 It's not a secret that Russia, as a nation and as a culture, is not doing well in the current world. The societal problems caused by communism, coupled with the international humiliation of the collapse of the Soviet Union, have left Russia in a tricky position. Many of its former allies have left them to join the American fold. However, I believe that Russia can rebound. There are several opportunities that it can take advantage of and restabilize its position in the international community, though Russia and its people will need to be willing to have a radical societal shift in order to do so. In this video, I will explain what Russia can do to save itself. It's important to look into why the country is the way it is today and what its problems are. Before the Soviet Union came along, Russia was experiencing great population growth and was somewhat in the process of industrialization. Though the Soviet Union continued this industrialization, it was at the cost of a great deal of Russia's population. People were purged for dissidence, association with the previous regime, or anyone from the Communist Party deemed harmful to society. Birth rates were artificially slowed before the country could properly industrialize, so the country was both poor and barely growing when birth rates fell below replacement levels in the 70s. Russia's culture was also forcibly demolished, as the Communist purged religion and art was highly regulated, with only state-supported art being allowed. After the Soviet Union fell, Russia was left as a country without direction or purpose, as all of the institutions, most notably the Orthodox Church, that kept the Russian people united or destroyed during Soviet times. In the West, Russia often gets a reputation of being a very dangerous country, with alcoholics, horrible drivers, the mafia, and a very high homicide rate. During the 1990s and early 2000s, these stereotypes were certainly true, as Russia's homicide rate hit more than 30 for 100,000 people in several years during that time period. This is a rate similar to Brazil, a country notorious for its homicide rate. In stark contrast, the murder rate in Russia today is only around 5 per 100,000, similar to other Western nations. Alcoholism has also created a huge gap in the sex ratio of the country, as men, being much more affected by this epidemic, have a much lower life expectancy. The rate of alcoholism, however, is also dropping in the country, yet Russia still has one of the highest rates of alcoholics globally. The current population is also not reproducing, as the birth rates still remain below replacement levels, staying around 1.5 births per woman. Unfortunately there are no optimistic signs showing an end to this issue. At least Russia has a positive net migration rate, meaning more people are moving to the country than out of it. I will now explain three different ways that Russia can fix its internal issues, and why doing these things are important. We may also find a few things that the West can learn from what Russia is already doing right. Number one, promoting the Orthodox culture. This is one area where Russia is already rebounding in a positive direction. The Russian Empire expanded for the purpose of spreading the religion of the country, and it remained a force to unite the Russian people. This institution also formed bonds with other Orthodox nations in the South and East of Europe, especially with Serbia and Romania. Though the Soviet Union tried to remove it, a growing number of Russians are returning to the Orthodox Church. Vladimir Putin, an Orthodox Christian himself, is also promoting Russian culture in other ways, including this aspect. However, his status as an Orthodox Christian is disputed. Religious societies have greater birth rates, better social cohesion, and a common identity, as religion can be used to give a society a greater purpose, simultaneously to the individual and to the nation. Such societies understand the importance of the preservation of their culture, values and traditions, with greater emphasis being put on the group than the individual. We can also expect further drops in murder and alcoholism if this trend continues, as the individual man will be far more accountable to the society as a whole. The issue in this promotion of Orthodox culture mostly regards the ethnic minorities in the country that are not Christian. An alternative may be to have a few recognized religions, but to promote some common national and cultural values instead. Number two, promoting Russian culture. Russia has seemed somewhat of a revival of its religious side of its culture, but Russian nationalism is also on the rise. This is one area where it is doing a good job, as the country is seeing its history promoted and glorified in its schools, and some badass military ads to go along with it, showing how tough their troops are. Vladimir Putin's persona also gives Russian something to look up to, and though many people find his bear-riding picture as humorous, it is in fact a great way to promote a less sedentary and more honorable lifestyle for the average Russian. Once again, it is another way to promote national unity, and to create a responsible individual, accountable to the greater society. Just saying, countries in the West should take notes. Not that we should have authoritarian dictatorships, but that the national identity should be something to be looked up to, not something to be shamed. When the culture was demonized in Russia 100 years ago with the October Revolution, the entire society was sent into disarray. I really hope Russia has learned their lesson, and at the moment I'm cautiously optimistic about their developments. Number three, preservation and expansion of the Russian people. As I've explained in my last Geopolitical video, China poses a major threat to Russia as the world is getting warmer. With new farmlands opening in Siberia, China has the potential to flood its people up there and seize the territory from Russia. If the nation can promote its cultural and religious values of social preservation and cohesion, they can turn around their horribly low birth rate. Doing so would give Russia the potential to reinforce their ethnic majority in Siberia, and with new farmlands create a booming population. However, this is by far the most difficult thing for Russia to push forward in its agenda to greatness, and unfortunately it's the most crucial piece. Without people, the society cannot grow, and therefore stagnate and recede to the periphery of the rural political system. In my video on Brazil, I explained how they could create new cities in former rural areas to create large hubs for trade and create millions of jobs, therefore expanding the economy. Russia can do the same thing in Siberia, and though it has several large cities out there already, they will need more, especially in the newly habitable lands, closest to the natural resources. The Yamalov-Nenets region in northwestern Siberia could be one of the largest industrial and manufacturing hubs in the country if this were to go forward, kind of like the Midwest of Russia. In conclusion, Russia is a country with great potential to rebound, but they will need to overcome a century of horrific demographic and cultural loss and convince the world that they are a culture and a nation to be admired and followed. I will explain how Russia can use its improved internal policy to help out their foreign policy in my next video. Thank you all for watching. 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