources for Development	p. 10
Russian Development: the Long-term Influences	p. 18
Economic and Social Development to 1917	p. 24
The Soviet Heritage	p. 31
Revolution: the Establishment of the Soviet State	p. 32
Economic Transformation	p. 35
Stalinism and After	p. 40
General Reflections on Soviet Communism	p. 45
The Emerging Federation	p. 51
'Core and Metropolis': the Russian Federation before 1985	p. 51
The Resurrection of Russia: the Gorbachev Years (1985-1991)	p. 54
The Russian Federation Today: Ethnic and Political Geography	p. 58
The Russian Federation and Problems of Federalism	p. 62
The Russian Federation and Russian National Identity	p. 69
The Command Economy and the Transition to Capitalism	p. 73
The Command Economy in the Post-Stalin Period	p. 73
Problems of the Command Economy	p. 77
A Geography of Neo-Stalinism	p. 81
The Economic Reforms of Gorbachev and Yeltsin (after 1985)	p. 83
The Economy in Transition	p. 87
The Changing Space Economy	p. 94
Regional Economic Change since 1991	p. 97
Factors Influencing Regional Economic Change	p. 108
Winners and Losers in Regional Economic Change	p. 113
Sectoral Developments: Energy, the Defence Sector, Services, Transportation	p. 114
Saving the Environment	p. 127
The Geographical Context of Soviet Environmental Disruption	p. 127
The Political and Economic Context of Soviet Environmental Disruption	p. 131
The Russian Environment in the Early 1990s	p. 134
Environmental Management since 1991	p. 141
The Russian Environment in the Transition	p. 146
The International Dimension	p. 150
Conclusion	p. 150
Population: Urban and Rural Life	p. 152
Demographic Patterns and Migration	p. 152
Urban Life	p. 161
Rural Life and Agriculture	p. 170
The Regions of Russia	p. 183
Russia's Regions in History	p. 183
Moscow and the Central Economic Region	p. 188
St. Petersburg and the Northwest Region	p. 192
The Northern Economic Region	p. 194
The Volga - Vyatka Region	p. 197
The Volga Region	p. 198
The Central Black Earth Region	p. 200
The North Caucasus Economic Region	p. 202
The Urals Economic Region	p. 204
The West Siberian Economic Region	p. 206
The East Siberian Economic Region	p. 208
The Far East Economic Region	p. 210
Russia's Autonomous Territories	p. 213
Geographical Characteristics and Population of the Autonomous Territories	p. 213
History of Settlement of the Autonomous Territories	p. 215
Economic Development of the Autonomous Territories	p. 217
North European and Middle Volga-Urals Group	p. 222
The North Caucasus	p. 230
Siberia and the Far East	p. 235
Territories of the Far North	p. 242
Peoples without Homelands	p. 244
Conclusion	p. 246
Russia and the 'Near Abroad'	p. 248
Nation Building in the 'Near Abroad'	p. 249
The Russian Diaspora	p. 255
Territorial and Security Issues	p. 262
Economic and Trade Relations	p. 265
The Future of the CIS	p. 266
Russia and the Wider World	p. 269
The Soviet Heritage	p. 270
Post-1991 Influences on Russian Policy	p. 274
International Economic and Trade Relations	p. 276
Russia, Europe and the West	p. 278
Russia and the South	p. 282
Russia, the Far East and the Pacific Basin	p. 284
Conclusion	p. 287
Some Place Name Changes in the Post-Soviet States	p. 288
Glossary	p. 289
Further Reading	p. 291
Bibliography	p. 296
Index	p. 308
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