Geographical Singularities of Russia: Largest country in the world
- 70% larger than 2nd largest (Canada)
- 75% territory in Asia, only 22% of population live there
- 17m square kilometers
- relatively small population (144m)
- provides strategic depth
-> so big that you can choose not to fight and instead move somewhere else and prepare
-> many chances for fights, because they can always back away to somewhere else - governing such large area is difficult
-> leads to different ethnic group, distributed communities
-> must formulate policy accordingly
-> struggle to equally distribute food
-> inequalities, countries wealth is concentrated in Centeral Federal District
Geographical Singularities of Russia: continental power
- little sea power
-> frozen coastline
-> no ports
-> east doesnt freeze, but its too far away from important trade routes (not econmically viable) - annexing Crimea 2014 guarenteed access to only proper warm water port
- isolation fostered a defensive mentality: expansion over diplomacy, control over cooperation
- Russias largest port is ice-locked for weeks, enclosed by Sea of Japan
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Borders 15 countries
- including countries with nuclear power (eg. China)
- more tensions and possibility for invasion/conflict
- fall of USSR removed many buffers
- NATOs eastward expansion brought Western influence closer
Geographical Singularities of Russia: cannot be defined by geographical borders
- not clear borders
- provides basis for invasions
- eg. Ukraine
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Cold
- works in favour when invaded
- 60% tundra
-> not useful for agriculture (limits population density and economic productivity)
-> Ukraine used to host most fertile lands for Russia - Rasputitsa (the muddy season after snowmelt)
-> snow melts in Spring, Autumn has a lot of rain = muddy (tanks get stuck and dont advance)
-> has saved Russia from largest invasions (Napoleon, Hitler)
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Great Eastern European Plains
Great Eastern European Plains
- Ukraine becomes buffer zone because it guards the plain
- no clear natural borders
-> correlation of forces determines these
- 10x size of Spain
- explains westward expansion of buffer zone
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Eurasia Steppe
- Mongol invasions forced early Russians to move north to Moscow and build defensive depth
- flatlands used for travel
- Natural corridor
- people that are trying to invade cant be easily blocked
- ends in Russia (vulnerable)
- pushed Russia upwards towards now Moscow area
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Rivers
- multiple
- navigable
- go in every direction
- at end of rivers, cannot build ports that can be used for export
-> most run from south to north (end in Arctic Sea)
-> water freezes - Volga
-> north to south
-> ends in caspian sea (closed)> also no port - shapes the economy
-> trade remains internal
-> economy remained resource based and regionally isolated - hindered possibility of age of exploration
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Siberia
treasure chest of Russia
- most valuable mining capacity
-> oil
-> gas
-> coal
-> uranium
-> diamonds
- largest territory
- richest region in the world
- more to east > untapped resources
-> expensive
-> not great infrastructure
= extraction isnt cost effective
- wealth concentrated in energy
-> resource nationalism
-> centralised economic control
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Carpathian Mountains
- cathernie the great expanded Russia westward until the mountains
- form the southern edge of the european plain
- one of the few natural barriers between central europe and russia
- gives Russia rare western defensible border
Geographical Singularities of Russia: Ural Mountains
- Ivan the Terribles eastward expansion
- mark boundary between Asia and Europe
- struggle for potential invaders to cross = military advantage for Russia
Geographical Singularities of Russia
- size
- continental power
- borders 15 countries
- cannot be defined by geographical borders
- cold
- east
- Eurasia Steppe
- rivers
- siberia
- carpathian mountains
- ural mountains
Western perceptions of Russia 1 Lenin exporting revolution
- Lenin “exporting the revolution”
- call for worldwide revolution as a direct challenge to capitalism and liberal democracy
Western perceptions of Russia 2 Brest-Litovsk 1918
Brest-Litovsk 1918
- removed Russia from WW1 after Lenin seized power
- lost huge parts of territory, industry, had to demobilise army
- in west, treason because russia thereby had an allied coalition with Germany
-> reinforces fear of communism
-> fear of German militarism
= both can destabilise Europe
- shows price Lenin was willing to pay to make revolution stronger (making Germany stronger)
-> prioritising ideology over wartime commitmnets, unreliable, opportunistic, ideologically dangerous
-> distrust with Lenin = distrust with Russia
Western perceptions of Russia 3 Invasion of Finland 1939/40
Invasion of Finland 1939/40
- “winter war”
-> Soviet demands for Finnish territory and a military base to protect Leningrad
- forced Finland to cede some territory > surprisingly fierce resistance
-> admired as brave democracy fighting an authoritarian agressor
- West saw this as contradicting claims of defending small nations
- confirmed Western fears of USSR agression (totalitarian agressor), capable of expanding force
- kicked out of LoN
Western perceptions of Russia 4 Molotov Ribbentrop 1939
Molotov-Ribbentrop 1939
- a non-agression treaty betwen Nazi Germany and Soviet Union
- included a secret protocol to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence
- agreement allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of a Soviet response, ultimately leading to WW2 (Russia invaded 2 weeks later)
- communist making deal with Nazi? (realpolitik)
- unreliable partner in IR
- cynical and untrustworthy power
- colluding with Nazi Germany to divide Eastern Europe and abandon collective security against facisim
Western perceptions of Russia 5 build of berlin wall
Build of Berlin Wall 1961
- was constructed by East Germany (w/ Soviet backing) to stop mass emigration from East to West Germany
- symbolising division of Europe and the failure of Soviet socialism, to retain its own citizens (in Western eyes)
- an authoritarian State driven by control and fear, reinforcing the view that the USSR sought domination rather than coexistence
Western perceptions of Russia 6 (true China)
True China
- Russia: Maos communist China
- West: Taiwan
- proof of commitment to expanding the communist bloc
- undermining Western-aligned governments
Western perceptions of Russia 7 the cold war
The Cold War
- dominated by fear and distrust
- seeing it as an expantionist, totalitarian superpower intent on spreading communism
- challenging Western democracy worldwide
Western perceptions of Russia 8 Warsaw Pact 1955
Warsaw Pact 1955
- collective self defense treaty signed by SU and 7 other satellite states
- served as a military and political counterbalance to the Western bloc during the Cold War
-> formalising Soviet control over Eastern Europe and providing a unifed command structure under the SU
- West viewed it as SU attempt to formalise control over Eastern Europe and militarily counter NATO > divided and hostile Europe
Western perceptions of Russia 9 Invasion of Afghanistan 1979
Invasion of Afghanistan 1979
- began with soviet invasion
- intended to support the struggling communist gov. against growing insurgency
- was seen by West as renewed Soviet imperialism because it extended Moscows military reach beyond Eastern bloc
- threatened Western interests in Middle East
Western Perceptions of Russia 10 Georgia 2008
Georgia 2008
- launched after clashes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia
- revival of Russian agression and imperialism, showing Moscows willingness to use force to control former Soviet neighbours
- also shows lengths of hindering former soviet countries joining NATO
Western Perceptions of Russia 11 Annexation of Crimea 2014
Crimea Annexation 2014
- blatant breach of international law and Ukranian sovereignty
- Russia is an aggressive power looking to restore former imperial sphere
Western Perceptions of Russia 12 Ukrain Invasion 2022
Ukraine Invasion 2022
- full scale act of agression
- dismantling European security norms
- confirming Russias image as an expanionist
- authoritarian state
- rejecting post-Cold war international order
