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RUSSIAN EMERGENCE. UNIT 5. INTRODUCTION. Modern Russia began in 800s Rolling plains alllowed for many groups to roam the lands Slavs tired of fighting allowed Norsemen to establish a colony. Introduction. Russian princes ruled from 800-1200s Russian rulers adopted Orthodox Christianity
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RUSSIAN EMERGENCE UNIT 5
INTRODUCTION • Modern Russia began in 800s • Rolling plains alllowed for many groups to roam the lands • Slavs tired of fighting allowed Norsemen to establish a colony
Introduction • Russian princes ruled from 800-1200s • Russian rulers adopted Orthodox Christianity • Russian Orthodox Church grew to be a pillar of state power
RULE OF CZARS • Mongol warriors took over in 1237-ruled for about 150 years • 1300’s Russian princes began to fight back • In the 1500’s the Mongol’s were finally defeated
Expansion • 300 years of growth and expansion begins • No power could withstand Russia’s growth • Czars over saw the expansion • Peter The Great-most well known
PETER THE GREAT • Ruled late 1600’s into the early 1700’s • Expanded control to the Pacific-Eastand to the Baltic in the West • Built new Capital-St. Petersburg • Catherine the Great expanded control further West (Poland, Belarus and Ukraine)
Russia Challenged • 1812 Napoleon led an invasion of 600,000 soldiers into Russia and Moscow is captured • Napoleon defeated
Power of Czars Grows • Over the rest of the century power grows more • Czars take control of Finland, Crimean Peninsula and far eastern Siberia • Conquered and annexed lands of over 100 different ethnic groups • By the 20th century most of Northern Eurasia controlled by Russia
Social Structure • Despite the great growth, Russia remained behind the times of other Western European nations • Feudalism still remained into the 1800’s, serfs were basically slaves • Serfdom was abolished in 1861 • Many were left poor due to high prices and lack of jobs, so dissatisfaction grew
RISE OF COMMUNISM • Many unhappy with the Czars • Several defeats in WWI and food shortages led to riots • Government troops joined the rioters and the czar abdicated the throne
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION • 1917 Revolution helped to establish a government based on teachings of Karl Marx, a German economist • Social equality could be found in common ownership according to Marx • Union of Soviet Socialists Republic(USSR) is formed
SOVIET SYSTEM • Each republic had its own Soviet • The Supreme Soviet was in Moscow and made national laws • 1940 Soviet Union-annexed Baltic Nations, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
SOVIET SYSTEM • Lenin and then Stalin established a communist dictatorship • A command economy • Russians believed that communism would improve their lives
Life and Soviet Rule • Living Standard was poor • No freedom of personal choice • No freedom of speech • Resistors were imprisoned, sent to labor camps in Siberia or executed • Religious worship was suppressed
Agriculture and Industry under Communism • Collective farms formed • No incentives in communist system • Production dropped • Heavy industry emphasized
Communism and Conflict • June 1941 Germany attacks • Germany advanced far but like Napoleon could not defeat nature • May 1945 Soviet Troops gain control of Berlin • 20 Million civilians and troops die in WWII • Russian call it the “Great Patriotic War”
COLD WAR • Period after WWII • High Point of Soviet Power • Advanced weapons developed including Nuclear Weapons • 1940s-1980s Soviet Rulers control Eastern Europe
End of Communism • Reorganization began in late 1980’s • Mikhail Gorbachev, new leader, began radical reforms • Glasnost and Perestroika
POLITICAL CHANGE • New Freedoms granted • Many republics declared independence • 1991 Democratic elections held-Boris Yeltsin is first democratic president
Russia Today • Constitutional flaw-allows the president to rule by decree and ignore elected parliament • No other major parties established allowed communism to remain strong • Prosperity vs. Freedom • 2000 Vladimir Putin takes presidential role • Putin has worked to return more to communist society