Evidence Geography Can Influence Russian Power Essay

One reason Russia was difficult to govern was because of the size and diversity of it. As the country was so large, and covered almost 23 million square kilometres in 1900, this made it very difficult to govern as it made it difficult for the Tsar to have complete control of a place that was more than 20 square kilometres away. The empire stretched across two continents which meant that millions of the emperor’s subjects had to travel very far to get the other side

Russia was a country rich in raw materials that had been undisturbed by modern extraction and refining techniques until then, however, the majority of the countries resource rich areas were nowhere near any railways, with the bulk of the heavy materials such as steel, iron, coal and copper being in the Urals, almost 1,000km away from the nearest railway system in 1860. Oil, another key ingredient in industrialisation was almost 1,500km away to the south, in the Caucasus area3. This lack of transportation in a period when steam powered machines were producing the goods and steam powered trains were delivering them and leading the industrialisation in other countries like Britain, the USA and a future foe in Germany is an indicator of the distance that Russia was behind its rivals under the leadership of the Tsar. So the Tsar’s Russia was largely an agrarian one, but even in the agricultural sector Russia was lagging far behind the rest of the West in terms of the methods employed by farmers, little fertiliser was used and the labour saving machines used in countries with enormous agricultural output like the US were nowhere near as widespread in Russia. The weaknesses of the Tsar’s management of the agricultural sector were highlighted in 1891 when famine hit. Due to the heavy tax on consumer goods, peasants had been forced to sell more of their

The nations, which were remote had difficulty accessing their supplies and required more resources due to its length and needed to be protected thereby increasing its exposure, vulnerability, and susceptibility to attacked. Additionally, while the eastern portion of the Russia was not of great concern, the size and location of the Nation had a huge

Russia has become the world’s largest country, expanding across 11 different time zones while covering 17 million sq km.

Russia is an independent and strong power. She has the right and the strength not to want to be the eternal handmaiden of states which are more developed economically…She is proud by her great might, by which she jealously guards not only the political but also the economic independence of her empire. She wants to be a metropolis herself. (Witte, 9)

Russia has a long and intricate history since it was first settled until today. In the ninth century AD, the Vikings began to settle what is now Russia. They used trade along the rivers to get the resources they needed to flourish. The rivers made travel easy between the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. A popular spot for trade was Lake Llmen, which is the headwater for the Dnieper, Dvina, and Volga Rivers, which all flow into the Baltic and Black Sea. Some of the main resources traded were gold, fruit, fine wine, waxes, honey, horses, and slaves. These goods were carried by ferries along the rivers. In 988, the Viking ruler Vladamir began Christian and chose Greek Orthodox for the religion of Russia.

The country of Russia has a rich history which, unfortunately, cannot be discussed in its entirety within the context of this briefing book. It should be noted that early modern Russia is often characterized by the strong rulers that presided at the time, and the legacies they left that have helped shape Russia.

Russia expands throughout northern Asia and most of the Eastern Europe region and it extend from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south. Russia’s total area is 17,098,242 sq. km and covers more than one eighth of the earth’s colonized land areas. This makes Russia the largest country in the world in terms of area, and it’s 1.8 times the size of the United States. Despite Russia being the largest country only 7.3% of its land is arable, which is a result of the unpredictable climate, and lack of proper soil. However, there a many natural resource located in Russia such as, oil, natural gas, coal, minerals, reserves of rare earth elements, and timber. Furthermore, the climate in Russia varies by geographic location. In the cities the temperature is known to be very humid and during the Siberia winter the temperature drops below freezing. For instance, Siberia in the winter is devastatingly frigid, while its summers are generally pleasant, despite a little rain. Whereas in the region near the Black Sea has mild winters, and encounter a decent amount of rain. Throughout Russia there is a vast amount of different landforms. For instance, in central and southern Russia there are larger amounts of fertile areas, marsh, steppes, and massive coniferous forest. Whereas Siberia is a mixture of frozen tundra, hills rising to plateaus, and scattered mountain ranges. However,

Centered on the key infrastructure of Russia is Moscow, the capital city. Most of this great country is underdeveloped and not maintained. Commercial transportation relies on its rail system. About 90 percent of Russian transportation is centrally on the rail system. The Russian trucking industry is only minimally developed, and since it is very underdeveloped, it is not a main source of transportation. The Russian railway system includes a total of nearly 93,000 ft. making it one of the most widely used rail systems in the world. The Russian highway system includes a total of a half a million miles of road. Of the total road system, only half of that is paved. The countries rough terrain has hurt their transportation industry. The Russian waterways are an important element of their transportation infrastructure. The total navigable routes used by the Russian River Fleet amount to 62,761 miles. Russia's most important ports are Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow,

What some would call the nemesis of the west, Russia has a tumultuous history of inner turmoil while remaining strangely resilient to outside influence. Located in northern Asia, the Russian Federation encompasses a land mass that is roughly 1.8 times larger than the United States. However, most of this land is uninhabitable due to the frigid cold and permanent frost that blankets Siberia. The clear majority of the 142 million population resides in the western portion of a massive 17 million square miles of land that sprawls 11 different time zones ("The World Factbook: RUSSIA"). The roller coaster of political and economic change in Russia started in 1552 when Ivan the Terrible established rule over the Tatar khanates of Kazan and

The meaning of culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts (Zimmermann, 2015). In this essay I will be explaining Russia’s cultural characteristics. I will also be covering the geography of Russia and their lines of communication. Russia has multiple conflicts that the country has been a part of, but I will be discussing the Russian Civil War the three year war. Furthermore, I will be discussing is how weather affects Russia’s population, agriculture, and insurgency. Finally, I will be covering is Russia’s society, language, power and authority, etc.

It is important to know why Russia’s poverty levels matter to geography because while countries near Russia could be

Russia has experienced major changes in lifestyle since the Soviet Union fell in the early 1990’s. The country has still managed maintained over 190 ethnic groups and has a population of 142,423,773. (NETWORK.COM, 2015). Russian families are more than just mom, dad, sister and brothers. It extends to aunts, uncles and even grandparents. When it comes to food, the Russian cuisine is known worldwide. (Mary.Dejevsky, 2006) The sometimes-harsh cold conditions of Russia makes their diets consist of a lot of fish, milled grains, poultry and beef. (www.livescience.com, 2015) The history of Russian literature goes back to around the 11th century. (www.kwintessential.co.uk, 2015 ) The significance of Old Rus¬sian literature is that you will come to understand just how far this country has evolved and understand why Russia’s civic spirt and pride for the homeland really is. (NETWORK.COM, 2015)Russia is the world’s largest country covering almost 7 million square miles. In this paper, I will show you Russia and its past, present and its future.

The Russian expansionist policy was a natural corollary to its geography. Situated on the cross road between Europe and Asia, Russia had a position of advantage for expanding its influence in both the directions. As for its own frontier, Russia was in a very unfavourable position. In the north, the Arctic region was frozen for a great part of the year – both in the Tundras and the Seas. On the East, towards the Pacific, the Russians had to come in open contestation with the Chinese empire. On the West, the powerful armies of the Western European States kept the Russians at bay; thanks to the devastations that Napoleonic wars created which prepared the states to counter any possible invasion in their territories. In the South, their move was temporarily checked by the powerful Osmanlis in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Thus, facing natural obstacles in the north and hostile oppositions in the East, West and South, the Russian were forced to seek an outlet for their trade and this was only possible in the South-East through the Kirghiz Steppes and in the South through the Caucasus. There were several motives behind the Russian expansion in Central Asia; firstly, the desire for protection from hostile attacks, secondly, economic necessities and lastly, the desire to establish a large empire.

Russia is a country that is known for their strong sense of cultural traditions and vast natural resources. However, during the last ten years the country has been rapidly changing. In some cases, these transformations have helped to improve the standard of living and increase tax revenues. While at other times, these shifts are signaling a regression back to many of the policies that were used by communist regimes. To fully understand what is taking place requires: assessing the nation's economic performance during the last 10 years, discussing factors that are contributing to this change, analyzing the culture of the county and studying other areas that are relevant to running a business. Together, these elements will provide the greatest insights as to how Russia has changed from 2002 to 2012.