Ch. 16, section 1
Transcript of Ch. 16, section 1
Russia and the Western Republics
Chapter 16, section 1
Birth of an Empire Russian state began in the region between the
Baltic and Black Seas
Birth of an EmpireVikings settled near present-day Kiev on
the Dnieper River
Birth of an Empire Viking expansion was halted in the 13th century by
the arrival of Mongolian invaders, the Tartars
Birth of an EmpireThe fierceness of the Mongolian warriors
is legendaryControlled the region until the 1500sPushed out by Ivan the Great (Moscow
prince)
By the 17th century, the Russian Empire expanded to the Pacific Ocean
Russia lags behind Western Europe
Behind in science and technology
Peter the Great tried to change RussiaMoved capitol to St.
Petersburg Idolized Europe and
felt it was superior so he tried to mimic them
•Forced nobles to dress more European and cut off beards
•Anyone who wanted to keep their beard had to pay a tax
Russia lags behindDid not industrialize until the end of the
1800sResulted in harsh working conditions, low
wages and other hardships
Contributed to the people’s anger against the czars
Rise of the Soviet Union 1917 – Russian revolution resulted in the end of
the rule of the czars
Petrograd, 4 July 1917. Street demonstration on Nevsky Prospekt just after troops of the Provisional Government have opened fire with machine guns.
Rise of the Soviet UnionRussian Communist
Party took control of the government, led by V.I. Lenin
By 1922 they reorganized all the people absorbed by Russia’s expansion into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)a.k.a – Soviet Union
Rise of the Soviet Union Moved capitol back to
Moscow By WWII, Joseph Stalin
had taken control Installed pro-Soviet
governments in Eastern European countries they had gained control of during WWII
Stalin’s Kill Listup to 14.5 million needlessly starved to
death At least one million executed for political
"offenses" At least 9.5 million more deported, exiled
or imprisoned in work camps, with many of the estimated five million sent to the 'Gulag Archipelago' never returning alive
Building a Command Economy
Inspired by the works of Karl MarxSaid capitalism was doomed
and would be replaced with communism
Believed if citizens would own property together, then everyone would share the wealth
Adopted a command economy – central gov’t makes all important economic decisions
Building a Command Economy
Took control of the major sources of state’s wealth
Gov’t decided what products factories would manufacture, what crops farms would grow, and what prices merchants would charge
Industrialization became a major goal
Building a Command Economy Created collective farms
– large teams of laborers were gathered to work together
Millions of citizens starved to death in famines caused by the creation of collective farms
Police quickly punished any form of protest
Cold War
Stalin’s desire to spread communism led to tension between the USSR and the U.S. called the Cold WarNever grew into open warfareContinued from the 1940s – 1991
Fall of the Soviet Union
In the 1980’s, Mikhail Gorbachev stared giving people more freedom which led to the collapse of the Communist gov’t in 1991
Fall of the Soviet Union Divided into 15 independent republics
Russia is the largest and most powerfulPopularly elected president and the Federal Assembly
– 2 chambers: Federation Council and the State Duma
A Rich CultureRich variety of ethnic groups due to
Russian expansionNearly 70 groups make up Russia’s
diverse populationMost Russians are Eastern Orthodox
ChristianOther religions include Buddhism, Islam, and
Judaism
A Rich Culture Art and religion are closely related
Churches are among the region’s earliest artistic achievements
Writers, composers, and artists have also given attention to the culture of this region
Russian Life
Major Russian cities resemble major cities in the West
Rye bread and Kasha are traditional foods made from grain grown in the region’s steppe
Russian Life¼ of Russia’s population live in rural areas
but nearly 30% own country homes (dachas)
Russian LifeBanya – Bathhouse in which Russians
perform a cleaning ritual