RUSSIA land of the Czars, Lenin, Stalin and Gorbachev

Czar: a title given to the rulers of Russia, it comes from the name Caesar. The czar was an absolute monarch. Famous Russian Czars included Ivan the Terrible Peter the Great Catherine the Great Nicholas II

Here’s some Russian history: 1200s to 1500s In 1238 the Mongol “Golden Horde” conquered Muscovy (Moscow) and ruled for 250 years. In 1547, the first Romanov czar (Ivan the Terrible) was crowned.

Ivan the Terrible Ruled until 1584 Called “terrible” due to his temper and the fact that he murdered his own son.

1600s to 1800s In 1682 Peter the Great began to rule. In 1762 Catherine the Great began to rule. Both brought Western influence to Russia to improve life in Russia to modernize their country. That is part of why they were great!

Peter the Great Ruled Russia from 1682-1725 Went to Europe as a young man bringing back ideas and inventions to modernize Russia. Created St. Petersburg the “Venice of the north.” This city became a naval capital for Russia.

Catherine the Great Born in 1730, she was a German princess. Married the grandson of Peter the Great at 15 Ruled for 34 years after overthrowing her husband She was credited with the further beautification of St. Petersburg by adding mansions, palaces and encouraging art and culture. She died in 1796 and her son Paul became czar.

Nicholas II Last czar of Russia Married a German princess Was a cousin of the king of England Was a poor ruler, he ignored the needs of his people Disastrous losses during WWI caused him to be overthrown by Lenin and the Bolsheviks Killed with his entire family by the communists

Hemophilia and the Royal Families of Europe Queen Victoria was a known carrier of the disease, several of her son’s having died young as a result of minor injuries. This disease was passed on to many royal families in Europe through Queen Victoria’s descendants. Hemophilia B was confirmed in the case of Alexei, son of Nicholas, Russia’s last czar.

Story of Anastasia The photo at the right was taken shortly before the death of the czar and his family The entire family was shot and their bodies were dumped in a well outside the city of Yekaterinburg where they were being held prisoner. It was thought that the daughter Anastasia survived the shooting and escaped to Paris where she confronted her grandmother, one of the royal family that escaped. The escape story proved to be false, in spite of it being made into two movies.

1900 to 1950 In 1905 violence among the serfs and workers led to the formation of the Duma (like our congress.) The Czars fell and Lenin established a communist government. In 1924, Stalin became dictator of the Soviet Union.

Lenin Revolutionary and head of the Marxist/Communist state of Russia from 1917-1924 As a young man he was in and out of trouble with the czar’s police for his underground activities, assassination plots and political beliefs. He spent 1 ½ years in prison In 1917 he was living in Europe, but returned to Russia and with the Bolsheviks helped to overthrow the government that had overthrown the Czar. He remained in power until his death in 1924

STALIN Totalitarian dictator of the Soviet Union from 1941-1953, Stalin was one who founded the communist state. Called the Man of Steel, he brought a command economy and 5 year economic plan to the Soviet Union in 1928 making it an industrial power. By using forced labor. Stalin headed the Soviet delegations to Yalta and Potsdam that decided what Europe would look like at the end of WWII

1922 – 1991 Russia “joined” together with other countries to form the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—also called Soviet Union) until smaller states pushed for independence.

1950 to 1990s After World War II, the Cold War (a period of tension---but no fighting) existed between the Soviet Union and the United States. Beginning in 1985, reforms (change) led by Gorbachev led to the breakup of the Soviet Union into smaller nations. (They were tired of Russia telling them what to do.)

Gorbachev Last leader of the Soviet Union Only Soviet leader born under communism Won the Nobel Peace prize in 1990 for his attempts to negotiate an end to the Cold War with President Reagan Introduced Perestroika (encouraging democracy and creative ideas) and Glasnost (more freedoms, especially freedom of speech) Decided to allow eastern European countries to decide what type of government they would like to have Responsible for the fall of the Berlin wall and allowing the reunification of Germany

TERMS you should know!

The first Russian czar was known as Ivan the Terrible.

The process of westernization, or becoming more like Western Europe, came slowly to Imperial Russia. Peter the Great made men cut their beards because he thought it was too old-fashioned!

Communism is a form of government in which farms and factories are owned by the state. Communists say everything is owned by everyone, but how does that work?

Stalin was a dictator, a ruler with unlimited power.

The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States & the Soviet Union.