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Jan 1, 1200
Mongols Invade
In 1200 the Mongols invaded Russia. The small princedom of Moscow was not conquered, it later became the capital. Russia got separated from the rest of Europe and missed the Renaissance. The Mongols invasion ended in 1400. -
Jan 1, 1547
Czar Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible came into power in 1547. Anyone who opposed him got murdered. He expanded the Russian Empire, strengthened the power of the thrown, and commissioned the building of the St. Basil's cathedral. The Russian nobility supported him, because they got land and servants. -
Michael Romanov
Michael Romanov became Czar in 1613. The Romanov reign lasted till 1917. -
Serfdom
In 1649 serfdom became legal, but the serfs were later emancipated in 1861. -
Peter the Great
From 1689 to 1725, Peter the Great was Czar of Russia. Czar Peter toured Europe and brought back some modernization to Russia. He also gave freedoms to the lower class, and Peter moved the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg. -
Russians Begin to Oppose Czars
During the 1800's Russian citizens began to oppose the Czars. They wanted to be more like Europe's modern nation. They wanted more freedom, a say in government, to build industries, and to modernize agriculture. -
Napoleon
In 1812, Napoleon (France) invades Russia with 600,000 men. The Russians fought back, and the French retreat with less than 10,000. Napoleon was not successful in his invasion. -
Czar Alexander II
In 1861, Alexander II became Czar. He emancipated the serfs, which gave them more opportunities for a better life. He also built railroads, modern banking systems, he established a jury, and created freedom of the press. He was assassinated by a terrorist bomb. -
Russia Expands
In the late 1800's, Russia continued to expand. Russia went from Finland, down to central Asia near the Caspian Sea, and East all the way across Alaska, and down to San Francisco. In 1867, Alaska was sold to the United States for $7.2 million. -
Czar Nicholas II
In 1894, Nicholas II, age 26, reluctantly became Czar. He created a constitutional monarchy by establishing the Duma, an elected parliament. He had trouble sharing power with the Duma, for if they did not agree with him, he would fire them and get others in office. Nicholas was married Czarina Alexandra and had four kids. His boy, Alexi, had hemophilia. Gregory Rasputin, a mystical healer, helped Alexi. The family praised him, so Rasputin began making political suggestions. Later, he was killed. -
Riots
Russians started riots because of food shortages. Czar Nicholas II ordered the army to stop the riots but instead they joined them. Later, Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne. He wanted to give the throne to his brother, but his brother refused the offer. The Duma created an interim government. It lasted seven months. -
Romanovs Killed
The Romanovs were held under house arrest in St. Petersburg, moved to Siberia, then to Yekaterinburg, where they were murdered on July 17, 1918. Meanwhile, Lenin and the Bolsheviks (communist party) are getting stronger. -
USSR
In 1922, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Soviet Union) was established. A soviet was a revolutionary council that made government decisions, but it really was the communist party that was led by a dictatorship. It was led by Lenin, for only two years, because he died of a stroke. -
Joseph Stalin
In 1929, Stalin became dictator of the USSR, and he maintained power from the communist party, the KGB (a national secret police force), and the soviet army. Stalin continued industrial growth, by giving impossible quotas; he modernized agriculture, and weakened the Russian Orthodox Church. He also made people give up their culture. He allowed no language except Russian, no traditions, and no religion. If you did not obey, you could be sent to prison camps or killed. He ruled by fear! -
Germany After WWII
After WWII, the allies split up Germany. USA, France, and Great Britain got West Germany and West Berlin. Russia got East Germany and East Berlin. West Germany was democratic, but East Germany was communist. The USA was afraid that the USSR was trying to spread communism around the world. They set up the Berlin Wall to divide East and West Berlin (democratic and communism). After the Cold War, the wall was broken down. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a forty year standoff between the USSR and the USA. Both countries were nuclear superpowers, but they both were afraid to use them though. If there was a nuclear war, then there would be world destruction. Harry S. Truman, US president, set up a containment plan. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was a military alliance between the USA, Canada, and some western European countries. In 1989, the cold war finally ended. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
In 1985, the leader of the communist party, Mikhail Gorbachev, was elected president of Russia. He opened the USSR politically, socially, and economically. In 1989, he helped end the Cold War. Also, in 1991, people tried to overthrow the government, but they failed. Later, Gorbachev resigned from office. After resigning, the Soviet Union broke up. -
Vladimir Putin
In 2012, Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia, again. He was earlier president in 2000. -
Vikings Settle in Rus
Vikings from Sweden crossed the Baltic Sea and settled west of the Ural Mountains in Rus. They set up small farming communities, and got lots of culture from the Byzantine Empire. They later became known as Russians. -
Period: to
History of Russia
