Lesson 4: Эра Путина

Lesson Description:

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This is the fourth lesson in a series of four based on an interview with leading Russian politician, Irina Khakamada. In this lesson, you will watch two clips in which Irina Khakamada evaluates the country’s situation under President Putin, his strengths and weaknesses as a politician, and the obstacles which may prevent Russia from making a smooth transition toward democracy. Irina Khakamada also provides her views on Russia’s future, its dependency on the global oil market, and the possibility of another revolution. The lesson consists of four parts: Путин: за и против, Путин глазами современников, Будущее страны, and Заключение.

What You Will Learn:

In this lesson, you will learn about how the Russian political structure differs from the political structures of other countries, the goals Russian bureaucrats and political groups pursue, and why the Russian bureaucracy might be unable to control the situation in the country in the event of a national crisis. In this lesson you will learn about metaphoric language that Irina Khakamada uses to make her speech more expressive. You will also hear what Russian people think about their president and the reforms he has been implementing.

Learning Tips:

This lesson presents a complex portrait of Russia’s current president, Vladimir Putin. In this lesson, Putin’s personality is depicted through the eyes of a single politician and her analysis might differ from the analyses of others. In order to have a better understanding of Khakamada’s prognosis for the future of Russia, it would be helpful for you to use relevant information that you might have read in books, Russian and foreign newspapers, as well as online sources.

	Number of pages: 15
	Estimated completion time: 1 hour, 30 minutes