Radio reports on change in Russia
Suzanne Bailey, who teaches at Virgil Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, wrote to recommend a series of NPR reports on Russia. I agree with her that these are potentially valuable teaching tools.She wrote, "this is a great series on economic/social change in Russia. Anne Garrels did a series of reports in the l990s on the Russian town of Chelyabinsk and so now returns to document what has changed in the past 10 years. It is a five part series—and I heard the 3rd installment yesterday (Dec 18) on health care –it was interesting—with just the kind of anecdotal examples that will help students to understand the situation. It will be fun to contrast Medvedev’s birth bonuses ($9500) with China’s one child policy.
"Here’s the link: Social, Economic Change Staggering In Chelyabinsk"
The NPR web site describes the series in this way:
While based in Russia in the 1990s, NPR's Anne Garrels followed developments in the "real Russia" from the provincial town of Chelyabinsk. Returning 10 years later, much has changed. This series charts this transformation.
* Part 1: Economic Growing Pains For Russian Industrial City
* Part 2: Economic Crisis Hampers Chelyabinsk's Growth
* Part 3: Orthodox Faith Crowding Out Others In Chelyabinsk
* Part 4: Improved Chelyabinsk Health Care Still Falls Short
Anne Garrels writes, "While I was based in Russia in the 1990s I chose Chelyabinsk as the provincial city I would regularly visit to chart developments in the 'real Russia.'...
"In the 1990s, the economy of Russia fell apart. There was no demand for Chelyabinsk's goods; they could not compete on the world market, and the decrepit factories all but shut down. The city was bankrupt. Civil society, the ability of people to take responsibility for themselves, was in its infancy...
"I returned this fall to find out what had happened to this city and region, more than a decade after I was first there. The changes are staggering. Thanks to the global economic boom in the intervening years, demand for Chelyabinsk's metals and raw materials saved the city. With new service industries, shops, restaurants and everything that comes along with them, there is an emerging middle class. There is a profound psychological change. Residents credit former president and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with bringing stability and a renewed pride in being Russian..."
Labels: change, civil society, political culture, Russia
posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:56 AM
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