Abstract
This paper discusses how the Republic of Georgia is a nation with its own history and now like so many other republics freed after the fall of the Soviet Empire, Georgia is reinventing its past and rediscovering what has been lost, forgotten, or distorted during the years of Soviet rule. It examines the factors that led up to its declaration of independence, the leaders involved, its economy then and now and the direction in which the country is headed.

From the Paper
"In 1999, Pope John Paul visited the predominantly Orthodox Georgia. However, despite his pleas for closer ties between the two churches, "no Orthodox clergy attended his mass" (Sheets pg). His visit was seen by Georgians as more political than religious, helping to shine the international spotlight on Georgia. In his homily, the Pope expressed, "With its culture, history and faith, Georgia has always looked towards the West and has made its own contribution to Christian Europe" (Sheets pg). He went on to describe Georgia as a "model of respect and tolerance towards other religions and noted that places of worship for Christians, Jews and Moslems stood close together in Tbilisi" (Sheets pg)."

Tags:soviet, empire, culture, religion, Russia

Abstract
Discusses Russia's transition to a western-style Capitalist country after 1991. Russian socialist system development of a market economy built on legal (collective farm markets) and illegal (underground) market economy. Population statistics. Economic data. GDP. Investing in Russia. Foreign trade. Russian budget deficits. Labor force. Exports/Imports. External debt.

From the Paper
"Since the time of the failed coup attempt in 1991, the Russian economy has been in a transition to a Western-style capitalist country. This only partially identifies the goal, since there are several different types of Western capitalist country. Each of the Western models is sufficiently similar, though, that the path taken by the Russian socialist system will be clearly in a new direction (Leitzel, 1995, 1).

Russia developed a market economy and has included capitalist-style behavior for as much as 25 percent of all economic activity in the pre-reform USSR, some of which was even legal. The legal portion was dominated by collective farm markets. Prices at these markets were more or less unregulated. In addition, some 100,000 Soviet citizens engaged legally in small-scale crafts and trades. The rest of the Soviet market ..."

Abstract
The paper attempts to explain why the idea of democracy was new to the Russian people and the implications this had on its attempts at reform. The writer shows that at the end of the twentieth century, there were several reasons why Russia was approaching its second democratic crisis: Yeltsin's presidency, economic failure, military upheaval and organized crime.

From the Paper
"For the past seventy years Russia was the heart of the Soviet Union. The fall of the "Evil Empire" in 1991 shocked the world. Many democratic nations were happy to see its enemy turning into a new democratic country based on capitalistic economy and Western ideologies. But not that many people asked if Democracy would work in Russia. In the long run, Russia had a democratic experience in 1917, for half a year and it failed (Daniels, 1972). Will the history repeat itself or will Russia eventually become democratic? It is still hard to tell. Our democratic experience from February to October 1917 and today's situation are very similar. As in 1917, modern Russia experiences political, economic, and cultural crisis."

Tags:crime, crisis, cultural, economy, political, Yeltsin

Abstract
This research paper traces the evolution of American involvement in and international strategy toward Bosnia during the period beginning with the outbreak of war among indigenous forces there in early 1992 and continuing to the present time. It begins by discussing the war in Bosnia and U.S. international strategy after the end of the Cold War. It then discusses Bush's strategy vis-a-vis Bosnia and Clinton administration non-strategy. The writer then addresses the reassertion of American leadership in 1994-95 and concludes the implementation of the Dayton Accords.

From the Paper
"The international strategy of any nation contains three elements: its foreign policy (ends or goals) and the means used to achieve those goals (foreign policy means, including the use of diplomacy, the threat of or use of military power, and economic tools, such as foreign aid, trade, etc.), as permitted or constrained by foreign policy resources (including the sinews of national economic and military capacity and strength, and intangible sources of national power, such as international prestige and reputation, national will and public support). International strategy consists of three basic elements or components: global strategy, regional strategy and strategy toward a particular nation or state. The primary thesis of this paper is that the United States failed for at least four years to develop and, therefore, implement through appropriate use of diplomacy and military force an effective international strategy for dealing with the Bosnian war because it suffered from confusion as to its basic objectives there and a lack of conviction that its vital interests were involved. Even today, four years after the signing of the Dayton Accords, legitimate questions can be raised as to whether American policy makers, the Congress or the American public sufficiently appreciate the long-term nature of the commitments they have undertaken in Bosnia and whether they are prepared to stay the course long enough to complete them."

Tags:cold, war, datyon, accords, bush, clinton

From the Paper
"The Soviet Union as it existed until 1991 was essentially the legacy of Josef Stalin. More than Lenin--who died in 1924, only seven years after the Revolution, and who was in failing health for some time before that--it was Stalin who shaped the Soviet political and economic system. It was Stalin who shaped the image of Communism as a system based on labor-camps and mass terror. On the other side of the balance, it was also Stalin who forged the Soviet Union into a military and industrial superpower and who played perhaps the greatest single role in the defeat of Nazi Germany.


In the eyes of official Soviet propaganda, and of his apologists in Stalin's own day and to a degree for many years thereafter, Stalin was presented as a sort of demigod (see for..."

Abstract
This paper examines the part the Balkans had to play in the outbreak of World War I. It argues that whilst Russia, Serbia and Austria all viewed hostilities as local to the area, Germany deliberately exploited the situation to create European war.

From the Paper
"The racial struggle cannot be avoided " perhaps it will not take place now, but it will probably take place in one or two years." Kaiser Wilhelm II, 10 December, 1912 That the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand provided the spark for World War One there can be little doubt. However, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and many of his generals, cabinet and advisors, had been looking for an excuse to instigate European war, and more specifically the Schlieffen Plan, before Russia's military power grew to rival that of Germany's."

Tags:archduke, austria, europe, germany, russia, schlieffen, serbia, war, wilhelm, wwi, world, war, i

Abstract
This research paper discusses various aspects of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, including the reasons why the communist system and ideology in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) failed, the legacy bequeathed by communism to the successor states which emerged, the political, economic and social challenges that arose in those states and how those states responded to those challenges.
A number of inter-related factors led to the disintegration of the Soviet system and empire, including the woeful inadequacy of the totalitarian police state, dogmatic communist ideology and centralized planned economy which evolved after the Russian Revolution of 1917

From the Paper
"SOVIET SUCCESSOR STATES

This research paper discusses various aspects of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, including the reasons why the communist system and ideology in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) failed, the legacy bequeathed by communism to the successor states which emerged, the political, economic and social challenges that arose in those states and how those states responded to those challenges.
A number of inter-related factors led to the disintegration of the Soviet system and empire, including the woeful inadequacy of the totalitarian police state, dogmatic communist ideology and centralized planned economy which evolved after the Russian Revolution of 1917 in preparing the Soviet Union to meet the requirements of the late 20th century, international developments ..."

Abstract
The writer argues that Chechnya is just one example of the fact that the old Soviet Union was never truly unified and instead kept the various provinces in line through sheer force. The paper looks at the history of the fall of the Soviet Union and the opportunity this gave the tiny Chechnya to fight for independence. The paper then gives details of the war and the ways in which the Chechyns have found success.

From the Paper
"Chechnya is about the size of Connecticut, with a population of 1.3 million people, making up less than one percent of the population of the Russian Federation from which it set out to secede. The war that stated there was seen from the firs as having the chance to deal a blow to the endangered and incipient democratic reforms in Russia (Church 116). Indeed, the debacle in Chechnya did cause a shift in the way other republics viewed Russia. In 1996 and 1997, most of the 89 regional governments in the Russian Federation held elections for governors. In the past, these positions had been filled by people appointed by Moscow, and a governor who disobeyed could be replaced by someone more obedient. Now, many of the regions elected governors who were independent-minded, and less than half of Moscow's hand-picked candidates won the 1996 elections. These new governors no longer fear Russia's military power precisely because Chechnya's small guerrilla army handed Russia such a humiliating defeat. This now means that he only power Moscow has left is that it controls the purse strings. This is problematic as well given that Russia's national treasury is nearly empty and that Moscow has been forced to cut its flow of money to the regions, further weakening the central government's control over the regions ("Russia--Republics")."

Tags:war, Soviet, Union, independence, Moscow, guerilla

Abstract
This paper examines the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. It identifies legitimation problems and economic problems that undermined the authority of these regimes. When this was coupled with the devolution of the Soviet Union, domestic opponents of the regime were able to assume power.

Abstract
This paper examines the factors that have contributed to the election of the same political party in Russia since the fall of Communism. Russia has been in an economic depression since the fall of the Soviet Union, yet the same party is re-elected through democratic vote. The reasons for this puzzling outcome are discussed in this paper and identified as using democracy to purge the conservative communists of their rank, old elites regaining state control and loyalty of those counting the votes. Each factor is discussed in great detail along with its contribution and impact on the electoral outcome. This paper is ideal for anyone, from a Russian politics expert to a curious novice.

From the Paper
"Mikhail Gorbachev, along with the Soviet leaders was the first to introduce semi competitive elections into the USSR and then later Russia. Although elections are a focal point of a democracy, they were not initiated by Gorbachev for this use. "The goal of these elections was to purge the conservative ranks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from their positions of power within state structures as a way to liberate these state institutions and thereby make them available as instruments by executing Gorbachev's economic reforms" (McFaul and Petrov, 24). The existing powers of the Soviet Union at the time of the introduction of democracy were all communists, who held high political ranks. In order for Gorbachev to implement his reformation of the economy, these political figures needed to be removed from their ranks, otherwise there would be great opposition to the changes planned. When these leaders were removed, the state organizations were free from communist control and could be used in any way that Gorbachev desired."

Tags:authoritative, campaigns, communism, communists, competative, control, cpsu, democracy, depression, eastern, economic, elections, electoral, elites, europe, gorbachev, history, kramlin, leaders, power, process, putin, rank, russia, russian, soviet, state, studies, union, ussr, voters