The Western World Daily Readings on Geography Chapter 93 Russian Domain Political Geography II

CHAPTER 93 Russian Domain Political Geography II Russia and Vladimir Putin Created by LUIS Prado from Noun The political history of the Russian people largely is subjugation under a series of . The chronology of leading the country with great power began with the reign of Ivan IV ( Ivan the Terrible ) in 1547 . With singular figures such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great , as well as bumps along the historical road , Russian history brings us to the current autocrat Vladimir Putin . Of course , throughout the world and throughout history , peoples and lands have been ruled by powerful figures tsars , kings , caesars , queens , princes , etc . At other times these have been elected figures , generally through fraudulent , coercive , or meaningless elections . It would seem that Russia has had at least its fair share of , perhaps more so that most countries . Ivan the Terrible was the first Russian ruler to take the title His moniker Terrible uses the Russian word however , may be translated as formidable or fearsome as well as In the case of Ivan IV , all of these meanings fit . Ivan created a feared force of , essentially his own personal army , empowered to eliminate his enemies . Over a decade , these forces killed about 4000 Russians . On top ofall this , Ivan , in a fitful rage , himself killed his namesake son Ivan . 446

DOMAIN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 447 Peter the Great was the next prominent Tsar of Russia . Peters reign featured many great accomplishments , including and modernizing Russia . His construction of the city of Petersburg was part of this Westernization , but cost the lives of many employed in the rugged circumstances of building this city . Peter tax on beards was a sticking point of opposition , but the revolt by the , an elite Russian guard , was crushed and over a thousand executed , while others were banished to Siberia . Peter too had his own son killed . Tsar Nicholas II , the last Russian tsar , also had his own secret police the . The accomplishments of the Russian tsars along with their abuses of power , sometimes violent , were facilitated by the magnitude of their power , even as often their power was viewed as directly given by God . Curiously or perhaps ironically not , while the 1917 Russian Revolution ended the dynasty , it did not bring the end to autocratic rule in Russia . Instead , the lands of the Russian Empire morphed into a somewhat similar landmass as the Soviet Union . Vladimir Lenin , once exiled to Siberia by the tsarist government and having had brother executed by the Russian government in 1886 , The Great ?

became the initial leader of vicious and oppressive Soviet Union . 53 Photo by Although Lenin rule was brief due to his premature death at age 53 , posthumously he was treated with an almost religious obsession , so that his body has been preserved in a public tomb in Red Square even to this date . Created by from Noun Project Joseph Stalin donned the mantle of absolute power and authority , twisting it into an obsession of cleansing the citizenry of any hint of opposition , real or imaginary , toward him or the idealized Soviet society . Under Stalin , millions of Russians and other Soviet ethnicities were killed sent to labor camps ( often in Siberia ) During Soviet communism , the secret police forces changed in name but served largely the same purposes of intimidation and investigation . They included the , the , the , and others . After Stalin there were several different leaders of the Soviet Union from the inimical Nikita Khrushchev to the

448 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL final Mikhail . All of these were powerful figures , but within a group of leadership in the governing . Upon the breakup of the Soviet Union , was succeeded in power by Boris in the new Russia , the largest remnant of the USSR . was President of Russia from 1991 to 1999 , at times seen as a hero and at times an buffoon . Created by from Noun The return of the autocrat began slowly , but with the arrival of Vladimir Putin , handpicked by as his successor . The savvy Putin had worked as a operative ( eventually . Colonel ) from 1975 to 1991 , but with the collapse of the Soviet Union , he sought to find a new career in politics . Putin worked within the Petersburg city government from , before moving to Moscow and moving up in political authority , gaining the favor of . In August 1999 , the national parliament or duma elected him as Prime Minister , ranking second in national authority to the president . However , at the end of December Boris resigned . Following constitutional procedure , Putin the prime minister succeeded to begin 2000 as Russia president . Although a relatively unknown figure upon his move to Moscow in 1996 , Putin was President of Russia by 2000 . This is a spectacular rise in power that foretold a similarly steep increase in authority , as Putin became Russia autocrat . Yet , this was a different sort of autocrat . Tsars were part of hereditary dynasties , chosen by God . Stalin held autocratic control in a Soviet Union where elections were held but were limited to a single party that typically received 99 of the vote . Putin became president in a new Russia that had experienced less than a decade of striving for a true democratic government . Soon , Putin maneuvered within that new system to become the dominant ruler . Although the Russian constitution limited presidents to two consecutive terms , Putin found a loophole . After serving as President of Russia for eight years , Putin stepped sideways becoming Prime Minister , while his Prime Minister Dmitri was elected President . For , Putin still remained the de facto ruler , simply doing so from the role of prime minister . In 2012 Putin was elected president once again , but now for a term . He was in 2018 and will serve until 2024 . In January 2020 , Putin announced a reshuffling of the government and constitution . This shuffle introduced a new Prime Minister Mikhail , among other changes . It was understood that these rewritten rules of government would allow Putin to remain in power after his term and term limits expire in 2024 . Indeed , in July 2020 the Russian government held a referendum that proposed adding 206 amendments ( Has any country ever done this ?

to the Russian constitution . Although the newly amended constitution was printed and available for sale in bookstores BEFORE voting was held , votes were cast and collected in traditional locations , but also in trunks of cars , in parked buses , and at other odd settings . Officially , nearly 79 of the votes approved the constitutional changes , though widespread fraud was alleged . Putin current term as president will end in 2024 , but under the new constitution he will be able to run for two additional terms of office . If he remains as president for

RUSSIAN DOMAIN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 449 all those years and if we count his four years as prime minister , he will have served as Russia ruler for 36 years . This would surpass the records Stalin ( 29 years ) and Catherine the Great ( 34 years ) In addition to Putin maneuvering power grabs , his autocratic rule can be seen in the arrests deaths of rival politicians , wealthy opponents or potential opponents , and investigative journalists . In 2017 the Washington Post published a list of ten prominent critics of Putin who died in suspicious ways . Among them was former officer Alexander was died in London in 2006 , poisoned by radioactive Anna was shot and killed in Moscow also in 2006 . In 2018 a major scandal formed after Russia emigrants Sergei and were poisoned with a chemical nerve agent in Salisbury , England . Now on August 20 , 2020 , political opposition leader Alexei is in a coma , reportedly due to poison in his tea . These patterns of arrests and killings are certainly part of the pattern of authority that Putin knew in his days , autocratic control that was the way of life under Stalin , and in fact in Tsarist Russia too . The wealth of the tsars was on public display and can now be seen in museums and historic buildings in Russia . Vladimir Putin private wealth is less obvious , but observation of his homes , clothing , watches , and other examples of wealth has prompted Western journalists to estimate his wealth in the billions . Hedge fund manager Bill suggests that Putin net worth may be 200 billion , which would make Putin the wealthiest person in the world . Whatever the great wealth , it would not come from Putin modest salary of a few hundred thousand dollars a year . Instead the wealth would be gained from forms of corruption , essentially taking money from Russia , its resources , and its people . Vladimir Putin is the latest in a long history of Russian , now placed in the context of an intendedly democratic and resource rich Russia . In this long history and secret police , it is noteworthy to observe that the former officer has become the autocrat . Did You Know ?

The killing of son by his own hand is depicted in a famous painting my renowned Russian artist Ilya Repin . The board game Kremlin offers a satirical look at the power structure of Soviet days . Even if Putin rules Russia for 36 years , he will fall far short of the 70 years that the late King ruled Thailand . Queen Elizabeth II has reigned in the United Kingdom for 68 years and still counting . became the king of as an infant and remained king for 82 years . Check Your Understanding An interactive or media element has been excluded from this version of the text . You can view it online here . ea ra I ?

450 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Cain , Mary Hanbury , 2018 . No One Knows Putin Exact Net Worth , but Many Speculate He the Wealthiest Person on the Planet His Billion Palace and 500 Million Yacht Explain Why . Business 16 , David . 2017 . Here Are 10 Critics of Vladimir Putin Who Died Violently or in Suspicious The Washington Post , March 23 , Anne . 2017 . Putin Country Ajourney into the Real Russia . New York Picador . Hanna . 2018 . McCain Calls Putin a Thug and a Murderer This Is What He Talking Quartz . July 16 , 201 . Andrei , and Gabrielle . 2020 . Putin Hoping to Secure Economic Legacy with Reshuffle Sources . Reuters , January 22 , Stephen 2016 . Putin Russia Past Imperfect Future Uncertain . Maryland . Will , George 2020 . Opinion The of Vladimir Washington Post . July 17 ,