Global Studies II

Unit II Russia

Name
Date
Russian Democracy Has Disappeared?
Clifford J. Levy,
New York Times

Directions:
After reading the article mentioned above, answer the questions
below. Please answer in complete sentence format.
1. What is human rights? According t o the author, identify human rights
issues the current political regime in Russia have violated.
Human Rights are rights that are equal to all people in the world. Some human
right issues that have been going on are the elections that are not free and open
to everyone. The Russian government does not allow for open elections to
occur. Mikhail Beketov was beaten to an inch of his life because he was writing
about the government and the unfair things they were doing.
2. Identify political corruption issues Mr. Levy identifies in Russia today.
Some of the political corruption Mr. Levy writes is dubious land deals, crooked
loans, and under the table hush money.
3. How does Mr. Gorbachev, the previous Russian premier, feel about the
current leaders? Why does he feel this way?
Gorbachev believes that Vladimir Putin is undermining Russias fledgling
democracy by crippling opposition forces. As well as saying Vladimir Putin stand
in his own way
4. The caption for the picture on page one is titled, Batman and Robin.
Explain this caption.
Putin is really in charge (Batman) and his side kick (Robin) is Medvedev. They
both work together to get the job done but Putin is the one who makes all the
decisions.
5. According to the author [and Mr. Gorbachev, democracy begins with:
Elections, accountability, and turnover.

6. In addition to the aspects of democracy identified above, which other key

ingredient is necessary for a democracy? According to the author, how does
Russia meet this ingredient? Back up your answer with facts.
Another key ingredient that is necessary for a democracy is rule of law. Critics of

the Kremlin are routinely denied permission for the rallies, and the police detain
anyone that attends the unauthorized demonstrations. For this reason, people
think that they live in a police state.
7. Identify two cases the author identifies where the Russian government has
failed thedemocratic test.
First, in jury trials, judges almost always convict but a jury of ordinary people
was expected to be more fair. The jurors are intimidated by the authorities, and
when they acquit a defendant, their verdicts are overturned. Second, lawmakers
have been cutting back on the types of crimes that qualify for a jury trial.