AP Comparative Government
Using the information learned in the course and using the internet, fill out the fact
sheet about the country below.
Russia Fact Sheet
FEDERAL Federal
UNITARY
LEGITIMACY Russia has a charismatic legitimacy under the rule of Vladimir Putin,
a rational-legal one with the creation of their constitution
(although it has been poorly followed under Putin). Russia was
ruled under tsars until the end of the Romanov dynasty with the
abdication of Nicholas the II in 1917, but it could be considered that
Russia also has a traditional legitimacy
PRESIDENTIAL/ Presidential, although there are houses such as the Duma and the
PARLIAMENTARY/ Federation Council.
MIXED
HEAD OF STATE/ Head of State Head of Government
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
Powers President Prime Minister
Length of term
Has most powers over the Is appointed by the President and can
Election process legislature, the judiciary, be dismissed as well. Powers are
and both houses, making broadly limited by the President. Can
most decisions about the become President should the seat
state. The President can become vacant.
also elect the Prime
Minister and the members Is appointed by the President.
of most institutions without
much pushback. Term usually lasts the same as the
President’s.
Has 6 year terms that can
be renewed for two years,
though if the president
steps down for one term
they can run again.
Elected by a two-ballot
majority system.
LAST ELECTION 2018
Year
Putin ran as President yet again after having been President the
Brief summary of results term before and won with over 77% of the vote. In second place
came Pavel Grudinin of the Communist Party, then Vladimir
Zhirinovsky with 6% of the vote.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH The Duma
LOWER Elected through a mix of Proportional Representation and Single
How elected Member Constituencies.
# seats 450 seats, five years
Term length Have limited powers due to the influence of the President:
Powers -Can pass bills into law (needs the President’s signature)
-Approve budget
-Reject appointment of Prime Minister (with limitations)
-Impeach a president (2/3 of vote from both houses)
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Federation Council
UPPER Regional governor chooses one of the members and the regional
How elected legislature chooses the other of the 85 regional administrative units.
# Seats There are 170 members in total
Term length 6 year terms
Powers Powers are limited by the President, though the Federation Council
has some:
-Can pass bills into law (needs the President’s signature)
-Approve changes to borders
-Approve president’s decision to use military outside Russia
-Impeach a president (2/3 of vote from both houses)
-Approve judges
JUDICIAL BRANCH Constitutional Court, appointed by the President and the Federation
Elected or appointed? Council composed of 19 members. Granted the sole power to
Describe power interpret the constitution and exercise judicial review, though this
power has never been in practice.
Supreme Court, last place a dispute may be settled. Has 115
judges serving who are nominated by the President and the
Federation Council.
Other important During soviet times, Russia’s military was heavily funded, but had
institutions? little political influence until the attempted coup against Gorbachev
(Military?) in 1991. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Federation
gained full control, and the Russian President became the
commander in chief. The military under Putin has showed its
strength (like the Ukranian War) and spends over 70 billion
annually, making it the fifth biggest military in the world. The military
occupies territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
MEDIA Russia’s media is private, but is heavily influenced by the state, with
Types serious repercussions for those who try to defy the government or
Censored or free? put in a bad word. Online media has become increasingly important
in Russia, with the rise of social media making it more and more
difficult for the state to keep its perfectly tailored image a reality.
CONSTITUTION The Russian constitution details the country with a federal form of
government with three powers, the Federal Assembly (Duma and
Federation Council), the Judiciary and the President. Several
amendments have been made to the constitution, benefiting the
President.
Historical Evolution of For many centuries, Russia had a tsarist regime, with the nobility
Political Traditions and the rich being benefitted, while the working class was
oppressed. With the abdication of Tsar Nicholas I in 1917I, tsarism
was abolished, and the first communist state was formed under the
ideas of Vladimir Illich Ulyanov, more commonly known as Lenin
(though Alexander Kerensky was the head of the provisional
government). After the overthrow of the provisional government by
the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution, and the Civil War (which
had the red Army as victor), Lenin assumed power. After his death
in 1923, Stalin won over Trotsky and became the head of
government, creating a cult to his personality and using the Gulags
to imprison his opposition. After his death in 1953, there were many
reforms made to obliterate Stalinism. Reparations were made with
the West, though the rise of Vladimir Putin in 1999 made relations
worse and took Russia into the 21st century.
Key Political Leaders Vladimir Putin: has brought forward a strong central government,
And their policy economic stability, and national security. His administration has
faced much scrutiny for the way it has handled human rights issues
and questionable democratic regime.
Joseph Stalin: succeeded Lenin against his wishes, made an
autocratic state with a personality cult and a very tense environment
of purges and political instability.
Lenin: leader of the Bolshevik movement, brought around the first
communist revolution and set the standard for many more
proletariat led revolts that would change the modern world.
CLEAVAGES Ethnicity: most of the people residing in Russia identify as Russian,
but there is a 20% that doesn’t, with the biggest being the Tartars
(4%). These groups have a lot of autonomy except for Chechnya,
which has demanded its independence from Russia for a very long
time.
Religion: 42% of the Russian population identify as Orthodox
Christian, though this is mainly due to a nationalist fad rather than
faith. Muslim religion has brought a lot of tension to Russia, given
that most don’t want Muslims to settle.
Social class: based on the market system, with the ogliarchs on top,
while the regular working class in the bottom. Those who don’t hve
success in the market tend to be worse off.
Urban vs Rural: there are stark differences between Russia’s rural
and urban population, with one being highly educated and having
better resources, while another has a worse economic level.
POLITICAL PARTIES
1. United Russia: based on Putin’s leadership and holds most
Identify and describe seats in the Duma.
platforms of 3
2. Communist Party of the Russian Federation: Soviet-era
communist party, with less influence than in years past,
though it is the second most popular party in the country.
3. Liberal Democratic Party of Russia: nationalist, right-wing
party founded by Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
ECONOMIC SYSTEM Capitalist, but with a lot of government control. Russia has innovated and
Identify capitalist, socialist, used natural gas and petroleum to expand its wealth, making most
etc. countries dependent on Russia for these resources.
Identify major economic
policies the government has
adopted
Developing or Developed Most people would consider Russia a developed country in terms of
Country its economy and policies, thought there is a debate as to whether its
“democratic” stances can be considered as correspondent to those
of a 1st world country.
Supranational Part of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the World
Organizations Bank , the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), etc.
PUBLIC POLICY Economically, Russia is diversifying away from the dependance of
oil and gas, with an investment in climate and infrastructure
development.
There have been pension system reforms due to the aging
population. Social Assistance Programs. Public health measures
and vaccination programs especially after COVID-19.
Reforms in education and the military modernization with
counterterrorism measures.
