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| -(1985) Economic plan that Gorbachev instituted when he became head of the communist party, at first the policy emphasized decentralization of economic decision making, increased enterprise autonomy, expanded public discussion of policy issues, and a reduction in the international isolation of the Soviet economy. Perestroika was not a success. This new system was neither a market economy nor central planning, this caused the stagnate economy to quickly deteriorate. In 1991 because of perestroika the GDP declined 17% while prices inflated to about 140%. The quality of life deteriorated. |
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| A semi-autonomous region of Russia. Troubles with Chechnya started in1944 with what was called the deportation. At this time the Russian government believed that the Chechens were helping the Germans. The Chechens were not allowed to return until 1956. Chechnya still troubles Russia today and there are still terrorist attacks such as the recent one concerning the school. This region has come under the spotlight because recently Russia needs to get its oil to other parts of the world and needs to pipe it through Chechnya to do so. |
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| November 4th this date signifies the end of the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention in Russia. It is celebrated because it signifies the unity of the Russian people to protect Russian state hood when demise is inevitable. |
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| -A small group of powerful and wealthy individuals who gained ownership and control of important sectors of Russia’s economy in the context of the privatization of the states assets in the 1990’s. Most of these men were relatives or close associates of government officials. Although not formally related to the communist party there were allegations that they were promoted by the communist party in the beginning. |
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| Coined by W.W. Rostow. States go through stages in order to become developed. The stages are: Traditional society, Pre-take off stage, Take-off, road to maturity, society of mass consumption. This theory is somewhat opposite to Dependency theory which puts the blame of the core countries for exploiting the periphery. |
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| This was the pioneer post soviet independent television. Founded by Vladimir Gusinskyin 1993. It met some opposition from the Russian government in its reporting of the Chechen wars, but spoke favorable on President Boris Yeltsin |
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| The Duma was introduced in 1906 and was Russia's first elected parliament. The State Duma in modern Russia is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament). There are 450 deputies of the State Duma, each elected to a term of four years. Significant because the Duma had a large effect on Russia as it was one of the contributing factors in the February Revolution, which led to the abolition of the autocracy in Russia. The State Duma replaced the Supreme Soviet as a result of new constitution introduced by Boris Yeltsin, in the aftermath of the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993. |
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| A petroleum company in Russia which, until recently, was controlled by Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky and a number of prominent Russian businessmen. Khodorkovsky was imprisoned and sent to Siberia, and others fled Russia. Its headquarters were located in Moscow. In August of 2006, Yukos declared bankrupt. Significant because Yukos was one of the world's largest non-state oil companies, producing 20% of Russian oil—about 2% of world production. Its assets were acquired in controversial circumstances from the Russian Government during the privatization process of the early 1990s. Charged with tax evasion in 2004, because company was using offshore banks as tax havens. Demonstrative of globalization process in Russia, effects on big business...companies moving money elsewhere to avoid regulation and taxation. Before being declared bankrupt, company tried to file for bankruptcy protection in U.S. but was denied.Significantly, Khodorovsky was an opponent of Lenin's and the charges for tax evasion and other such accusations were seen by some as a way for Putin to get rid of dissisents. |
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Shock Therapy is a radical market reform that is supported by four pillars:
1. The lifting of price controls
2. The encouragement of small businesses
3. Privatization of most state-owned enterprises
4. Opening the economy to international influence.
Shock Therapy was endorsed by Boris Yeltsin in 1992. He encouraged his citizens to endure the short-term sacrifices of the economic decline it would create, but remain hopeful that the economy would recover quickly. Yeltsin asserted that through privatization, consumer demands would be responded to with greater efficiency and the open economic environment would lead increased foreign investment capital, eliminating the need for state subsides.
This is Significant because the failure of shock therapy led to a massive depression in the Russian economy. The lifting of price controls resulted in high inflation that increased the Consumer Price Index by 2,500% in just one year. Banks began to print money with nothing tangible to back it up and real wages declined by 50%. In reaction, the IMF placed strict conditions on Russian loans, but the restrictions produced even more problems of unemployment and money distribution than before. |
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Andropov came on to the scene in 1939 when He became an organizer for the Young Communist League (Komsomol). His superiors noticed his abilities, and he was made head of the Komsomol. In 1951, he transferred to Moscow and soon after became the Ambassador to Hungary. He is considered to have played a strong role in coordinating the Russian invasion of Hungary. He returned to Moscow after three years and where he would become the leader of the KGB in 1967. His policies were repressive and he was known for his suppression of political dissidents. As Leonid Brezhnev became ill in 1982, Andropov surrendered his reign of the KGB and was appointed the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He served until his death in 1984.
Andropov is significant because he was the first KGB leader to become General Secretary. His KGB tactics began to emerge in his politics as he was known for his aggressive manor towards party opposition which led to many personnel changes. Andropov’s political aggression was also credited with the worsening of relations with the United States. His tenure is also significant for unveiling records of economic stagflation that occurred during the Brezhnev era. |
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| Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985-1991. He implemented many reforms that helped end the Cold War such as Glasnost and Perestroika. His openness to discussion with the western world is that helped bring Russia towards democracy, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the cold war in 1990. There were indeed more political freedoms undcer Gorbachev, but nothing written into law, nothing pacted out. Also, reform in the USSR was slower than in E. Europe in slowing Communism. Furthermore, perestroika drove down the standard of living that precipitated the revolution of 1989. |
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| Nationalism is when one believes in the strength of a country or group as a whole over the individual. In Russia, it is Significant because of the conflicts in Chechnya. The people of Chechnya have displayed nationalism to such extremes as holding school children hostage. Nationalism in the province of Chechnya is deep rooted and has been causing conflicts in the area since the post-WWI era. They are currently still part of Russia, but they sill want their independence |
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| Stalin became General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922. Following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, he prevailed in a power struggle over Leon Trotsky. In the 1930s Stalin initiated the Great Purge, a campaign of political repression, persecution and executions that reached its peak in 1937. he introduced collective farming reform. He was known for his cult personality. Some positive aspects of his rule include the Nazi defeat, the Soviet Union under Stalin made the largest and most decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II. |
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| is the largest Russian company and the biggest extractor of natural gas in the world. With sales of US$ 31 billion in 2004, it accounts for about 93% of Russian natural gas production and provides the majority of gas for many European nations. It also controls assets in banking, insurance, media, construction and agriculture. With US$ 270 billion, ,Significance-Gazprom was one of the first state owned companies to become privatized as a part of the new economic reforms in the post-Soviet period. Moreover, each citizen was given a voucher to hold some stock in the company. Recently, Putin has made the company completely controlled by Russia, another sign the pres. is securing an authoritarian role.for Gazprom is the world's third largest corporation. Some of the major problems of Gazprom are extremely old pipeline system with limited technical capacities and subsidization of industries in the national economy. Gazprom is critical to the Russian economy |
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the second president of the Russian federation, elected in 2000 and reelected in 2004. Many argue that Russia under Putin’s rule is less democratic. Some of Putin’s policies included limiting free media. Much of Russia’s media is back under gov. control. Tensions with Chechnya increased since Putin came to power. Since 2000, 14 Russian Journalists have been killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Putin opposed the Iraq war. Many feel that Putin’s Russia resembles a “soft authoritarian” regime rather than a democratic one. but it is Putin’s approach to state rebuilding,
and the renewed expectations associated with this approach, that explain why his
popularity has been sustained even in the face of such catastrophes as the sinking of
the Kursk submarine in 2000, the hostage-taking crisis in Moscow in 2002 and aseries of controversial legal manoeuvres and political shenanigans in the months leading up to the parliamentary and presidential elections. |
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| was a Russian revolutionary, a communist politician, the main leader of the October Revolution, the first head of the Soviet Union. He led the Bolsheviks in revolution. Bolsheviks led the October revolution of 1917 that later became the Communist party of the Soviet Union. There were several assassination attempts on Lenin, and thus Stalin, Lenin’s follower, convinced him that those responsible must be punished. This lead to Lenin ordering the “red terror” in which about 200,000 people were killed and persecuted. Eliminating any potential opposition was the goal. Lenin’s legacy was definitely used by Stalin. |
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| : was a Russian political party that was created as an "interregional group" in September 1999 and registered on October 15, supported by Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin, PM Vladimir Putin and some tens of Russian governors to counter the threat which the Kremlin perceived from the Fatherland-All Russia alliance. Unity party supported Putin in 2000 elections. |
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| : was a Russian political party that was created as an "interregional group" in September 1999 and registered on October 15, supported by Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin, PM Vladimir Putin and some tens of Russian governors to counter the threat which the Kremlin perceived from the Fatherland-All Russia alliance. Unity party supported Putin in 2000 elections. |
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| The Russian oligarchy was formed in late 1995 in the "loans-for-shares" program. In this scheme, a small group of individuals well-connected to government structures were handed valuable pieces of state property in return for cash "loans" (which in many cases were funded by the bank accounts of the state bank), cash which had previously been gained by the same people in the government-controlled privatization. One purpose of this operation was to help Boris Yeltsin's re-election. |
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| ISI (IMPORT SUBSTITUTION INDUSTRIALIZATION) |
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• Def: a model of development that promoted domestic industrial production of previously importd manufactured goods.
• Significance: During the 1930’s when the great depression caused international demand fr coffee to declined. As exports fell, imports of manufactured goods also declined. Most industries were textiles and food processing which created jobs. As ISI continued it failed since overvalueation of the currency hurt export earnings, which was necessary to pay for imports. The failures of ISI during the 1960’s inspired new thinking about development. |
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• Def: A politician in Minas Gerais and President of Brazil
• Significance: important stabilizing role, by supporting his minister fof finance in a plan to conquer inflation. Sought to control the growth in prices by setting the value of some baic products and freezing wages while government reduced spending |
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a condition attached to a loan or to debt relief, typically by the IMF or World Bank. It states conditions under which the country in question will receive financial aid.
Significance: Conditionality is a controversial foreign policy tool because it grants foreign governments and agencies a certain leverage over domestic policy and economic policy. This can be especially difficult for developing countries or nations trying to bounce back after a bad stream of financial luck and downturn. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia opened up to global influences. In exchange for loans, the IMF demanded that Russia maintain noninflationary fiscal policy. Hence, this in turn led to cutbacks in social services and the IMF was able to influence the direction of Russin reforms. Conditionality is criticized as a weapon utilized by wealthy western countries like the EU to bring more nations into the “club.” |
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the international monetary fund, an organization that oversees the global financial system by observing exchange rates and balance of payments, as well as offering financial and technical assistance.
Significance- While the stated goal of the IMF is to foster global monetary cooperation and promote economic growth, its role is sometimes both bolstered and demonized. The conditions it gives for membership can be excessive for a struggling or developing country. For example, Brazil needed a bailout in the late 90’s. While hyperinflation was slowed, the domestic currency greatly devalued. Thus, the IMF can quite literally take over a country’s economy and other functions. However, in the case of some countries, like Russia, the IMF’s polices have been helpful and Russia no longer needs the loans. |
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a group of international organization s responsible for providing finance and advice to countries for the purposes of economic development and eliminating poverty. The Bank’s activities focus mainly on developing countries by establishing infrastructure, human development, etc.
Significance: Like the IMF, the World Bank is a controversial organization. Critics argue that the Bank’s intended reforms are harmful to economic growth. Also, one might say the Bank is under political influence from better off countries. The United States, Japan, Germany, the U.K. and France have the most votes. Since major decisions require an 85% majority, the U.S. alone can block votes. This might be very unfair to poorer countries whose future is not in their own hands. Countries in Africa and South America are affected greatly by the decisions of the World Bank. The debate is whether the IMF and World Bank do more harm than good. |
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an Argentine economist whose ideas formed the basis of dependency theory.
Prebisch’s work on structural economics had a lot to say about past and present trade policies. According to him and Hans Singer, there is a center of countries (the U.S. Europe) who are the dominant nations in trade. The peripheral countries, or the south, depend on this center for imports and returns on exports. Significant even more so today, they continue on to say that as technology improves, the center can retain higher profits as opposed to the weaker periphery. His work echoes today as we see an imbalance of wealth among the world, where the most is concentrated in the northern hemisphere. |
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the ratio of the price of an export commodity to that of an import commodity.
Significance: The terms of trade are significant in global commerce because it can determine who has an advantage in trade. Democratic nations are usually wealthier and more entrepreneurial. How many bananas are equal to a jet fighter? Unfortunately for some less developed countries, the terms of trade might be less than fair when one country has an absolute advantage in a number of commodities. Nations that can diversify their economic base have a better chance of winning out in the world of trade. An abundance of natural resources is not needed, but rather a stable, differentiated system. |
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| OPEN LIST PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION |
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an electoral system where voters can cast ballots for a party label or, which adds to the party’s total for determining representation, or individuals.
Significance- Open List PR explains why there are so many parties in Brazil. Politicians need only create their own parties to form alliances to get on the ballot and gain enough votes to qualify for representation. By ignoring party labels, politicians from the same party could be running against each other. There are few limits on how many parties can run. Therefore, the legislature is very fragmented, and no individual party has a majority. With chaos in the Congress, this could give presidents an ample opportunity to make friends in minority coalitions and strengthen the executive role. |
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| a youth group in the Soviet Union that would be joined at the age of 14 by way of application. After admitted the youth would go to a certain school that taught values of the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union). Sign. About 25% of the members would become members of the CPSU. The group laid the foundations for an adherence to the communist system of the Soviet Union and educated the youth in this manner. Members of this group also received special treatment. Ultimately it perpetuated the idea of society over the promotion of the individual. |
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| “a small elite subset of the general population, a ruling class who held various positions in the Soviet government.a system of personnel selection under which the Communist Party maintained control over the appointment of important officials in all spheres of social, economic and political life. Sign.Ironically, nomenklatura was precisely the same type of upper class that Communism set out to stamp out. The nomenklatura system acted as a way for the CPSU to exert its control over political actors because although, for example, the Supreme Soviet was directly elected by the population, the candidate who ran in each district for the Supreme Soviet was chosen by the CPSU. Therefore when policy decisions came through the Supreme Soviet, it would make decisions in favor of the CPSU. |
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Depndency Theory- definition- a theory based on a body of social science work which conclusively states that poor nations are exploited by the wealthier nations of the world, and that their poverty is exacerbated by how they're included in the global market.
Significance- Dependency theory shows the unfortunate differences between what political scientists call north and south. This dependence sometimes keeps developing countries stuck in the "third world." First World countries perpetuate a state of dependence through various policies, and when developing countries try to resist, this can lead to sanctions by the IMF. Some significance includes the elitism of financial institutions like the Bank and IMF.w |
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| the president of Brazil who belongs to the Worker’s party and who has recently been elected to his second term in office. Sign. Lula’s election to the presidency was a worry for international investors and as a result it has slightly slowed Brazil’s foreign investment. Lula also put in place many reforms in an effort to help the poor such as giving them title to the land they live on in the favelas and also a “Fome Zero” or zero hunger plan. |
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| the previous president of Brazil (1994-2002) who was the finance minister under Itamar Franco. Sing. He privatized things such as mining and electricity, and put in place political reforms to stop corruption. His most important reform was the “Plano Real” for currency. It was tied closely to the dollar, and therefore stopped the huge rate of hyperinflation and brought in badly needed foreign investment. |
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| hierarchical exchange relationship between actors of diff. social status and wealth. Sign. In his study on two cities in Brazil, Robert Gay wondered if clientelism is Brazil's version of democracy. The signif. is that poor people will be more vulnerable to political persuasion if it means getting something they desperately. In Brazil this relationship is used by politicians to obtain votes in exchange for such things as road maintenance. In a specific example with Brazil the district that used a clientelistic relationship as opposed to the more democratic district was more successful than the democratic district because of the tradeoff between votes. |
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| it was the economic reform plan put in place by the then Finance Minister Cardoso in an effort to curb inflation in Brazil (1994). It included abolishing the previous currency and creating a new one, the real, which would be tied to the dollar and therefore have stability and strength. Sign. As a result of the Plano Real stabilized the hyperinflation from 40% a month to 16% a year. This made Brazil appealing for import, investment, and also allowed Brazil a place in the world economy which would be non-existent if it weren’t for the Plano Real. |
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| def- short for the political bureau, the executive organization for a number of political parties, but mostly the Communist Party.Sig- The Politburo was the top party organ, the decision-making center. It symbolized the bureaucracy and state-centered government that was the Soviet Union. The composition of the organization was very selective, not reflecting the ideals of the CPSU's mandate. |
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Definition- a brazilian government introduced by Lula witht the objective to eradicate hunger and poverty.
Significance- Lula is the typical leftist leader who longs for equality but also for more government to solve problems. This type of increase in government spending, while noble and humanitarian, is what foreign investors feared if Lula became elected. However, Brazil does have a large poverty and inequality rate, and whther privately or publically, the initiave needs to begin somewhere. |
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def- two time president of Brazil who took power with the military and became the first leader of the military dictatorship that lasted until 1985.
Significance- Vargas claimed to be a populist, a man of the people. Ironically, he was an oligarch who had risen through the ranks thanks to patronage and clientelism. His military used fear as a tactic to stay in power for over 50 years. Vargas is significant as the beginning of a brutal regime that plunged Brazil into a state of brutality and economic and politcal instability. |
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def- Brazilian politician, most famous as Cardoso's minister of health.
Significance- Under Cardoso's administration, Serra helped pioneer new policies on HIV/AIDS treatment including education on said topic, distribution of contraception and other protection.Serra's work in Brazil began resolutions in the United Nations to define access to anti-AIDS drugs as a fundamental human right.Furthermore, the WTO was forced to be flexible when it came to patients' rights and public policies. Drug companies were humbled as well. |
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| READ THIS YOU BAG OF DOOSHIE |
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Definition
| they dont have any laptops available for awhile, so I'm going to hang here like an 8 inch octagon |
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Def- the Brazilian equivalent of a shantytown usually on the edges of cities that are plagued with poverty, poor hygiene, and sewage problems.
While favelas may just appear to be refuges for the poor, the crisis in Brazil goes deeper than this. The favelas represent the racial inequalities that continue to plague the country. Blacks compromise the greatest ethnicity living in these shanty towns. They were first populated by freed slaves, and their ancestors have continued to live in a cycle of poverty, drug use, and violence that are part of the favela society. |
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political bosses who arrange votes for candidates by canvassing.
significance: these people operate under clientelism and frequently visit favelas to garner votes; its corrupt act as a liason between the voters and the candidates. Thus, its a less than legit electoral process...perhaps...empty promises of utilities |
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| PT (Partido dos TRabalhadores) |
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Definition
| is left-wing political party in Brasil. Lula's party. In the most recent 2002 elections, foreign investors were worried about this party winning the presidency because of fiscal irresponsibility |
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Brazilian Democratic Movement Party- a largely centrist ideology party, members include former presidents Neves, Sarney, and Franco.
Significance- the PMDB is the party that the first democratically elected president of Brazil since 1930 emerged from. Combating the military backed party, the PMDB represented a transition to democracy that has since continued. |
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| Dick Howard, Robert Putnam, and Fareed Zakaria all make arguments about a present concern in comparative politics and suggest a manner of addressing it. Which of these is most convincing as a problem? As a solution? |
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Definition
*Putnam-America's declining social capital: civic engagement
*Thesis statement: In this essay, I will argue that Putnam points to the most impending predicament bc it illustrates the bigger picture: the endangerment of democracy in America.
* Intro: Tocqueville seems to be Putnam's muse in claiming that benevolent despotism is eventual is society does not actively participate in civic association
*It correlates with political participation. Networks of civic engagement foster sturdy norms of generalized reciprocity abd encourage social trust facilitating cooordination and communication AND collective action
*But!!! Now, no one votes, labor unions @ 15.8%, eague bowling has decreased by 40%
*Why? women in the labor force, technology
*What to do: fix public policy/promote organizations which promote civic engagement and education
*Tocqueville specifically points to this "self-interest rightly understod"
*BUT! It has gone down significantly |
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Dependency theory deals with an unequal exchange among what political scientists and economists call the periphery countries and the core countries. Those on the periphery are the poorer developing nations as in Latin America and Africa. The core is the wealthier nations in the north, such as the U.S. and Europe. The question is does international capital promote underdevelopment and dependency in the periphery countries. In this essay, I will argue that dependency theory is still alive today and is exacerbated by institutions like the IMF and the World Bank.
The fact that nations in the north are well off means they have more capital at their disposal and therefore can have the absolute and comparative advantage in terms of trade. This is still the case in the present global market. BLAHBLAHBLAH. When economies like Brazil in the late nineties can no longer support themselves, they are forced to call on organizations like the IMF to bail them out. With this “help” comes conditions that affect the economy negatively. This adherence to western principles keeps the periphery country dependent on its northern counterparts. The north can thus exploit the south through various policies such as lowering inflation, which in turn is appealing to foreign investors. So, the periphery country has two choices. Not joining the IMF means a constantly declining economy or joining the organization. However, upon joining, if these countries can’t live up to certain conditions, they face sanctions.
Dependency theory is more representative of the contemporary world than modernization theory. Brazil is still threatened by this theory, though their economy has steadily been on the rise. Russia is a country that actually benefited from an IMF bailout, but anything to speed them away from Communism was most likely the priority. Today in Pakistan, President Musharraf is stuck in a similar dependency bind. If he does not help the U.S, sanctions will be faced, and if he complies, extremism will penetrate further into his country. The U.K. is one of the core countries who does not combat this epidemic. Along with the United States and Western Europe, the north currently holds in its hands the fate of the south, and less demanding policies from institutions like the IMF and World Bank are needed. Periphery countries need help propping up their economy and status, and their concerns should be a priority. |
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| Bureucratic Authoritarianism |
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Definition
a term developed to interpret the common characteristics of military-led authoritarian regimes in South America.
Argentine socioeconomist O'Donnell states that this regime comes about after severe economic crises. BA is exerted with an alliance of the military and key civilians like economists and engineers. Depending on the country, it's ambivalent what this regime can do. In Brazil, the tactics ranged from simply purging dissidents to torture, beatings, overlong imprisonment without trial, and censorship. |
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| The purpose of government is not only to represent the people, but also to get things done. With this in mind and using the countries covered in class, evaluate the electoral systems for the lower houses in the UK, Russia, Brazil, and Pakistan, discussing |
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Definition
* In the UK, its the plurality system
*IN the State duma, parallel;1stpastpost and PR
*IN Brazil. Open List PR
*Plurality in Pakistan |
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| foreign currency reserves |
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Definition
| brazil keeps x amounts of dollars to protect currency/significance: this is a protection against inflation; in case need to change of how much the value is increasing or decreasin |
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