1. Understanding Russia
Using the Seven Elements of
Culture

2. Social Organization
• Nuclear Family: most important domestic
unit
– Most married couples want an apartment of
their own, away from their parents
– The housing shortage & high cost of new
housing makes that a challenge
– Families often live in a household of 3
generations (most often with the
grandmother)

3. Social Organization Cont.
• Marriage
– Since the 1930s, the average age of
marriage: 23
– Approximately 50% end in divorce
• Biggest factors: economic hardship and alcohol
abuse
– Ethnic intermarriage became fairly common in
Soviet times, and most people have at least
one ancestor of a different nationality

4. Social Organization Cont.
• Infant Care:
– Most women give birth in overcrowded and
understaffed maternity hospitals
– Childbirth practices reflect traditional ideologies:
birthing mothers are criticized for crying/complaining
– Women stay for at least a week in the hospital and
fathers are allowed to see mother and baby through a
glass window only because:
• Fear of spreading germs
• The father may be repulsed by the “female business”
involved in birthing

5. Language
• Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic
language
– Over 81% of Russians speak it as their first
and only language
• Three major dialects of Russian: Northern,
Southern, and Central
• Cyrillic alphabet

6. Language Cont
• There are over 100 minority languages spoken in
Russia today:
– the most popular which is Tartar 3%
– Others include: Chuvash, Chechen, Ukranian, Mordvin,
and Bashir
– These languages are important in key regional areas

8. Government & Politics
• 1993 Constitution provided for democratic
freedom with executive, legislative, and judicial
branches
• Current Russian President: Dmitry Medvedev
• Parliament is divided into 2 houses
– Lower house Duma: 450 members
– Upper house Federation Council: made up of local
governors and legislators from 89 administrative
regions

9. Government and Politics Cont:
• The state of Russia has always been
prone to authoritarian rule
– Censorship
– Strong government control over the media
• Even today, the Russian government still controls
what is displayed on national television in the
news, and plays the Russian national anthem
every night
• Russian govt. is known for strong central control
over the nation.

10. Government & Politics Cont.
• The Bureaucracy
– Many Russians today still hold jobs because of
nepotism, friendships, or former party memberships
– Result: incompetence, laziness, conservation, and a
tendency to avoid responsibility and push it on others
• The KGB
– Secret police
– Created by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century

11. Government & Politics Cont.
• Corruption
– Many are involved in bribery and embezzlement, and those
actions are seen as an only way to survive
– Police are notorious for corrupt behavior
– Russians have a tremendous distrust of government, police, and
the military
• The Law
– Served to protect state and the community, rather than the
individual
• Rebellion & Revolt
– Conspiracies, coups, insurrections, ethnic warfare, and national
independence movements all reflect the instabilities and
inequalities of Russian society and its resistance to change

12. Economic System
• Stock market very strong
• Most expensive night life
• Second largest exporter of oil in the world
• Most billionaires and millionaires than any
other country in the world
• Large gap between the rich and poor
• Corruption in business is seen as major
problem in expanding the economy and
growing the middle class

13. Religion & Worship
• In 1997 the controversial “Law on Freedom of
Conscience and Religious Associations”
passed
– Granted full rights of organization and association to
only four religions:
1. Orthodoxy
2. Islam
3. Judaism
4. Buddhism
– Others have to go through a complex registration
process and their activities are restricted

14. Religion & Worship Cont.
• Russian Orthodoxy
– Was the state religion for almost 1,000 years
– Russian sense of community ties into the
roots of Orthodoxy: the consensus of the
Orthodox congregation was seen as the
single truth where there was no room for a
pluralism of opinion
– Has always been institutionally powerful
– Majority of ethnic Russians identify
themselves as Orthodox Christians

15. Religion & Worship Cont.
• Islam
– Second largest religion
– Important throughout Russian history
– Major religion in the northern Caucasus since the 8th
century and in the Volga region since the 10th century
– Moscow is a center of Islam, with many active mosques and
organizations to serve the 1-2 million Muslims in Moscow

16. Religion and Worship Cont
• Judaism
– Before the Revolution, most of Russia’s Jews were
confined to rural settlements and endured constant
persecution
– Faced popular and official anti-Semitism in Soviet
period
• They were repressed and secularized to the point where the
majority were non-practicing and Judaism was regarded as
an ethnicity not a religious identity
– 1970s started a slow rediscovery of Jewish tradition,
but still major waves of emigration have reduced the
number of Jews

17. Religion and Worship Cont.
• Buddhism
– Officially recognized in 1741
– Harshly persecuted under Stalin, when most
temples and monasteries were destroyed and
lamas were murdered or sent to the Gulag
– Made a steady revival, and today claims
several million adherents, among ethnic Slavs
as well as traditionally Buddhist populations

18. Religion and Worship Cont.
• Death & the Afterlife
– Around the time of death, it is crucial to do certain
things to prevent the dead from staying or returning
• Mirrors are covered with a black cloth
– After the burial, mourners return to the family’s home,
where certain foods are served with vodka and the
deceased is remembered with stories
– Soul remains on earth for 40 days, and which time the
family holds a second gathering to bid farewell as the
soul departs for heaven
– Anniversary of a death is memorialized every year;
some people travel great distances to visit their loved
ones grades

19. Traditions and Customs
• Time and Patience
– Russians are notoriously not on time
– Communism reinforced a native disrespect for
time because workers could not be fired and
there was no incentive to do things on time
– No such thing as “lets get straight down to
business” protocol in Russia is as follows:
small talk, tea or drink, family and personal
problems, finally the business of the day

20. Traditions and Customs Cont.
• Naming Conventions: Russian names are
comprised of:
– First name
– Middle name: which is a patronymic or a
version of the father’s first name formed by
adding –vich or -ovich for a male, and –
avna or –ovna for a female
• i.e. the son of an Ivan would have a patronymic
name of Ivanovich and the daughter of an Ivan
would have a patronymic name of Ivanova
– Last name

21. Traditions and Customs Cont.
Food:
• Bread:
– Most common food
– Starvation means having no bread
• Meat:
– Generally loved throughout Russia, esp. pork
– Poverty means going without meat
Drinks: always served with something to eat
• Vodka
– Home-brewed, serves as a crucial form of currency in rural areas
– High levels of alcohol consumption have resulted in a liver disease
epidemic and lower life expectancy (men-60) (women-72)
• Tea
– Much more common than coffee
– Drink out of a glass, not a mug
Going out for Meals:
– Majority do not for economic reasons, or because the food is usually better
at home
– Restaurants and cafes cater largely to the new business classes

22. Customs and Traditions Cont.
• Pessimism:
– Americans tend to expect things to go well
and become upset when they don’t. Russians
expect things to go poorly and have learned
to live with misfortune
– The American habit of smiling all the time can
get on the nerves of some Russians

23. Customs and Traditions Cont.
• Nyekulturny (Bad Manners)
– Wearing coats in public buildings that have a
cloakroom
– Standing with your hands in your pockets
– Eating lunch on park lawns
– Whistling at home or on the street
– Public displays of affection
– Lounging or sitting on the steps of a public building
– Telling a Russian that you have to go to the restroom
(you should just excuse yourself)

24. Customs and Traditions
• Gift Giving Etiquette
– If you are invited to a Russian home for a meal, bring a small gift
– Male guests are expected to bring flowers
– Do not give yellow flowers
– Do not give a baby gift until after the baby is born. It is bad luck to do so
sooner.
• Table Manners
– The oldest or most honored guest is served first
– Do not begin eating until the host invites you to start
– Do not rest your elbows on the table, although your hands must be visible
at all times
– You will often be urged to take second helpings
– It is polite to use bread to soak up gravy or sauce
– Men pour drinks for women seated next to them
– Leaving a small amount of food on your plate indicates that your hosts
have provided ample hospitality
– Do not get up until you are invited to leave the table. At formal dinners,
the guest of honor is the first to get up from the table.