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Ivan the Terrible conquers the Tatar khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan and establishes Russian rule over lower and middle Volga.
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Cossacks begin conquering Siberia.
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Peter the Great introduces far-reaching reforms, including creating a regular conscript army and navy, subordinating the church to himself and creating new government structures.
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Russia acquires Crimea as well as parts of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Georgia
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Russia intervenes in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars in France, defeating Napoleon's invasion in 1812 and participating in his overthrow.
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Caucasian war in which Russian forces face determined resistance to their bid to annex North Caucasus.
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Crimean war.
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The area of what is now the Central Asian republics annexed
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Social Democratic Party founded and in 1903 splits into Bolshevik and Menshevik factions.
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Russian expansion in Manchuria leads to war with Japan - and the 1905 revolution, which forced Tsar Nicholas II to grant a constitution and establish a parliament, or Duma.
