Russian History: How can corruption and conflict within the government and citizens affect a country over time? At what point should a revolution occur?
By whgda
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Jan 16, 1547
Ivan IV (The Terrible) becomes Tsar
Ivan IV acquired land through his 51 years of reigning. Was a ruthless leader. Ivan was a very intelligent man but was sometimes a victim to uncontrollable rage. His two main goals were resisting the Mongol Golden Horde and gaining the access to the Baltic Sea. Ivan caused disruption to the economy as well as to the culture. He took away people’s private lands and handed them to his own, he created a police force that was used to destroy those with differing opinions. -
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Time of Troubles in Moscow
The reason this Civil War (period of troubles) started was because people were unhappy with their political standings and famine (freezing temperatures wrecked the crops in the nighttime) also began to arise in Moscow. The cause of the unhappiness of the citizens is because their normal government style was deteriorating.The famine occurring killed over ⅓ of the population (more than 2 million people). Lost their control of their western territories and got captured by Poles in 1610. -
Michael Romanov becomes Tsar
Helped restore order Russia after Ivan the Terrible’s reign. He was 16 and poorly educated when he became tsar. Michael’s father dominated the government, which increased diplomatic, commercial, and cultural contact with western Europe, made extensive use of the zemsky sobor, diverse ways to solve financial concerns, reformed government, and strengthened serfdom. When his father died, Michael’s relatives again played a large role in his government until he died.Throne left to his son Alexis. -
Peter the Great
Introduces many reforms, such as a regular conscript army and navy, subordinating the Orthodox Church to himself and reorganizing government structures along European lines. Peter the Great also introduced new ways of dividing the territory of the country. He had a main focus on science to educate people on the upcoming technology. Some of his other accomplishments include modernizing the Russian alphabet, introducing the Julian calendar, and establishing the first Russian newspaper. -
Catherine II (Catherine the Great)
Catherine the great was the empress of Russia for more than 30 years (1762-1796). She focused on modernizing Russian arts and education. She made efforts in social and political reforms. Catherine wrote up a document referred to as the “Nakaz” which essentially was how she felt the legal system would run. This document included capital punishment and torture rules. Catherine II is well known as well trying to enhance equality. Influenced by Voltaire from Enlightenment. -
Russian Resistance to Armies Under Napoleon
In June of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte set out to invade and conquest Russia with an army of about 453,000 from his empire and allies, eventually having an army of about 612,000 involved in the Russian Campaign. The Russian gave up much ground, eventually abandoning Moscow. Napoleon began his retreat in October of 1812 after losing over 500,000 of his army, his army numbered at about 110,000. This campaign failure is considered one of the defeats which led to the downfall of the French Empire. -
Leo Tolstoy
Writer who wrote the infamous ‘War and Peace’. Tolstoy found the Russian Orthodox Church to be corrupt and published ‘The Mediator. After his controversial beliefs, Tolstoy was under close monitor of the secret police. In the last 30 years of his life, Tolstoy referred to himself as a moral and religious leader. He had ideas of nonviolent resistance to evil and these same ideas influenced Mahatma Gandhi. -
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky was an activist who helped the beginning of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and helped build the Red Army. Leon Trotsky returned to Russia after hearing there were unarmed demonstrators killed by the Imperial Guard, known as Bloody Sunday. At the end of 1905 Trotsky became a leader of the movement. Trotsky was a leader of an anti-Stalinist opposition. Trotsky had wishes for peace by calling armistice negotiations with warring countries. He came up with the formula “no war, no peace” -
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Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky was an activist who helped the beginning of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and helped build the Red Army. Leon Trotsky returned to Russia after hearing there were unarmed demonstrators killed by the Imperial Guard, known as Bloody Sunday. At the end of 1905 Trotsky became a leader of the movement. Trotsky was a leader of an anti-Stalinist opposition. Trotsky had wishes for peace by calling armistice negotiations with warring countries. He came up with the formula “no war, no peace” -
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Russian Revolution
Poor performance in the war and the economy caused many mutinies in the armed forces and street disturbances in major cities. Therefore, liberal leaders forced Tsar Nicholas II to give up his position, and a series of provisional governments seek to continue the war against Germany, despite their disintegrating military and unrest at home. Then the Bolsheviks later overthrow the provisional government, suppress elected constituent assembly, establish “Dictatorship of the Proletariat". -
Nicholas II
Nicholas II was the last tsar of the Russian Empire, ruler of the White Army during the Russian Revolution against the Bolsheviks. Nicholas had assumed power in 1894 and led Russia in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. However, because he led so poorly during this time and allowed for Bloody Sunday, a massacre of peaceful protesters protesting the Russo-Japanese War, the Bolsheviks executed Nicholas and his family in July of 1918. -
Stalin Becomes Dictator
Bolsheviks reorganize remnants of the Russian Empire under the new name “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,” known as the USSR or the Soviet Union. Josef Stalin rose as their leader and under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed into a industrial and military superpower. However, this came at an immense cost of fear and brutality, with Stalin causing the death of millions of Russians and the worst famine in history. -
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World War II
In 1941, despite signing a peace pact in 1939, Hitler launched an offensive into the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, officially dragging Russia into World War II. This strategy ultimately led to the defeat of Germany after the advance of the German army was halted by the Russian winter. Russians regrouped and rebuilt their armies using their great industrial strength, pushing the Germans back and allowing the German capital of Berlin to be captured in April and May of 1945. -
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Cold War
The relationship with the Soviet Union and the United States was diminishing. Soviets hated Americans for America’s late entry into WWII as well as US not viewing the USSR as being ‘legitimate’. USSR viewed the Americans as being cowards. The Cold War was inevitable. President Richard Nixon came into office and started sanctions to use diplomacy over aggression to create more poles. S.A.L.T which prohibited the producing of nuclear missiles by both sides. -
Fall of the USSR
In 1991, the structure of the Soviet Union was crumbling as the democratic movements in many of its territories began to take hold. The Soviet Coup of 1991, however, was the true final stand of the Russian Communist Party by hardcore Communist leaders with goals of reestablishing the old party values once more. Major Russian territories declared independence. These events then left the Russian government open for a democratic takeover and the ban of the Communist party of Russia. -
Election of Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin won 53 percent of the votes with his promises for political and economic reforms. His goals were to launch criminal investigations into suspicious activity as well as restructuring the government. Putin was a huge impact behind Russia’s support of the terrorist attacks occurring on September 11th 2001.
