Dear peeps of Block One:
1. Read the following article about Russia. The URL link is provided below http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17655&Itemid=72
2. When you are done reading the article, comment on the following questions:
Question One: Why do you think Russia is ranked SO low for one of the "Most Peaceful Nations"?
Question Two: What should Russia do to try and reform itself and make it a better
country/become a more peaceful nation?
Question Three: Relating to our essential questions on Eastern Europe- How does Russia's status effect the rest of Eastern Europe?
3. Be sure to type your answers in blog format (comments on this post). Be sure to answer all questions.
Thanks!
Kav~
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Wow! I guess I'm the first to post. I think Russia is ranked 136 out of 144 because it is having trouble coming to terms with being not only a republic but having lost most of its land after the Cold War. The article said they had low respect for peoples' rights and there were conflicts with neighboring countries. Russia isn't use to allowing people rights and freedoms because no one had any under Communism. Russia is also being hostile toward its neighbors because they used to be under its control before the Cold War. Russians need to accept that they are not a Communist Superpower anymore. They should try to control the violent crimes and homocides that have errupted in Russia. They should also try to make peace with their neighboring countries because no one wants to be surrounded by their enemies. Russia should pull itself together and try to become the country it once was. Russia's status has always had an effect on the rest of Eastern Europe because just a few years ago the Soviet Union controlled most of it. Even today, now that those countries are free, they still seem to be influenced by Russia's internal and external affairs. Many of the countries are high up on the list like Russia. If Russia were to improve its economy and become a strong united nation then maybe the other countries would follow it lead. They have only had their own governments for a short time and several civil wars have broken out, so they still feel like they need someone to look up to and that someone is Russia.
ReplyDeleteTake a guess who it is. Awesome name right?
ReplyDeleteAnyway. So Russia ranked 136 out of 144. Answer 1, in the article it says "Russia’s low ranking, Paananen pointed out, reflected widespread perceptions of criminality, low levels of trust, low levels of respect for human rights, the imprisonment of people for political activity, detention without trial, politically motivated executions, disappearances and torture" this tells us that Russia, in present day, is not very far from the violence that is was experiencing under Josef Stalin (not a communism). But we also have to accept the fact that the Cold War only ended in 1992, not too long ago. Russia wasn't entirely ready as a country to make the sudden change. The immediate change to a capitalist society created much unemployment. Being on the street can cause people to do violent things including crime. The article said that people were imprisoned, executed and tortured because of political views. sound familiar? Totalitarianism, people. The only part of Russia that changed after the Cold War was their economy. and it still is pretty bad. The people of Russia are fighting amongst themselves for control! this never happened during Lenin's regime, or even Stalin's. As we know last year Russia was bullying Georgia. Why? because it was a country formerly belonging to the Soviet Union. And Russia wants to show people that it has power. The entire thing is a power struggle.
Russia simply is using violence to restore its power.
Answer 2,If Russia is to become a more peaceful nation, it has to make reforms. The main thing they SHOULD do is actually become a capitalist/democratic country. not just a Totalitarianism wearing a mask. That would be the best thing for it. 2nd they cant just bully any random country just because it belonged to the former Soviet Union. They need to accept the fact that Russia is Russia. Not the United Soviet Socialist Republics. Their time is over, they can no longer threaten the world. They have to see that the cold war is over. And that they are no longer a super power matching to the United States.
Answer3, Russia can still, even though no longer having control of all these countries, affect the rest of eastern Europe. Remember them beating up Georgia? That must have scared the heck out of the rest of Eastern Europe. Had them all thinking "what if they come for me next?" They are still a powerful nation who could probably take over all those tiny countries, just not the United States. The Russian criminals who have either escaped prison or were never caught, could spill over to the borders of the surrounding countries. In all Russia needs to clean up its act, if you get what i mean. Stop pretending to be a democracy and actually become one.
Thanks for posting --I def. want to respond to both of these posts, especially to the "Communist Advocate (hmmm wonder who that is!?) Its late now so I will comment on these sometime this weekend. The one thing I hope people do respond to or wonder is the fact that North Korea is ranked lower than Russia. For a country that people "fear" so much, why would Russia be higher on the list than North Korea?
ReplyDeleteoh god I could only GUESS who that is....
ReplyDeleteAnd no i am saying that Russia still has some aspects of a TOTALITARIAN STATE.
Q1: I think that Russia is ranked so low among countries in safety is the fact of its radical ideas. This is a country that went from a pure monarchy, to socialistic to totalrianistic, to a "democracy", and by the looks of it is heading back towards socialistic. Seeing that 90% of the time citizens didn't have freedom of speech during these different regimes, now that people are allowed to express their ideas, it has caused radical responses to these free opinions. The idea of no need of government is still in the minds of radicals, and they're taking matters into their own hands through violence.
ReplyDeleteQ2: If Russia wants to improve their safety, I'd improve security overall in the country and cease switching radically from governments and immediatly giving people their rights. Proper living conditions and rights that weren't given before must slowly be granted, not thrusted to them. It's like depriving a child from sugar their whole life, and then giving them access to the whole candy store to their liking. These are human rights, yet human nature causes a sense of greed when given too much of a good thing, therefore, causing radicalism to gain these precious things A.S.A.P
Q3: No matter the case, Russia is one of the superpowers of the world. It owned practically all of Eastern Europe at one point in time, remaining to have a major influence upon those countries. If Russia is in a state of turmoil, then those countries wouldn't be as unified, the Warsaw Pact dissolving, causing utter madness in Eastern Europe. It has a domino affect, and if started, it's going to take a heck of a lot things to occur to stop it....
Question #1: I think that Russia is marked so low because Russia is just starting to come back from the lost of many things from the Cold War and not being able to hang on to the right government after it being changed so many times and the people are still coming from a revolt so the poeple are having the feeling of revolt rule their actions causing the violence and crimes to Russia.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #2: What Russia should do to try and make itself a better nation and reform is to first get use to the fact that the people deserve certain rights like freedom of speech for example and they have to get over the past problems and work now on becoming a stronger nation with a solid government that gives the people their rights and a good economy.
Question#3:Russia's status does effect Eastern Europe because though it is at a weak standing it is one of the biggest nations in Eastern Europe so if it is bad it will effect how the rest of Eastern Europe is and also Russia did have alot of control over Eastern Europe for awhile and in a way it still does so whatever happens to Russia will ultimately have an effect on EE
Question 1: I think that Russia is ranked SO LOW because it is still struggling with what type of government it really wants. It was stated on the website URL given to us that in Russia, there are low levels of trust, many people in jail, politcal executions, torture, etc. So as of right now, Russia seems pretty violent because there are many people who want a true democracy, and then there are many people in Russia who want to have communism/totalitarnianism again. This is leading to violence and general non-peacefulness throughout Russia.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: What Russia really needs to do is push harder for a democracy. They need to create a muli-party system, or even a parliament, and get rid of the "prime minister" Vladimir Putin. They need to create comprimises between different political factions to keep the peace.
Question 3: Russia has big influence on the rest of Eastern Europe. Most of the countries there used to be a part of Russia, and some of these small Eastern Europe countries are having problems of their own. Although these countries have claimed independence, they seem to be following what Russia does as far as making decisions in general.
~Mike Morris
Hey did you guys know that Karl Marx mentioned the bourgeois in the Communist Manifesto? Comparing them to the Prolatarians?
ReplyDeleteHe was trying to make the point of the mistreatment of the lower class. Re-instating the the cause of the French Revolution was from the bourgeois and that the Proletariat society at the time were under the same circumstances. He was pointing out the fact as well that they required much blood for their "democracy", while communism wouldn't have that necessity.
ReplyDeleteWonderful comments so far- remember to stick with supporting your opinion with a strong warrant/claim from what you have learned and read...I am waiting on a few more responses so I can create some new questions to further this blog.
ReplyDeleteQuestion One:
ReplyDeleteRussia is ranked very low on the list for Most Peaceful Nations due to their violent nature. Their rates of crimes, homicides, and level of corruption are off the charts. They obviously did not learn how to play nice with their neighbors when they were little and that sharing can be fun. The government in Russia does not care so much about the well-being of their citizens, as much as strengthening their military and creating weapons. Russia has found itself put in with all the other violent nations we always hear about like Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan, lower even then the feared North Korea. Although North Korea seems like the worst horror because of its organized crime against the government and its large military, it does not have the wit nor the supply of conventional weapons that Russia has along with all of Russia’s heavy weapons, thus posing less of a threat to the world.
Question Two:
Russia needs to take a moment to stop and regroup, look at the bigger picture; they are no longer the most powerful country in the world therefore they need to stop acting like it. They have a strong education system, so they need to get rid of all of the old geezers running the country and get some fresh thinkers in place to continue moving towards a democratic society. After all nothing can be accomplished when you have Vladimir Putin trying to return the country to communism again. Even some of the ruling “elite” believe its time for some serious change. If Russia wants to become more peaceful they are going to need to start giving more rights to the people. Once citizens can express themselves freely and feel like a part of the government they will no longer feel the need to rebel violently.
Question Three:
Russia used to rule over countries like Estonia, Latvia, and Belarus so its status pretty much reflects the status of these other smaller countries. They are all poor, violent, seriously confused nations, although trying to make it on their own they have resorted to violence or copycatting what big old Russia does. Let’s face it, Russia is one of the most powerful nations in all of Eastern Europe, and probably the one everyone knows best so its status is used as a guide for all of Eastern Europe. If Russia’s status is bad then you can bet that all of the other countries in that part of the world are pretty bad too. If Russia could just improve its status then maybe all of the other countries could follow its lead in putting down their guns and becoming peaceful too.
Question one: I believe that Russia is ranked so low because they do not have the a stable government for the people there. As Mike said the people do not know what government would be best for country and people do not have the same ideas leading to the high levels of violence in Russia. People want freedoms and everyone has different ideas creating tension between the people and a violent country.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2:Russia needs to create a strong government and make peace with the people. The people do not like what is going on in Russia so the government needs become stronger and create less tension with the people. Doing this would limit the violence and create a more peaceful place.
Question 3: Russia affects the rest of eastern Europe. Since Russia has started struggling the revolutions of the little countries such as Estonia, Belarus and Latvia creating more small weak countries who are also struggling. As Russia weakened is caused the entire eastern Europe to become weak with them. Russia is the cause for the weak social structure in eastern Europe.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteRussia is ranked so low on this list for a number of reasons. First of all, they are still coming out of the Cold War and Communism. Many people are not used to this "new style of government".Also, it's status on freedoms and rights, imprisonment without trial, criminal activity and the execution/tortures of political leaders. It is no wonder a country with these problems ranks low on the "peace level". A stable, more peaceful country has a better economy and government that can handle their people. People in those countries enjoy their government and life in their homeland. Russia is still so unstable, many people are protesting and this breaks the peace the government is supposedly "aiming for".
Question 2:
To create a more peaceful environment for Russia, the government MUST restore all rights to their citizens. The main reason people are fighting against the government is because they have no rights. Thweey are not entitled to anything.The government must work with the people to create a sense of involvement for Russia's citizens. Secondly, Russia needs to stop acting like the big dog. Sorry to break it to ya, but you're not anymore. IT'S OVER! They must focus on trying to create a fresh look. The old ways obviously didnt work, wont work, arent working, and should stop being used. Take ideas about government and economy from the big dogs of the world. Create bonds with other countries. Returning to peace can consist of letting people kno that the country is looking to fix its flaws and tht the people can help. this will decrease crime rates and encourage people to help country out.
Question 3:
Russia is a key component of Eastern Europe's status. They have been known to be key influences on other countries because of their known capabilities. Their country is also very large, so their land makes up most of that area. Also, they have controlled some of the smaller countries in the area. They might not have control over them anymore, but theyre Russia, they have been a major power in the world, and probably will continue to do so!
Hey-
ReplyDeleteYou are all making sound points about Russia, however, many of you are stating that Russia needs to provide it's people with true democracy and rights...but how could an "old world/old ways" nation break away from tradition and modernize in a positive way? How could the Russian people oust Vladimir Putin if he is so powerful? Don't you think more violence could break out? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated!
Q1:
ReplyDeleteRussia is ranked 136 out of 144 because it just went from a communism and totalitarianism to being a democracy. The people still incorporating radical ideas into their every day lives do not like the change and act upon their dislikes and it is not always in the most peaceful way.
Q2:
In order for Russia to become a more peaceful nation, they must truely create a democracy. Some radicals probably will not like the idea but if the government slowly returns the people's rights and freedoms, they will soon enjoy having control over their lives and what they do in society.
Q3:
Russia's status always effect the rest of Eastern Europe because it is the powerful leader of that part of Europe. Russia's actions are resembled in the other minor countries' actions as well. They are just starting off being independent and adjusting to the idea of it but still need a guide in what to do. When Russia uses violence, the other countries will. When Russia is using peaceful actions, they other countries will too.
Q1: Russia is ranked in the position that it is because of the country's history. I believe that because of communist takeover the country changed forever. Although they have been a democratic country for years now , the citizens and leaders of Russia have become custom to communist traditions. Therefore the injustices regarding freedom of speech, politics, and religion are still taking place which makes Russia far from peaceful.
ReplyDeleteQ2: Well I believe it will take many years and a number of national leaders to rebuild Russia into a more peaceful nation. They definitely wont be able to succeed and move forward without the help of places like the United States and the Soviet Republics. Russia is going to need a dominant and assertive leader who will take the steps to turn Russia into what it all along should have been from the beginning. Russia has the potential to be on top again but the citizens and leaders of Russia must work together.
Q3: I feel Russia's status today does not have a large affect on the rest of Eastern Europe. The other countries are prospering into larger and more productive nations without the help of Russia. Russia has dug itself a deep hole and the rest of Eastern Europe is rising above that. If I were looking at the situation about thirty years ago then yes maybe Russia could still have main authority over Eastern Europe. But other then that I think Russia is having a neutral affect on Eastern Europe.
Question 1: Russia is ranked 136 out of 144 because of tensions between people with different political views. Russia's government was communist then changed to a democracy.Many people are stuck in their old ways and belive a communist nation is best for Russia while others disagree. Also, they lack a stable government which allows room for violence.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: In order to make Russia a better place a stable government is vital. A government with force can prevent violence. Also, improving security can ensure peoples safety and make them feel more comfortable with their government.
Question 3: Russia's status affects the rest of Eastern Europe. In the past and present Russia has had influence over the other countries in Eastern Europe. Their actions are followed by the other countries in Eatern Europe. Their ideas spread to the other countries. Thier influence and size allowed Russia to become the superpower in Eastern Europe which lead to Russia affecting the other countries.
Q1: They're ranked so low because they haven't established stability back into their government yet. There conversion from a totalitarianism to a republic wasn't too long ago so the country is bound to have some problems. It takes time for the people to adjust since it isn't just a new government to them, but a whole new lifestyle. Coming from a totalitarianistic setting, they have had their entire life essentially controlled to a democracy where now, they suddenly have freedoms. Some people are adjusting to the new government while others are set in their ways and still believe that the country was and is better off under communism. The different perspectives among the people led to violence and tension throughout the country which gave it its rank as 136 out of 144.
ReplyDeleteQ2: The only way Russia can limit the violence and make itself a more peaceful place is by establishing a stronger government, one that complies and makes peace with the people. By doing this, the violence and tension will greatly reduce.
Q3: Being the biggest and most powerful country in all of eastern Europe, its status affects the majority of the other countries. Russia used to rule over countries like Estonia, Latvia, and Belarus so their status reflects off of Russia's. They look up to Russia and use it as a guide for their own governments which only increases the violence and tension.
And, even after writing all of this, I still believe in Communism and am a strong supporter of all that it is. That one was for you Joel. Nah, not really. America is the best country in the world and we all know it so get at me.
Wow, Nick A's response was really good, possibly even the best one out of all of these. He deserves a 100%. Wait this is a quiz grade right? Well whatever it is, he should get an A+.
ReplyDeletewell.... I kinda feel bad now that I posted so late in the game, looks like there's quite a debate. Anyway..., let's get down to business shall we?.
ReplyDelete1. I believe that Russia is ranked so low because, right now, they are a struggle nation. The country lost a lot of things from the Cold War including trust of its people and its organization when it comes to government. There are a lot of people in Russia that probably do not agree with where the government is heading and disagreement causes conflict. There is a link somewhere on that article, if any of you checked it out, that shows the statistics that lead to the rankings. Russia has a VERY high rating under politcal instability and in my opinion, a country needs a strong government that can keep the country from tearing to shreads and it also prevents conflict. Russia does not have this quality.
2. In order to fix this current state Russia needs to create a better sense of security for its people. The more trust shown the better the outcome and happiness of the people (who are less likely to fight). The government needs to stablize. Period. If you have a shakey government not much is going to be resolved. A democracy would definetly benefit the country.
3. Russia gives off a bad reputation for themselves and I believe their influence does affect other Eastern Europe Countries. Yes, Russia is no longer the greatest power in Eastern Europe but their decisions do affect the smaller countries. HOwever, I agree that the other countries in Europe are rising up above there old status and becoming prosperous and powerful countries, whereas Russia still has work to be done. They don't have as much power as they used to.
As for Vladimir Putin and the rest of the Old USSR believers.. I believe a lot of turmoil is in Russia's future. There is too much confusion and distrust. I believe that the country may be headed into a period of more violence.
And while I'm still here.. I might as well mention that yes you saw it right Joel did say that Russia would prosper better as a full on Capitalist Nation! :)
I guess I'll see everyone tomorow..I really should work on the whole procrastination thing.
:)
l8tr
~Shelby~
Sorry for posting so late! World Championships is a very time consuming thing! :)
ReplyDelete1. I think Russia ranks so low because of how unstable they are. They are still learning how to be a republic after so many years of communism and the government has to work on being stronger and being able to calm their people. In the article it also said how the people of Russia have very low trust levels, even in their neighbors. I think them finding so many people being untrustworthy definitely affects how the country is because then they will act out in hostile ways. The link in the article (www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/russia/2009/) shows how in their culture ranked on the scale 1 to 5 (1 being most peaceful) that their willingness to fight was ranked as a 4. The country is hostile.
2. For Russia to be peaceful they have to get people who are trying to bring communism back (Vladimir Putin) out of power! They also have to give the Russian people back their power! They had freedoms for a while and now they are all being taken back again and obviously people arent going to be accepting of that.
3. Russia is such a large country and many countries border it. If they see what is going on there they will start to question what they are doing in their government and it will throw off the whole government. Countries that were communist before and are now declared republic might follow Russia in leaning more towards communism again because Russia used to have so much power.
1. I think that Russia is ranked so low because they are still not sure where they are in society yet. Not that long ago they changed from an extreme government (totalitarianism) to a republic. Like Nick said, they are bound to have some sort of problems in their country. In the article it says how the Russian's can not even trust their own neighbors, people who in their own country they should be friends with. The citizens need some sense of safety in the country in order to get to where they need to be.
ReplyDelete2.Russia can benefit from having a better police force, one that will stop violence from happening all over. Also, the government needs to show the people that they they will protect them. Because switched government's so quickly, there is a lot of change to be endured by the people. It will take some time for Russia to be back to where they want to be.
3. Anything Russia does affects Eastern Europe because it takes up a lot of Eastern Europe. The countries that were taken over by Russia and changed to communists are now going to have to follow Russia by changing back to Republic. The power once held by Russia still affects Eastern Europe today.
welp... i kinda forgot that we had to do this ... but still made it in time :) so......
ReplyDelete1st question- I think that the country is ranked so low because they are having a hard time recuperating from the fall of communism. There is also a lot of violent crimes, including murder.Furthermore,Russia has been having bad relations with neighboring counties.
2nd question- Russia would have to reform in order to become more peaceful. They could enhance their police force, to bring down crime. They could also embrace democracy much more than they currently are, which includes not having a pro-communist leader. They could also attempt to have better realtions with surrounding countries.
3rd question- Russia's status greatly effects other countries in eastern Europe. Its sheer size commands respect from other countries, as well as its military forces. Other countries fear it, and will listen to its decisions. If Russia is doing bad economically, so will other countries. If they have high crime rates, it will spread to other eastern European counties as well.
as a final note i would like to ad that this is David Kahn (pretty obvious)
Also
CAPITALISM RULES!!!!!!
COMMUNISM IS BAD!!!!!
:)
Q1. I think Russia is ranked so low because they are having problems finding a government that suites them. They lost many land and power from the Cold War and the russian people don't agree with the government and that when a the people aren't in agreement with the government problems will start to occur. I think Russia needs to stick to one form of government to be successful. The United States have been a democracy ever since we were formed and thats why we are have been strong because we have a strong government. Russia became a republic not long and when you try something not everything runs smooth. When years go by and the Russian government is strong and the people agree with the government I think Russia will go up in rank.
ReplyDeleteQ2. If Russia wants to be more peaceful they need everyone to trust eachother. Most citizens don't trust their own neighbors. People need to have more freedoms. Everyone wants to control their own life and thats the only way someone will be happy.
Q3. Russia effects Eastern Europe. Russia is going to be a superpower and other countries are influenced by powerful countries. In the Cold War Russian influenced half of europe to believe in communism. I think anything that Russia does will be followed by most of Eastern Europe.