Russian History: From Rus' to Mongol Invasions

• Russia's history includes autocracy, expansion, reform, and revolution.
• The area of today's Russia has been inhabited for millennia by groups including Slavs.
• East Slavs formed the basis of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian people.
• Russian history traditionally starts with the 9th-century Rus' state in Kyiv (Ukraine).
• The Rus' were a mix of Slavic and Varangian (Viking) people.
• In 988, Vladimir the Great adopted Orthodox Christianity, impacting culture and religion.
• Kyiv was a major political and cultural center but fragmented due to internal and external pressures.

Mongol Invasions

• The 13th-century Mongol invasion devastated Rus'.
• Rus' lands were under Mongol rule (the Golden Horde) for over two centuries.
• Some principalities were destroyed, while Moscow rose by cooperating with the Mongols.
• Moscow's rulers consolidated power and expanded territory.

Rise of Moscow

• Moscow's princes became dominant in the Rus' lands through skillful maneuvering.
• They gained favor from Mongol Khans and collected tribute.
• The Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church moved to Moscow, boosting the city's prestige.
• Ivan III (Ivan the Great) broke free from Mongol control in 1480.
• Ivan III and successors declared themselves Tsars (Caesars) of all Russia, successors to the Byzantine emperors after Constantinople's fall in 1453.

Early Tsardom

• Early Tsars, such as Ivan IV (the Terrible), centralized power and expanded Russia by conquest.
• Ivan IV's reign involved extreme cruelty and an autocratic state.
• The Time of Troubles followed the end of the Rurik dynasty in the late 16th-early 17th centuries
• The Time of Troubles included famine, civil war, and foreign intervention.
• The Romanov dynasty was established in 1613, ending the Time of Troubles.

Romanov Dynasty

• The Romanovs consolidated power and expanded the Russian Empire.
• Peter the Great (late 17th-early 18th centuries) modernized Russia along Western European lines with sweeping reforms.
• Peter the Great reformed the military, built a navy, established industries, and moved the capital to St. Petersburg.
• Catherine the Great (late 18th century) continued modernization and expansion, acquiring territories like Crimea.
• The Russian Empire became a major European power.

19th Century

• The 19th century featured expansion and internal challenges for Russia.
• The empire expanded into Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Far East.
• Autocracy persisted, but pressure for reform grew.
• The Decembrist Revolt of 1825, seeking a constitutional monarchy, was suppressed.
• Alexander II emancipated the serfs in 1861, modernizing the country's structure.
• The emancipation was flawed, causing land shortages and peasant unrest.
• Revolutionary movements like the Narodniks and Marxists advocated radical change.

Revolutions and the Soviet Era

• World War I was disastrous for Russia, causing economic hardship and unrest.
• The February Revolution of 1917 led to Tsar Nicholas II's abdication and a provisional government.
• The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in the October Revolution of 1917.
• The Bolsheviks established a communist state and withdrew Russia from World War I.
• A civil war occurred between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and their opponents (Whites).
• The Bolsheviks won and established the Soviet Union in 1922.
• The Soviet Union was a one-party state controlled by the Communist Party.
• Under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union had rapid industrialization and collectivization.
• Stalin's rule involved repression, purges, and forced labor camps (Gulags).
• The Soviet Union played a major role in World War II, suffering losses but contributing to Nazi Germany's defeat.

Cold War

• After World War II, the Soviet Union was a superpower locked in a Cold War with the United States and its allies.
• The Cold War involved ideological and geopolitical rivalry, proxy wars, an arms race, and the threat of nuclear war.
• The Soviet Union established communist regimes in Eastern Europe as satellite states.
• The Soviet Union faced internal problems like economic stagnation and political repression.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

• Mikhail Gorbachev, in power by 1985 introduced Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness) to revitalize the Soviet Union.
• Gorbachev's reforms inadvertently led to the country's disintegration.
• Nationalism surged in Soviet republics, leading to declarations of independence.
• The Soviet Union formally dissolved in December 1991.

Post-Soviet Russia

• The Russian Federation succeeded the Soviet Union.
• The 1990s involved economic upheaval, political instability, and social problems for Russia.
• Market reforms led to corruption and inequality.
• Vladimir Putin became president in 2000, remaining in power (as president or prime minister) for most of the time since.
• Under Putin, Russia saw economic growth but also tightening political control and rising nationalism.
• Russia has played a more assertive role in international affairs recently.
• Relations with the West have deteriorated due to conflicts in Ukraine and other issues.

Explore Russia's complex history, from its Slavic origins and the establishment of the Rus' state in Kyiv to Vladimir the Great's adoption of Orthodox Christianity. Learn about the profound cultural and religious consequences that shaped the region, and the devastating impact of the Mongol invasions in the 13th century.