Chapter 15Cultural Geography of Russia

Section 2Russia: History & Government

Objectives for this section:

*Describe the key events in Russia/Soviet Union throughout the coarse of history.

Early HistoryRussia’s historical roots go back thousands of years and include many ethnic groups. Below is a look at some of the most important eras of Russian history.

Kievan RusDuring the 800s, Scandinavian warriors called the Varangians settled among the Slavs. Within a century the Varangians had adopted the Slav language and many Slav customs. The Slav communities were eventually organized into a loose union of city-states known as Kievan Rus. Kiev controlled a prosperous trading route, using Russia’s western rivers to link the Baltic and Black Seas.

Kiev, controlled a preposterous trading route, using Russia’s western rivers to link the Baltic and Black Seas. Eventually, fighting among the city-states weakened Kievan Rus.

Russian EmpireIn the late 1600s, Czar Peter I known as Peter the Great came to power, determined to modernize Russia. Under Peter I, Russia enlarged its territory, built a strong military, and developed trade within western Europe.

Beginning in 1891, Russia expanded into Siberia with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad which was nearly 6,000 miles long.

The Soviet EraIn 1917 the Bolsheviks (revolutionary group led by Vladimir Lenin) seized control of the Russian Empire. The Bolsheviks believed in communism (a philosophy based on Karl Marx’s ideas that called for the violent overthrow of government and the creation of a society led by workers).

The Bolsheviks withdrew Russia from WWI and used their power to take over industry, direct food distribution, and establish an 8 hour workday. Civil war eventually erupted between the Bolsheviks Red Army and the Anti-Bolshevik Whit Army.

The Bolsheviks won the civil war in 1922, and established the Union of Soviet Social Republics (USSR/Soviet Union). In 1924, Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Communist Party. He took control of farms and factories as he made the USSR and industrial giant. He eliminated those who disagreed with him, and millions were either killed or died from hunger, physical hardships, or brutal conditions in labor camps.

A SuperpowerThe Soviet Union attained superpower status after World War II. The USSR controlled most of Eastern Europe at the war’s end.

The next four decades saw the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in the Cold War. The Cold War was the struggle between two competing systems (communist & capitalist) for world influence and power.

The Fall of the Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union’s weakening economy, along with great discrepancies between workers’ wages and the privileges their leaders enjoyed, lead to the breakup of the Soviet Union. IN 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in the Soviet Union. He instituted a policy of economic restructuring called perestroika and a policy of political openness called glasnost.

A New RussiaThe new Russia began moving from a command economy to a market economy, closing outdated factories and restructuring agriculture.

Vladimir Putin became president in 1999/ Putin helped stabilize the economy by instituting reforms in labor, banking, and private property.