 Ethnic Groups  Slavs- Ethnic Russians, Indo European people Poles, Serbs, Ukrainians  Caucasian-Live in Caucasus region, Chechens, Dagestanis, Ingushetians  Turkic- Tatars, Chuvash, Bashkirs, and Sakha around Volga

 Moscow- Russian capital  85% live in Western part of Russia  15% live in Siberia  During Soviet Union many ethnic groups moved away from Western Russia, since downfall of Soviet Union in 1991 has reversed

 More than 100 languages  Russian’s speak Russian, Ethnic groups are bilingual  Soviet government actively supported atheism  Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism

 During the 800’s Scandinavian warriors called the Varangians adopted Slav Language/customs  City-States created called Kievan Rus  Ruled by princes  Early 1,200’s Mongols invaded Kiev and many Slav areas, allowed self rule, still ruled them for over 200 years

 Running from Mongols, Slavs settled on Moskva River, which grew into city of Moscow  Trade routes, good for hunting, farming lands  Ivan “The Great”- fought against peace with Mongols  Created the Kremlin, filled cities with churches  Expanded realm that grew into Russia

 Ivan “The Terrible” Ivan the Great’s grandson  Russia’s first crowned czar (supreme ruler)  Expanding even more into non-slav territory  After Ivan “The Terrible”  Country in decline, economically, socially

 Romanov dynasty came to power in 1613  By 1650 many peasants had become serfs  Control under nobility  Russia Left Behind Europe  Peter “The Great”- wanted to modernize like rest of Europe  Created stronger military, expanded territory, developed trade with Western Europe  New Capital created St. Petersburg “A window into the West”

 1891 Czar Alexander III  Expansion into Siberia  Construction of Trans-Siberian RR  Completed 1916  The Russian Revolution  Rebellions and revolutions in America and France gave desire for new lifestyle  Czar Alexander II  Freed serfs in 1861, no education, moved to cities  Russification- made people convert, follow eastern orthodox Christianity, speech, persecutions

 Karl Marx- classless society, with an equal share of wealth, working class against the wealthy  WWI  Bolsheviks- revolutionary group led by Vladimir Lenin, believed in communism  Civil War, Red Army vs. White army  Joseph Stalin  WWII  Cold War