Gov 312L Exam 3: Russia And Deomcratizaion

Front 1

Vladimir Putin

Back 1

President and Prime Minister of Russia that has seen the weakining of democratic institutions

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Oligarchs

Back 2

powerful economic leaders whose fortunes rose during the period in the 1990s where there was an economic shift to private property and market forces

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Orthodox Christianity

Back 3

the religion that the Kievan State adopted as it had emerged as a major force. A variant of Christianity separate from Roman Catholicism.

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Czar

Back 4

a single russian emperor

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The Duma

Back 5

lower house of the russian legislature

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Soviets

Back 6

Name given to worker's councils that sprung up in 1917.

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Cheka

Back 7

Soviet secret police created by Lenin; precursor to the KGB

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KGB

Back 8

Soviet secret-police agency charged with doestic and foreign intelligence

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nomenklatura

Back 9

Politically sensitive or influential jobs in the state, society, or economy that were staffed by people chosen or approved by the Communist party.

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Politburo

Back 10

Top policy-making and executive body of the Communist Party

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glasnost

Back 11

Literally, "openness", the policy of political liberalization implemented in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

Front 12

perestroika

Back 12

Literally, "restructuring", the policy of economic liberalization in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Front 13

Boris Yeltsin

Back 13

President of Russia from 1991 to 1999.

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Modernizaiton Theory

Back 14

the theory that as societies became more modern they would inevitably become more democratic.

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Civil Society

Back 15

organized life outside the state, or the " art of association". A fabric of organizations created by the people to help define their own interests.

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Elites and Democratization

Back 16

Economic development is importnat in developing a democracy, but the nature of the resources that fuel it can determine how likely it is that democracy will emerge.

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Society and Democratization

Back 17

Civil society organizations serve as a vehicle for democratization by allowing people to articulate, promote, and defend what is important to them.

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International relations and Democratization

Back 18

Modernization resulting from foreign investment, globalization, and trade may push democratization forward. As well as international pressure or incentives may cause elites to favor democracy.

Front 19

Culture and Democratization

Back 19

The idea that there is in essence a culture of democracy, emerging from historical, religious, and philosophical foundations. It is not modernization that leads to individualism and democracy; it is a Western democratic and individualist practice that gave rise to modernity.

Front 20

Kremlin

Back 20

Eleventh-century fortress in the heart of Moscow that has been the historical seat of Russian state power.

Front 21

Federal Security Service (FSB)

Back 21

Successor to KGB , the russian intelligence agency

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Chechnya

Back 22

Russian republic that has been a source of military conflict since 1991

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Federation Council

Back 23

Upper house of the Russian legislature

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Constitutional Court

Back 24

Highest body in the Russian Legal system; responsible for constitutional review

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Asymmetric Federalism

Back 25

A system where power is devolved unequally across the country and its constituent regions, often the result of specific laws negotiated between the region and the central government.

Front 26

parties of power

Back 26

Russian parties created by political elites to support their political aspirations; typically lacking any ideological orientation

Front 27

United Russia

Back 27

Main political party in Russian and supporter of Vladimir Putin

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Communist Party of the Russian Federation

Back 28

Successor party in Russia to the communist party of the Soviet Union