Part 2/8:
At the heart of Russia’s demographic crisis are three significant trends primarily stemming from historical events. The first trend relates to urbanization and industrialization, which typically correlates with a decline in birth rates. As populations move from rural areas, where children serve as labor, to urban settings, the economic burden of raising children escalates. In Russia’s case, forced urbanization under Stalin and Lavrentiy Beria led to overcrowded living conditions, particularly in small apartments, which abstained many couples from having large families.