-
Jan 1, 1200
Kievan Rus conquered
Mongol warriors conquered Kievan Rus, the Slavic people moved North to Moscow. They then created a small trade center known as Moscow. Moscow became the center of Moscovy, the Slavic territory. Ivan III (Ivan the Great) declared themselves independent from Mongolian rule. -
Jan 1, 1547
Ivan IV declared himself czar
Ivan IV declared himself czar, or emporer, of Muscovy, which became Russia. He was known as "Ivan the Terrible" and expanded the empire. -
Peter the Great
Peter the Great became czar in 1682. He was known for improving Russia's military and creating a navy. He also created a new capital, St. Petersburg. -
Napoleon invaded Russia
Napoleon, the French emporer, invaded Russia but most of his army retreated due to the freezing climate and he failed. -
serfs freed
In the 1800's Russia was changing a lot. Czar alexander II freed the serfs. Serfs are peasant farm laborers who could be bought and sold with the land. Alexander also built industries and railroads to assist the economy but most people remained poor. -
Trans-Siberian Railroad
In the early 1900's the Trans-Siberian Railroad was built. It runs from Moscow to Vladivostok and is the longest rail line in the world. Russians use it to access natural resources. -
Czar Nicholas overthrown
People were poor and unhappy. They revolted against the government and killed Czar Nicholas and his family. Vladimir Lenin established a Communist state and became in charge. -
Period: to
World War II
World War II occured and Germany invaded the Soviet Union. About 20 or 30 million Russians died. -
Yuri Gagarin
Russia's scientists have been focused on space exploration for a long time. The Soviet Union and the U.S. had a rivalry on who could be first. They called this rivalry the Space Race. Yuri Gagarin from Russia became the first person to fly in space. -
Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. He allowed people to say or write their opinions without being punished by his policy of glasnost,or "openness." He also introduced a policy of perestroika, or "rebuilding" so as to boost the economy. -
Democracies and coups
Easter Europeans doubted communism and protested. All of Eastern Europe's Communist governments changed to democracies. Boris Yeltsin became the president of Russia, but some people wanted to return to communism and tried to overthrow him. They failed and the Soviet Union declared independence. -
NATO
Russia becomes an ally to NATO which stands for North Atlantic Treaty Association. -
missionaries bring Christianity
in AD 988, missionaries brought Eastern Orthodox Christianity and a written language to Kievan Rus. Missionaries are people who move to another area to spread their religion.
