Russia and the Western Republics

Ch. 16-1

A History of Expansionism• The Russian state began in the region between the

Baltic and Black Seas.• Today this area is made up of these countries:

Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and the Baltic Republics -Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

Orange-Varangian Trade Routes Red-Volga Trade Route Purple-Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks

Birth of an Empire

• Vikings established settlement near Kiev.

• Settlement expanded and flourished, adopted Slavic customs from locals

• 1200s-Mongols invaded, halted Russian growth

• Mongols controlled region until late 1400s

Genghis Khan

Extent of Mongol Empire in 13th Century

• Ivan the Great ends Mongol rule

• Russia expands again

• By 1700s, empire extends to Pacific Ocean

Russia Lags Behind Western Europe

• Science and technology inferior to European rivals

• Peter the Great (czar-emperor) sought to change this

Lived 1672 – 1725, ruled from 1682 and solely from 1696

Action:

• Moved capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg

• Russians called it the “window to the west”

• Peter made impressive strides, but the empire couldn’t keep up with Western European countries

• When Russia industrialized, it led to poor working conditions and low wages

The Rise and the Fall of the Soviet Union

• WWI-(1914-1918)-Russian Revolution-people’s anger exploded into a revolt that ended the rule of the czars.

• Communist Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, took control of government and economy.

• 1922, Communist Party organizes the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or USSR

• WWII-(1939-1945) Joseph Stalin leads USSR.

Lenin lived, Lenin is alive, Lenin will live

Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин • WWII-USSR and US

fight together against Nazi Germany. As war ends, relations are strained between the countries.

• Stalin creates pro-Soviet govts in Eastern European countries

Soviets and Americans end World War II

• US fears that Stalin will spread communism all over the world.

• The ensuing conflict is called the Cold War

• The war never grew into an open conflict

• 1980s-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev gave Soviet people more economic and political freedom

• Leads to the fall of the Soviet Union finally in 1991.