Then And Now

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Russia: Then and Now

Russia or Russian federation, independent republic in Eastern Europe and northern Asia, the world’s largest country by area. Russia was once the largest and the most prominent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, or Soviet Union). In 1991 the USSR broke apart and Russia became an independent country. The USSR had a totalitarian political system in which the Communist Party leaders controlled all aspects of the government. The state used to own all the land, companies, and the government controlled production of goods and other aspects of the economy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia began transforming itself into a more democratic society. Russia under went many changes since it became an independent country. Russia has gone through many struggles to rebuilt the country into a democratic political system and a to establish a free market economy to replace the strict system that was controlled by the communist party. Russia has made many successful changes: There have been free elections at all levels of government; private ownership of property has been legalized; and large segments of the economy are now privately owned. The transformation is far from complete. The transformation has affected the people of Russia in a variety of ways. Under the Soviet system, Russians became accustomed to having the government define many aspects of their lives. For many, the collapse of the USSR and the Communist ideal created an ideological void, and Russians how have to learn how to live and run there own society. This change has left many people confused and turning to traditional and nontraditional faith for answers. Change of rule is never easy but Russia is trying to establish somewhat of a new nation. In this paper I’m going to explain what makes up Russia, and what different aspects make the country what it is today.
The Russian Government a federation has seen a dramatic chang...