Term Paper on "Post Soviet Culture"

/>

All of the republics voluntarily demilitarized. Nuclear weaponry was disarmed and concentrated under the one last effective Soviet military program, the rocket and space forces. Army and fleet forces were in utter chaos and of little use to the federation of independent republics ("History"). All in all, the countries were left primarily defenseless, reduced from one of the world's Superpowers, to a conglomeration of disorganized nations. In addition to this military instability, all fifteen countries also shared economic instability.

The fifteen republics felt the significant challenges of aggressively changing from a primarily state-controlled economy to a market-oriented economy. This would have been difficult for even one nation, let alone fifteen. To accomplish this transition, the republics adopted three primary policies. These included: liberalization, stabilization and privatization, all "based on the neoliberal "Washington Consensus" of the IMF, World Bank, and U.S. Treasury Department" ("History").

Working under the auspices of "shock therapy," Soviet-era price controls were removed. This was instituted in hopes of luring goods back into the severely under stocked stores found throughout the Russian Federation. Hyperinflation ensued and much of Russian industry was near bankrupt. Entrepreneurs and black marketers thrived, while those on fixed incomes, like the elderly suffered. Stabilization in the form of tight monetary policies sought to counter this, but ended up causing widespread hardship, as many of the state enterprises found themselves without product orders and without funding. A protracted depression ensued across the Federation ("History").

Economic growth, however, has strengthened over the course of the approximate decade and a half since the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. As an example Russian GDP and industrial output grew by eight and twelve percent, in 2000, respectively. Strong export prices, especially in areas such as natural gas, and higher domestic demand, fueled growth across the Federation. In addition, import growth facilitated a stronger Ruble at the turn of the millennia, in addition to a higher domestic demand ("Developments").

Distinctive Experiences in Two Countries in Two Different Regions:

The Ukraine:

The Ukraine offers an example of a distinctive experience in just one of the countries of the Russian Federation. The Russians in the Ukraine are a poignant facet of this distinctive experience. Imagine living in a land where, for generations, a culture has been a powerful force, within the community. Then, quite suddenly, with the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., the entire culture becomes an ethnic or linguistic minority, without having emigrated, and no longer are a cultural and political dominator (Smith & Wilson).

Significant ethnic… READ MORE