| A | B |
|---|
| steppe | partly dry grassland often found on the edges of the desert |
| tundra | vast rolling treeless plain in high altitude climates |
| permafrost | permanently frozen lower layers of soil in the tundra and subarctic regions |
| taiga | huge forests of evergreen trees that grow in the subarctic regions |
| czar | name for emperor in Russia's past |
| serf | farm laborer who could be bought and sold with the land |
| industrialize | to change an economy to rely more on manufacturing and less on farming |
| Cold War | period between the 1940's and late 1980's when the United States and the Soviet Union competed for world influence without ever fighting each other |
| Communist State | Country whose government has strong control over the economy and society as a whole |
| perestroika | Soviet policy that loosened government controls and permitted its economy to move towards free enterprise |
| free enterprise system | economic system in which people start and run businesses with limited government intervention |
| glasnost | Russian policy of "openess" |
