Kayla Brown

Part 2 of Russia Project

Is Russia truly democratic today or is it still an authoritarian state?

I believe Russia is still an authoritarian state because it is not truly democratic. An

authoritarian state means the government is enforcing strict obedience to authority which takes
away personal freedom. In 1924, Joseph Stalin rose to power and ruled the Soviet Union through
fear. There were four methods used by the Soviet Union leaders to have total control over the
people. Police terror and violence was used to force obedience. The police would spy on citizens
and intimidate them. Also, the police would use brutal force and murder. Indoctrination was used
to mold citizens minds. Indoctrination starts with the young citizens. The young people are
encouraged by youth groups and enforced by schools. Indoctrination made the government have
control over education and citizens beliefs. Propaganda and censorship was used to sway
citizens opinions to accept the governments beliefs. Lastly, the Soviet Union created enemies
of the state which were religious or ethnic groups. Religious and ethnic groups were forced to
live in certain areas and be subjected for rules that only apply to them. Russia was not a
democratic state in 1924 and still is not today. Religious beliefs were a problem before and still
are today in Russia. Stalin used a group of atheists to spread propaganda that would attack
religion. There was a museum of atheism, the museum showed exhibits to make the citizens
believe that religious beliefs were just superstitions. The police would destroy magnificent
churches and religious leaders were sent to labor camps or murdered. Stalin had total control
over society and his power eliminated human rights in Russia. In 2012, Russia imposed
restrictions on freedom of religion. I dont believe that Russia is democratic because Russia is on
Human Rights watch. Russia has many problems with freedom of religion among problems with
other human rights. Russia believes that other religious beliefs besides the traditional belief of
the Orthodox Church are a disgrace to the country. Moscow views the Muslim beliefs as a
nontraditional beliefs that are outside the Russian culture. There has been raids on Muslim
homes, mosques and schools. The government is interfering with personal places of worship and
they are violating the human right of freedom of religion. The Russian government has been
accused many times of discriminating against citizens who have other beliefs other than the
Orthodox Christianity. The Russian government is still trying to have control over personal
beliefs and religion, which makes Russia an authoritarian state. In 2013, the parliament in Russia
adopted a law that bans promotion of propaganda of nontraditional relationships like transgender,
gay, lesbian or bisexual among children. There was another law passed in 2013, which bans
adoption of Russia children by couples who are not married or foreign same sex couples. These
are just some examples of human rights being violated in Russia today. Another human right
being violated is freedom of the press. President Vladimir Putin had signed a bill that restricts
foreigners to only 20% of Russian media. There are also many problems with the health care
system in Russia. There is money in Russia for war but Russia doesnt have money for medicine.
After researching about the human rights being violated in Russia, I believe that Russia is still an
authoritarian state.