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Life In Eastern Europe and Western Russia (People and Places (Social and…
Life In Eastern Europe and Western Russia
People and Places
Social and Political Changes
The central government when the soviet union existed kept tight control over its ethnic groups. This was crucial because some of the groups wanted to form their own countries.
The Chechens live in Chechnya near the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea.
The regions oil pipelines transport fuel to major Russian cities.
In 1996 Russia became no longer part of Chechnya .
The former president Putin helped stabilize the Russian economy, but he dealt harshly with people who opposed him. In 2012 Putin became president for the third time, new laws were passed blocking internet sites and restricting free speech, they also strengthened penalties against demonstrators.
Where People Live
Moscow and St. Petersburg is the largest cities in Western Russia. Moscow, Russia, is the Political, cultural, educational, and scientific Capital. The Orthodox church has been in Russia for more than 600 years. Peter The Great founded St. Petersburg in 1703
Capital Cities in Eastern Europe such as Kiev, Ukraine, Minsk, Belarus, Budapest, Hungary, Warsaw, Poland, and Prague in the Czech Republic have the largest population. These Cities are the national culture center.
People today live in Urban areas but at one time most Eastern Europeans lived in rural areas. 50% of Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania live in Urban Areas. In Poland and Montenegro 60% live in urban areas. 70% of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Belarus live in urban areas.
A trend of moving from Eastern Europe to Western Europe has continued to today. people have moved to get away from Political oppression and to seek better economy.
Economic Changes
The new owners of industrial Russia are called oligarchs.
Wealthy individuals were very happy with the transfer of industry to private ownership. Where as most Russian's living conditions did not improve.
Production of goods slowed causing inflation or rise in prices.
After the collapse of the USSR, Russia transformed into a free market economy, but they were not prepared and are now facing many challenges.
People and Cultures
Ethnic and language groups
At one time most Slavic people understood and spoke a single Slavic language. Geographical barriers separated and isolated Slavic people when they settled into different parts of Eastern Europe.
Slavs
East Slavs are represented in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus by the Slavic ethnic groups.
West Slavs include ethnic Slavs in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Eastern Germany.
South Slavs are the most diverse group, they lie in Bulgaria and other countries of the Balkans.
An individual language is spoken in each of these groups.
More than 120 ethnic groups make up part of Russia, 80% of the population is ethnic Russian.
Of the entire Indo-European language groups, Albanian is the last surviving language.
Religion
In the 1900's Eastern Europe and Western Russia discouraged religious practice.
A sizable percentage of the population does not practice religion in eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic less then half of the population belongs to a church. Two thirds of Latvians and one third of Estonians do not belong to any churches.
Though the Soviet repression strengthens religious faith in eastern Europe.
the Orthodox Faith is a dominate religion in the Eastern Orthodox Church.