Country Report: Russia Ethnicity & Term Paper

However, most of them have gradually resigned themselves to their situation and are enduring the circumstances in the best way possible.

Generational Groupings

Perhaps the most appropriate way to analyze the Soviet society in the post-Soviet period is to look at the effect of the change on different age groups of the population as has been done in a 2001 "Human Development Report" published by UNDP. The report reveals that among the different age-groups of Russians -- the "soviet" generation, born in the 1920s and 30s have been "pushed to the sidelines of public life" and suffer from an intense feeling of depression close to a feeling of being a social outcast. The "middle generation" groups too suffer from a deep "socio-emotional" crisis, considering itself as a generation "lost" in the waves of transformation and in their "struggle for survival." The younger Russian generation, on the other hand, has coped best with the changes; it feels much more confidant in facing the challenges of a market economy and has the highest incomes as compared to the other age groups. ("Human Dev. Report," 2002)

Social Structure

Although the Marxist-Leninist ideology professed a "classless" society, political considerations largely determined social status in the former Soviet Union. Such basis of a social structure has undergone a drastic change and the new social stratification in Russia is largely based on wealth. This newly rich class consists mainly of the former members of the Soviet government and others (mainly younger people) who were dexterous and flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities (often illegal) to make money in the changed circumstances.The nouveau riche have often indulged in a hedonistic lifestyle, driving flashy Western cars, sporting expensive clothing and jewelry, and frequenting stylish restaurants and clubs that are far beyond the reach of ordinary Russians. ("A Country Study...," 2004 para on Social Stratification) a new youth culture that took root in Russia during the time of the glasnost in the 1980s had adopted all the anti-establishment mannerisms of young people in the West such as nonconformist dress, drug use, and protest music. The disappointments of the later years, however, have tended to transform the idealistic youth culture towards shallow materialism, decadence, and hedonism.

References

Country Study: Russia." (2004) Country Studies: The Library of Congress. October 1, 2004. Retrieved on February 3, 2005 at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/rutoc.html

Human Development Report on Russia, 2001." (2002) Edited by Prof. Serguei Bobylev. UNDP. Retrieved on February 3, 2005 at http://www.undp.ru/index.phtml?iso=RU&lid=1&cmd=publications

Russia." (2005). CIA World Fact Book. Retrieved on February 3, 2005 at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rs.html

2004 Estimate; Source: CIA World Fact book legacy of the Soviet era when the ruling ideology encouraged the adoption of a uniform Russian culture and enforced Russian as the official language throughout the Union

The life expectancy among Russian males is significantly lower, i.e., 59.91 years result of the children of baby boomers having grown up in the 1990s

The economic downturn in the post-Soviet period and the loosening of controls has resulted in a significant migration of the skilled Russians, such as scientists, to other countries.

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