Russia today is made up of a wide group of very different peoples
and lands. The origins of the people we call the Russians are
believed to come from a mixture of Viking tribes from Scandinavia
and the Slavic peoples of what is now Ukraine. The first known
leader was Rurik who is chronicled as the ruler of Novgorod in
860.The capital city was Kiev and during the 11th century the Kiev
Russ became Christian and enjoyed a period of unparalleled growth
and civilization. All this was to end in destruction as the Mongol
horde swept westwards and crushed al resistance in their path. Kiev
never recovered but a small well-defended town called Moscow became
the centre of a new period of development for the Russ. First
working with the Mongol invader, but later overthrowing them and
driving them back to what are now Chuvashia and Tatarstan, the
kings of Moscow began to acquire more and more territory by war,
alliance and marriage.
Ivan the fourth became known as Ivan the Terrible for his brutal
suppression of his opponents and for his cruel treatment of his
enemies. Before his death in 1584, he conquered the remaining
centres of Tatar power such as Kazan and Astrakhan and began the
Russian expansion into Siberia. During his reign some of Russia's
finest architecture was created including the magnificent St
Basil's cathedral in Moscow. Once again, however, Russia was
plunged into conflict following the death of his son without
leaving a clear heir to the throne. Power struggles, famine and
finally waves of invaders from Poland and the Baltic completed
Russia's misery until in 1612 Minin and Pozharsky led a militia
army and reclaimed all the lost territory. During the peace which
followed, the new Tsar was chosen, Michael Romanov who founded the
dynasty of the Romanovs which lasted until the 1917
revolution.
By the end of the 17th Century, Russia stretched from the Pacific
Ocean to the Baltic Sea and Tsar Peter the Great decided it was
time to bring Russia up to the level of other European cities. He
founded St Petersburg and instituted a period of growth and
construction in the city which is still admired to this day. The
beauty and grandeur of the city is in no small part thanks to his
vision for Russia. The following century saw rulers such as
Catherine the Great crush peasant revolts and reinforce the power
of the landowning classes but in 1812, Napoleon launched an
invasion of Russia. His campaign was nearly successful but the
terrible winter and resolute resistance led to his defeat and
brought the Russian army to the gates of Paris.
During the remainder of the 19th century, Russia lagged behind the
Western nations as they became industrialized and it was not until
1861 that the serfs were finally emancipated. It was a time of
stirring undercurrents of political discontent and a period of
conflicting ideologies which were to spill over into the 20th
century. Following a disastrous war with Japan in 1905, revolution
tore at the regime and Tsar Nicholas II was forced to form the Duma
or parliament to represent the views of his people. Due to a treaty
with Serbia, Russia was brought into the First World War and
following strikes, rationing and heavy loss of life, once again in
October 1917, revolution broke out in Russia. This time the
revolutionary forces held power and executed the royal family. Led
by Lenin, the Bolshevik party created a new socialist Russia and
began the huge task of modernizing the country. The revolution
spread and from 1922 until 1991 the history of Russia becomes the
history of the USSR.
The revolution instigated massive social and political changes but
as the leadership passed into the hands of Stalin, it became clear
that the spectre of absolute power and the terror that comes with
it had returned to Russia. Many millions of people faced
imprisonment in forced labour camps as successive economic plans
were put in place. In 1941, once again Russia fell victim to
invasion by the Nazis. In what is know as the great patriotic war,
the Russian people suffered enormous casualties before driving back
the enemy and creating what became the post-war map of
Europe.
The ensuing 40 years were a period of tension and mistrust between
East and West made all the more poignant by the nuclear arms race
and the competition to conquer space. By the end of the 1980's
political pressure, economic factors and a long drawn out conflict
in Afghanistan saw the breakdown of the USSR and the end of Soviet
power. Russia was once again in crisis, a deep economic crisis
which saw huge price increases and a very uncertain time for
Russian citizens. When Vladimir Putin took office in 2000, things
were at rock bottom but despite gloomy forecasts, growth has taken
off and Russia is once again taking its place on the world stage.
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