RUSSIA: CULTURE

RELIGION IN RUSSIA After seizing power during the communist

revolution in 1917, the Soviet government discouraged religious practices, and instead promoted Atheism. Atheism – the belief that there is no God or other

supreme being After the fall of the Soviet Union much of

Russia’s religious activity was restored. However, in 1997, Russian lawmakers placed

heavy restriction on newly established religious groups

Only Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism were allowed full religious liberty.

RELIGION: CHRISTIANITY Russia’s dominant religious group is Christianity

Within Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church is the most dominant denomination.

Russian Orthodox Church (terms) Patriarch – Spiritual leader Icons – religious images or symbols

Russia uses icons in its religious ceremonies During the reign of the Soviet government other

Christian denominations were heavily persecuted. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union other

denominations, particularly Catholicism and Protestantism, have seen great growth.

RELIGION: ISLAM Islam is Russia 2nd largest religion and is

seeing rapid growth. Islam is most heavily practiced in the

southern regions of Russia. Particularly in the Caucasus region, and in areas

north of Kazakhstan *See map on next slide

The most popular sect of Islam in Russia is Sunni

CIRCLES INDICATE HIGH INFLUX OF ISLAM

RELIGION: JUDAISM Jews living in Russia have endured nearly

constant persecution. During the Tsardom of Russia, from 1547 to

1721, Jews often experienced pogroms. Pogroms - in czarist Russia, an attack on Jews carried

out by government troops or officials. As a result of such heavy persecution many

Jews have immigrated to other countries. It is estimated that around 200,000 Jews

currently live in Russia

RELIGION: BUDDHISM Buddhist are dominant in 2 Republics within

Russia The Republic of Kalmykia – near the Caspian Sea The Republic of Buryatia – near Lake Baikal

*See map on next slide These two regions have a total of nearly

500,000 buddhists.

EDUCATION During Soviet Russia education mainly focused on:

Military, science, and engineering This put a large emphasis on technology and military, but

made occupations such as educators and doctors unimportant and underpaid.

Current schools are much more evenly focused in their studies. Students are given the opportunity to choose between

different types of schools. Some of these school are more like American high schools,

focusing more on general studies, while others are more career focused.

However, poor funding has lead much of Russia’s school in disrepair, and the allure of a paying job often takes precedent over attending school.

THE ARTS: RUSSIA’S GOLDEN AGE Following the predominately religious themed art of

the 1600s, and the introduction of western European culture in the early 1700s, Russia entered its golden age in the during the 1800s.

Painters: Ilya Repin, Wassily Kandinksy, Marc Chagall

Composers: Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, and Modest

Mussorgsky Poets:

Alexander Pushkin, Boris Pasternak, and Anna Akhmatova Novelists:

Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace), Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment)

ILYA REPIN “UNEXPECTED VISITOR”

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV SCHEHERAZADE OP.35 http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=17lEx0ytE_0

THE ARTS: SOVIET RUSSIA Soviet Russia severely limited artistic

expression, forcing artist to create art that glorified the nation. This type of art was known as:

Socialist Realism – realistic style of art and literature that glorified Soviet ideals and goals

Artists who refused to conform to these restrictions were often persecuted and jailed.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, artistic expression has been largely renewed in Russia.