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What was the Soviet government's source of legitimacy? What is the legitimacy of the
Russian government today?
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What factors encouraged the "Gorbachev revolution"? What were the consequences
of those reforms?
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How has Soviet political socialization affected the value system of Russians?
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How did the suppression of the Parliament affect political values in Russia?
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How has ethnic diversity affected the division of the USSR? What effect is it having
today?
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What change did the election of December, 1993, bring to Russia? Explain the rise of
dissenting parties in Russia.
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What social and economic problems do the Russian people face today?
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Outline the general characteristics of
the pre-Soviet, Soviet, and post-Soviet states in Russia and identify
similarities among the three states
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Evaluate Lenin's analysis of the
political situation in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century and
explain the exceptions he took to Marx's analysis of historical change
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Describe the state created by the
communist elite and Joseph Stalin to industrialize Russia and analyze the
degrees to which such a state matched Marxist ideology
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Distinguish between the policy changes
in the USSR after Stalin's death and the ways in which the Soviet state
remained unchanged
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Evaluate the hypothesis of the "graying
of communism" based on the politics and events of the years 1965 through
1985
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Describe the goals of perestroika,
glasnost, and democratization
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Analyze the effects of perestroika,
glasnost, and democratization on the Soviet state and compare them to the
effects of globalization of media and rising expectations within the
Soviet Union
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Analyze the results of rapid
privatization of economic institutions in Russia
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Describe the political changes that
followed the 1991 and 1993 conflicts between political factions in Russia
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Compare and contrast the roles of
Yeltsin and Putin in bringing about change in Russia's political
institutions and political culture
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Hypothesize about the short term and
long term results of the economic and political changes in Russia since
1991 and since 1999
