Britannica Guide to Russia

"ггШ

Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., is a leader in reference and educa­tion publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to mobile phones to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, Britannica launched the first encyclopedia on the Internet in 1994. It also continues to publish and revise its famed print set, first released in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768. Encyclopaedia Britannica's contributors in­clude many of the greatest writers and scholars in the world, and more than 110 Nobel Prize winners have written for Britannica. A professional editorial staff ensures that Britannica's content is clear, current, and correct. This book is principally based on content from the encyclopedia and its contributors.

Introducer

Mary Dejevsky is chief editorial writer and columnist at the Independent. A Russia specialist by training, she witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union as Moscow bureau chief for The Times. A regular visitor to Russia, as special correspondent for the Independent, she is a member of the Royal Institute of Inter­national Affairs (Chatham House) in London and of Russia's Valdai Club for international specialists in the region.

Also available

The Britannica Guide to the 100 Most Influential Americans

The Britannica Guide to the 100 Most Influential Scientists

The Britannica Guide to the Brain

The Britannica Guide to Climate Change

The Britannica Guide to the Ideas that Made the Modern World

The Britannica Guide to India

The Britannica Guide to the Islamic World

The Britannica Guide to Modern China

I N С V С L о тл л

т н Е Britannicб G и I D Е ТО

RUSSIA

The essential guide to the nation, its people, and culture

Introduction by Mary Dejevsky

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. www.brirannica.com

First print edition published in the UK by Robinson, an imprint of Constable ФC Robinson Ltd, 2009

Text © 2009 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Introduction © 2009 Mary Dejevsky

The right of Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. and Mary Dejevsky to be identified as the authors of tins work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copy right. Designs & Patents Act, 1988.

Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the Thistle logo are registered trademarks of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

This cBook edition published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-59339-850-7

No parr of this work may be produced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations and Maps vii

Introduction ix

Part 1 Context

Russia - Facts and Figures 3

The Place and the People 13

Part 2 History

Russia before and after the Revolution 33

Post-Stalin Russia to the Fall of Communism,

1953-91 82

135 143

Post-Soviet Russia 104

Part 3 Culture

The Development of the Arts in Russia

Literature

Music 173

The Visual Arts and Film 194

Theatre and Ballet 214

Part 4 Russia Today

10 Governance and the Economy 231

I I Everyday Life in Modern Russia 256

Part 5 Places

12 The Major Sites to Visit 277

Index 321

ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS

illustrations

Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed, Moscow © Corbis, courtesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.

Red Square, Moscow © D. Staquet/DeA Picture Library, cour­tesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.

Portrait of Catherine the Great (1729-96) by Fyodor Rokotov (1735-1808). The Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery © RIA Novosti/Top foto.co.uk.

Gallery in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg Richard No witz-Na tio n a I Geographic/Getty Images, courtesy of Ency­clopaedia Britannica Inc.

Demonstrators gathering in front of the Winter Palace in Petro- grad in January 1917, shortly before the Russian Revolution Hulton Archive/Getty Images, courtesy of Encyclopaedia Brit­annica Inc.

Mofiument to the Third International; model designed by Vla­dimir Tatlin, 1920. Reconstruction by U. Linde and P. O. Ultvcdt in the Modern Museum, Stockholm © Tatlin; photograph Mod­erna Museet, courtesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.

Soviet leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) addressing a crowd in 1920 © Photo.com/Jupiterimages, courtesy of Ency­clopaedia Britannica Inc.