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Has the Fall of Communism Benefited Russia?

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Has the Fall of Communism Benefited Russia?
Has the fall of communism benefited Russia?

I have always wondered how other countries are impacted by communism, because my home country also has a few independent communist parties, such as the CPP. Communism seems like such a perfect form of government, but it does have some flaws. Ever since the fall of communism in 1991, Russia’s economy has plummeted. Communism is an economic system where everything is owned by the government, and everyone is treated and paid equally. I believe that Russia would be better off if it was still communist, because of its failing economy, high unemployment rate, high inflation, and these are only some of the problems that have occurred since its fall. Since the complete fall of the communist party in 1991, the Russian population has decreased greatly. Communism is an economic system where everything is owned by the government, and everyone is treated and paid equally. The reproduction rate in Russia has decreased about .38% in less than two decades. With such low births per year, the average age has changed from about 30 years in 1991 to about 50 years today. At this rate the average age for men and women will be 70 by 2035. With such high unemployment and poverty not many people can afford good medical and prenatal care, and because of this the birth rate is only about 9 births for every 1,000 people, as compared to 11 births in 1992. About 66 out of every 100 Russians do not like the amount of healthcare they get from their jobss, or the government. The birth rate is about half the death rate, which is about 14 deaths for every 1,000 people. This is a 13 percent increase since 1992. Another factor in death is suicide and homicides. The main cause of suicides and deaths is alcohol poisoning. This makes up about 29 deaths for every 100,000 people. About 40% of all Russians are alcoholics; this is because of the anti-alcohol act from when Russia was making the change from communism to a democracy. Another leading cause is



Bibliography: "Commanding Heights : Mikhail Gorbachev | on PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/int_mikhailgorbachev.html>. "Current Russian Stats." The School of Russian and Asian Studies - Study, Research, and Travel in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. School of Russian and Asian Studies. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sras.org/news2.php?m=574>. Dudley, William. Russia Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2001. Print. "End of Communism Cheered But Now With More Reservations." Pew Research Center. 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1396/european-opinion-two-decades-after-berlin-wall-fall-communism>. "Fall of Communism." Oracle Thinkquest Education Foundation. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://library.thinkquest.org/C0112205/communismfalls.html>. Kelley, Colleen, Kori Werner, and Tabitha Lurz. "Russia 's Population Fallout: The Aftermath of Communism." People.usd.edu. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. "Russia." Country Data. Web. 05 Mar. 2011. <http://www.country-ata.com/frd/cs/rutoc.html#ru0034>.

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