Abstract
This paper explains that Boris Karloff, one of the most notable names in 20th century, cinematic horror, is best known for bringing Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" monster to life in the 1931 black-and-white horror film by Universal Studios. The author points out that Karloff did not consider "type casting" to be a curse and thought himself fortunate that audiences and studios had recognized and appreciated his talent for certain parts. The paper lists other major films: "The Mask of Fu Manchu," which required extensive make-up and heavy dialogue; "The Raven," with Bela Lugosi playing another villain with serious deformities; "The Bride of Frankenstein," considered to be the best of the Frankenstein series; and "Son of Frankenstein," the final Frankenstein film starring Karloff as the Monster, although he would actually make appearances in later Frankenstein films.

From the Paper
"Boris Karloff was not the given name of the famous actor. Born in London, England, his given name was actually far more British than stage-friendly; William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887. He was the youngest of eight children, and it was actually his older brothers that would raise him. His father actually died when he was a young infant. Karloff's father had been a public official in India, and the family expected that the child would follow a similar path and take the place of the father in the family. One of his older brothers, the longest surviving Sir John Pratt, was himself a diplomat. For his early school days, he attended Merchant Taylor's School at Uppingham, a prestigious institution. For higher education, he would attend London University, where he specialized in Chinese customs in the Consular Service program."

Tags:frankenstein, pratt, universal, type, monster

Abstract
This paper examines how the first democratically elected president in Russia, Boris Yeltsin, distanced himself from his initial political platform and how pioneering a new path in Russia is more involved than any democracy can guarantee. The author discusses how, since Yeltsin, the political system in Russia has moved in the right direction. However, it is still a hybrid system which requires more time and change to be implemented before Russia can become fully democratic.

From the Paper
"Boris Yeltsin was the first democratically elected president in Russia, but was he preaching democracy for the sake of the country, or was he preaching democracy because he inevitably wanted to open a free market and he used democracy as the system to incorporate change from the collapsed Soviet regime? Opening the market economy and accelerating the privatization of industry and land was initiated under the 500 day plan. (p.368). However, how were the Russian people supposed to relate and benefit from the open market if they didn't even understand the concept of an open market? Was the voucher system supposed to solve everything? The inability to understand the market or privatization is directly linked to how Yeltsin introduced these ideologies to society. The 1991 coup already ignited chaos among a restless society, coupled with Yeltsin's call to eradicate communism; these two events only provoked a sense of uncertainty and instability among the country. Was this path, cut out by Yeltsin, eventually going to lead to democracy for Russia? Were the citizens going to receive civil liberties and individual freedoms? Directly after the coup, prior to Yeltsin becoming president, Yeltsin outlawed the Communist Party in Russia and he closed down Communist newspapers. (p.373). Outlawing the communist party was Yeltsin's first action which linked him to the old Soviet regime. Even though he was closing down a Communist newspaper, which was a conflicting party with the Democratic Platform; censorship is clearly not a tool used in democracy, and Yeltsin was providing a clear sign that democracy was a long way ahead for Russia. This journey often left many people doubting whether Russia could ever become a democracy?"

Tags:democracy, USSR, communism, communists, soviet, russia

From the Paper
"Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago challenged a number of socialist tenets in political, social, and literary terms, and it was banned in the Soviet Union as a consequence for 30 years. Politically, the novel questions the reality of the Soviet system as it developed, finding that the promise of the Bolsheviks was dissipated in the early years as changes were made in the social and political beliefs they had offered. In literary terms, the novel breaks away from the prevailing school of social realism, which in itself had been turned into a deliberate political statement and almost a political requirement for socialist-accepted writing. The novel intentionally deals with the early years of the Soviet system rather than with the Stalinist years. Pasternak had lived through both eras, but in this novel he was only challenging the way the Bolsheviks had abandoned their..."

From the Paper
"This study will examine Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, focusing on the spiritual aspects of the novel and particularly of the character of Yuri Zhivago. The study will consider the theme of death and resurrection as it reflects upon the symbolic nature of the novel and the spiritual philosophy of Yuri as an artist and as a man. The thesis of the study will be that Zhivago's entire novel is a spiritual universe unto itself, with the author's having depicted characters who, whatever their individual flaws, together form a symbolic unity of life and spirit.

This thesis is supported by the argument of Angela Livingstone in Pasternak: Doctor Zhivago. Of the main characters, Livingstone writes that " . . . Yuri, Lara and (through his influence) Vedenyapin [Uncle Nikolai] constitute at ..."

Abstract
The paper provides a synopsis of Alexandr Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman", the drama "Boris Godunov" and the tale of "Boris and Gleb". The paper describes the profoundly Christian morals of "Boris and Gleb" which defined early middle ages Russia, the political tribulations behind the accession to the throne in imperialistic Russia of the 17th century depicted in "Boris Godunov" and the social consequences of Russian expansionism as suggested through metaphors in "The Bronze Horseman". The paper also shows how each of these three literary works are valuable pieces of literature as well as testimonials of their eras.

From the Paper
"Before writing plays, Pushkin was an accomplished poet. But then he discovered Shakespeare and his manner of writing changed forever. Although his plays were revolutionary, the state of the theater during Pushkin's time was not favorable to his writings mainly because people went to the theater to see old-fashioned historical tragedies and the French vaudeville that was penetrating the Russian theater scene. Moreover, the theater lacked good Russian plays on Russian themes despite the fact that the Russian theater was never short of good playwrights. "

Tags:tradition, religion, Christianity, history, Tsar, throne

Abstract
The writer of this paper explores the character of Larissa Fyodorovna Guishar in Boris Pasternak's Russian novel "Dr. Zhivago." This paper considers Larissa's background, lifestyle and relationships while emphasizing the turmoil during the Russian revolution. Throughout the novel Larissa is portrayed as extremely irrational and potentially dangerous while at the same time reasonable and affectionate. Her role in the novel is to assist in developing the theme of the love between a man and a woman. This paper describes the plot of the novel while detailing the growing bond between Larissa and Dr. Yuri Zhivago.

From the Paper
"Larrisa, or Lara as she is usually called, is a graceful, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She was motivated to make the best marks at school in order to pay reduced fees, and had a fully formed figure at the age of 16. As a young girl she attracted the attention of her mother's friend Komarovsky, which lead to a strange relationship between the two. She seems like a victim to the rich, older Komarovsky but she does not resist his advances. The relationship they have is a secret and if Lara is uncomfortable with the situation, she certainly is not uncomfortable with the money and attention she receives. After finally breaking away from him, she plans to marry Pasha Antipov but finds herself tied up with Komarovsky again. When preparing to ask Komoravsky for money, she brings a loaded revolver planning to shoot him if he refuses but shoots another man instead."

Tags:literature, russian, analysis, character, review, novel

Abstract
This paper suggests that because of the creation of certain institutions of government, Russia is institutionally closer to democracy than it was ten years ago. Its newly structured (some would say deconstructed) economy has generated enough new wealth that its populace will not accept a return to a command economy. But its ability to create a functional democracy that will honor a people's social and civil rights is just as tenuous as it was in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin came to power.

From the Paper
"According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition, a democracy is a a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as possible from restraints not self-imposed. It insists that necessary restraints be imposed only by the consent of the majority and that they conform to the principle of equality. Given this definition of democracy, is Russia any closer to a fully functioning, democratic system of government than it was ten years ago when Boris Yeltsin assumed the presidency?"

Tags:Soviet, Communism, COmmunist, election, reform, democratic

Abstract
The end of the Cold War found Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin seeking solutions for problems that needed to be solved. Their attempts to reform the socialist state are reviewed in this paper, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
Outline
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Gorbachev's Glasnost
Yeltsin and Democratization
Analysis
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In many ways, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power during a period in Soviet history where things had been going downhill for some time, and the Old Guard was dying off; however, the primary catalyst for reform during Gorbachev period of glasnost, or "openness," was one of economics. For example, in their book, Glasnost, Perestroika and the Socialist Community, Bukowski and Walsh (1990) report that, "The impetus for reform in the Soviet Union came from a number of directions, but the factor of fundamental importance was the economic one. Gorbachev's economic reforms are meant to revitalize a stagnant Soviet economy that has been growing at only about 2 percent annually for a decade. The reasons for the slowdown are partly internal and structural, and partly external." "

Tags:socialism, soviet, union, perestroika

Abstract
This paper examines how two particularly influential writers from 20th century Soviet Russia are Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Boris Pasternak. It looks at how each of these authors contributed both to literary movements of their time and to political disputes and policies. It explores how, although both men's works of literature were officially banned by the state at some point, the notions published within eventually influenced the political minds and philosophies that came to dominate Russia.

From the Paper
"Boris Pasternak took a unique view of literature by comparison to his predecessors in that he refused to overtly endorse or condemn the events of history-most significantly, the Bolshevik revolution. On one level, this made his writing non-threatening to the communist party, but on another, it made is omissions of undeniable patriotism highly questionable in the views of party authorities. "While opportunists celebrated five-year plans, Stalin's wisdom, and official enlightenment, Pasternak refused to see literature as a means of mass communications and to compose topical and functional verse." (Slonim, 218). This perspective parallels that of his central character in his most famous work, Dr. Zhivago."

Tags:doctor, zhivago, bolshevik, revolution, communist

Abstract
The paper examines whether Russia, which had made significant progress towards democracy under Gorbachev, is slowly being led back to an authoritarian-like rule by Putin or whether Putin is hamstrung by his predecessor, Yeltsin. The author believes that Gorbachev made exemplary strides in taking Russia on the path of democracy. His successors' policies, however, caused Russia to take serious steps backwards in this process. The paper is especially critical of Yeltsin and Putin, citing their backgrounds and personalities as leading to the current backward trends in Russian attempts at democracy.

From the Paper
"Over the past century, the Russian Federation has undergone numerous changes in government. From a Tsarist regime in the early 1900s to a totalitarian state under brutal dictator Joseph Stalin, to its present, semi-democracy under ex-KGB leader Vladimir Putin, it's a wonder that Russia has been able to sustain its position as a world power for all these years. In the past decade, Russia had been making an effort to rid themselves of their totalitarian (and communist) past, by moving the government towards democracy, thanks to progressive leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. However, in recent years, Putin has strayed from the democratic path. By taking such measures as jailing his main Presidential opposition, and with the Duma, Russia's parliament, practically controlled by his party, Putin has given himself more power than his predecessors ever had. This, combined with what many call an "anti-democratic culture", has outsiders questioning whether Russia is again veering off course. The main question is whether it's solely Putin's fault for the present state of the Russian government, or if his predecessors left him with little room to maneuver."

Tags:boris, gorbachev, mikhail, putin, russia, soviet, union, vladimir, yeltsin