General Information About Russia
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Transcript General Information About Russia
General Information
About Russia
Official
Name: RUSSIAN
FEDERATION
17,075,200 square miles (1.8
times the size of U.S.A.)
Capital – Moscow, made up of
8,369,000 people
Total Population– 140,041,247
Main Language– Russian
Religions:
15-20% Russian
Orthodox, 10-15% Muslim, 2%
other Christian
Current Leader: President Dmitriy
Medvedev & Premier Vladimir
Putin
Currency: RUBLE (31.60 rubles=
$1)
Average Income: $7,700 (U.S. is
$27,108)
The
former Soviet Republics,
although independent, have
formed the COMMONWEALTH
OF INDEPENDENT STATES
(CIS)
Russia is the figurehead leader
of the CIS
The Rise of Russia
500
B.C.E. (Roman Times) a
people called the SLAVS
moved into southern Russia
800’s C.E. – Missionaries from
Constantinople converted Slavs
to Eastern Orthodox
Christianity
863
C.E. –
Cyrillic
alphabet
created to
translate
Greek bible
An educated
class forms
1200’s
C.E. – Mongols
conquered Russia and cut it off
from Western Europe
1462-1505 C.E. – Ivan III (Ivan
the Great)
The first CZAR (Russian word
for Caesar), brought Northern
Russia under his control
Was an AUTOCRAT – ruler
with unlimited power
1533-1584 C.E.–Ivan the Terrible
Ruled with
ABSOLUTE
POWER
Centralized royal
power
Bound serfs to land
& cut BOYARS’
(nobles) privileges
SERF
– landless peasant who
worked the nobles’ land for “free”
Created
a secret police force
Reign of terror against
powerful Boyars to crush them
– earned his nickname
Introduce reforms like a new
law code
Encouraged FEUDALISM –
Boyars given land by czar to
strengthen their bonds w/him
1598-1613 C.E. – Time of Trouble
There
was no MIDDLE CLASS
Boyars feuded over the throne
Peasants revolted & foreign
invaders entered Russia
Michael Romanov finally elected
by Boyars and began the
Romanov Dynasty (ruling family),
which ended in 1917
1682-1725 C.E.- Peter the Great
Westernized
Russia
Modernized the
army & navy
Made government
more efficient
Built capital of St.
Petersburg –
”window on the
West”
Used
force and terror to make
people follow his orders (men
had to shave beards, all had to
wear western-style clothing)
Although Russia strengthened,
large gap still existed between
Russia and Western Europe
1725-1727 C.E. – Catherine I
Russia’s
1st
empress
Daughter of
Lithuanian
peasant
Did not have
real power
1727-1730 C.E. – Peter II
Grandson
of
Peter the Great
Young orphan
Became czar at
11
Died on his
wedding day of
Smallpox
1730-1740 C.E. – Anna Ivanovna
Internal
stability
Successful
foreign policy
1740-1741 C.E. – Ivan VI
Became
czar at 2
months old
Overthrown by
order of Peter the
Great’s daughter
Sent away to live
in secrecy
1741-1761 C.E.– Elizaveta Petrovna
Daughter
of Peter the
Great
Improved economy
Many treaties made
between foreign
countries
Abolished capital
punishment
1761-1762 C.E. – Peter III
Banned
persecution
of dissenters
Released gentry from
compulsory military
service
Overthrown by his
wife
Imprisoned & killed
1762-1796 C.E.–Catherine the Great
Obtained
Boyars’
support by exempting
them from taxes &
giving them complete
control over the serfs
“Enlightened” ruler–
encouraged Western
thought
1762-1796 C.E.–Catherine the Great
Successful
foreign
policy: expanded
Russia’s border to the
Black Sea and
defeated Ottoman
Empire
Also took over part of
Poland
1796-1801 C.E. – Paul I
Son
of Catherine
the Great
Liberated Poles
Limited power of
landowners over
serfs
Suffocated in his
sleep (murdered)
1801-1825 C.E. – Alexander I
Made many liberal
reforms: partial
liberation for serfs
Eased censorship &
promoted
education
Drew back from
reform after
Napoleon’s invasion
Napoleon and Russia
Tried to invade Russia after the
French Revolution
1812 – Battle for Moscow
75,000 died in one day
Russians burned Moscow to the
ground
Napoleon got stuck in the Russian
winter
Lost 500,000 men
1825-1855 C.E. – Nicholas I
“Orthodoxy,
autocracy, &
nationalism”
Put down
Decembrist Revolt
(liberals)
Strict, harsh ruler –
used police spies
Militarized Russia
1825-1855 C.E. – Nicholas I
Outlawed
Western
philosophy – banned
books
Jailed or
institutionalized
those with liberal or
revolutionary ideas
Lost Crimean War to
France/Britain
1825-1855 C.E. – Nicholas I
Realized
Russia
needed reform
Issued new law code
& made some
economic reforms
Even tried to limit
power of landowners
over serfs (but didn’t
want to anger nobles)
1855-1881 C.E. – Alexander II
1861
- Abolished
serfdom
Brought problems
– serfs too poor to
buy land & lands
allotted to peasants
too small to
support a family
Discontent festered
1855-1881 C.E. – Alexander II
But
peasants
moved to cities &
helped build
industries
Local gov’t set up –
ZEMSTVOS
(elected
assemblies)
1855-1881 C.E. – Alexander II
Introduced trial by
jury, eased censorship
& tried to reform
military
Women left homes to
study abroad
Sold Alaska to the U.S.
Assassinated by
terrorists
1881-1894 C.E. – Alexander III
Turned
against
reform and
returned to
repression
Revived secret
police, restored
censorship, &
exiled critics to
Siberia
1881-1894 C.E. – Alexander III
Launched
program of
RUSSIFICATION
(suppress
cultures of nonRussians)
One language &
one church
1881-1894 C.E. – Alexander III
Persecuted
Russian Jews
POGROMS –
violent mob
attacks on Jews
Many Jews fled
Russia as
refugees
1881-1894 C.E. – Alexander III
Russia
did enter
an industrial age
Railroad building
occurred &
foreign capital
invested in
industry
Social problems
increased
1881-1894 C.E. – Alexander III
Workers faced long
hours, low pay,
poverty, disease, and
poor housing
Marxism began to
appeal to these
workers
Plot to kill czar was
foiled (Lenin’s brother
executed)