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Jan 1, 600
Settlement of Russia
In 600 A.D., Slavic farmers, hunters, and fishers first settled near waterways in the Northern European Plain. These were the beginnings of Russia. -
Period: Jan 1, 600 to
when book begins to nearly modern-day
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Jan 6, 1200
Mongols invade Slavs
Mongols invade and conquer the city-states of hte Kievan Rus. Though the Mongols allowed the city-states self-rule, the Mongols ruled the area for over 200 years. The city-states would eventually rise up and become ruled by czars. -
Feb 13, 1200
Fleeing
When the Mongols invaded, some Slavs fled and settled on the Moskva River. One particular settlement was Moscow, the center of Muscovy, the territory that the fleeing Slavs established. Muscovy was linked by rivers to major trade routes and had good farmland, so it flourished. -
Feb 13, 1462
The end of Mongol Rule
Eventually, Muscovy's peoples rose up against the Mongols, being led by Ivan III, or Ivan the Great. Ivan the Great became ruler of Russia, as was the new name of Muscovy. Several years later, his grandson, Ivan IV, officially called himself czar. -
Jan 1, 1547
Official beginning of Czarism
Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible, was the first to claim himself Czar of Russia. He enlarged the country into non-Slav territories, giving him the nickname "the Terrible". Czars ruled Russia from then on until Czar Nicholas II in 1917. -
Expanding South
In the late 1700s, Empress Catherine the Great expanded Russia south, gaining a much-wanted warm water port that connected Russia to the Mediterranean Sea. With this vital port, Russia's trade would expand greatly. -
Beginning the Trans-Siberian Railroad
Czar Alexander III ordered the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The railroad started in Moscow and extended across Russia to Vladivostok in the far East. Completed in 1916, it stretched almost 6,000 miles for the sole purpose of carrying resources from Siberia to Eastern Russia. The railroad would fund the Empire to the present-day with the resources from Siberia. -
The End of Czarism
After nearly 500 years of rule, the Czars finally came to their demise. The Bolsheviks, a communist party led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew Czar Nicholas II in 1917 and ushered in the Communist Era for Russia. -
Soviet Union is Born
After a 5-year civil war, the Bolsheviks established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), more commonly known as the Soviet Union. For the next 70 years, the Soviet Union was a large force in the global economy. -
Superpower Status
Shortly after World War II, the Soviet Union attained Superpower status, or have a strong economy, a strong government, and a very strong military. By 1949, many countries surrounding the Soviet Union were being heavily influenced, or even controlled, by it. These countries were known as satellites. Soon, the Soviets and the West, specifically America, would compete in an arms race for 40 years. -
Cold War
The Cold War was an arms race between America and the Soviet Union. The reason it was called a cold war was because no fighting actually took place. The Cold war was really an arms race to see who could build the biggest, best, and strongest bombs and military. Even though the bombs manufacturednever were used, the threat of a nuclear war was very emminent. The race would continue for 40 years until the demise of the Soviet Union. -
The Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union had a weakening econoomy after the Cold War. The difference between the workers' wages and their leaders' led to conflict. In 1989, many countries gave up their communistic ways. By 1991, 15 countries declared independence. This gave way to a New Russia. -
The New Russia
Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, a new Russia was formed. The New Russia had a more democratic and market economy instead of the old communistic command economy. Outdated factories were shut down and agriculture was encouraged. This is the Russia we see today. -
Kievan Rus
Scandanavian warriors, known as Varangians (more commonly known as Vikings), settled near Dnieper and Volga Rivers with Slavs. The Vikings quickly adopted the Slavic culture. The neighboring city-states formed a loose union with each other called the Kievan Rus, with the capital being Kiev. The union fell apart when the Mongols invaded them in the 1200s.
