Movie on the Mongol Empire

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NySAt0IisA

Russia

• Russia lies on the Eurasian plain that reaches from Europe to the borders of China.

• There are 3 broad climate zones that helped shape early Russian life. The northern forest, supplied lumber and fur. The south had fertile land for farming. The steppe was an open, treeless grassland that was great for herds and horses. Nomads stayed here.

Nomads

• Some of the nomads in the region we have talked about with. The Seljuks and the Slavs.

Growth of Kiev

• The Slavs expanded into southern Russia. Similar to the Germanic people the Slavs had clans and lived in small villages, farmed, and traded.

• They formed small villages in the region farmed and traded along the rivers.

Vikings

• In the 700s and 800s the Vikings took out of Scandinavia by ship. They worked their way through Russian rivers, trading and collecting tribute from the Slavs.

• Right in the middle of their trade network was the city of Kiev. Within a few generations, the Vikings were absorbed into the local culture.

Kiev

• Kiev was also highly influenced by the Byzantine empire. Some Christian missionaries around 863 who wanted to convert the Slavs. translated the Bible into Slavic languages. They took the Greek alphabet and adapted it.

• It was called the Cyrillic alphabet and it became the written script used in Russia and Ukraine to the present.

Kiev

• The influence really took off when King Vladimir converted to Byzantine Christianity. It gained strength in Russia. The heirs saw themselves in many ways connected to the byzantine empire. Russians adapted Byzantine art, architecture and music.

• They also accepted political ideas. Like controlling the church. This created the Russian Orthodox church.

Yaroslav

• The golden age of Russia took place under Yaroslav the wise from 1019 to 1054.

• He issued a code of law to improve justice.

• The translated works into his language and he arranged marriages to keep the royal family pure. After him the royal families faded and fought over who would rule.

• Mongols attacked and decided for them.

Mongol Conquest

• In the 1200s a young man who wanted to unite all the nomad tribes appeared. He gathered all the bowmen and gave them a cause. He took the name Genghiz Khan (World Emperor).

• The Mongol nation impacted several different cultures.

1200s – 1300sMongolsMongols

• Under Genghiz Khan, the Mongols conquered the Russians

• Force Russians to accept their rule.

• Force Russians to pay tribute.

• Introduce absolute power.

Mongol

• The grandson of Genghiz Khan, named Betu led the Mongol army into Russia. The Mongols looted and burned Kiev. They came in with their golden tents and ruled over Russia for the next 240 years.

• It was called the Golden Horde. The Mongols only required tribute. They allowed cultures to remain intact.

Russia: a brief history

Mongol Influence on Russia

• There is great debate on how the Mongol rule affected Russia. The time period actually benefited trade. They were able to keep the peace and open trade routes to all the areas they controlled.

• The Russian people adopted male authority. Women became subject to male authority.

• Concept of Absolute power for the ruler. • Cut Russia off from Europe while they were

advancing in arts and science.

Russia

Moscow Takes the LeadMoscow Takes the Lead

• During the Mongol time period, the princes of Moscow steadily increased their power.

• Using their power as tribute collectors for the Mongols, they were able to subdue neighboring towns.

• Moscow also became the capital of the Russian Orthodox Church.

• Princes rallied together to defeat the Mongols.

Moscow

• During the Mongol period, the princes of Moscow increased their power. This was due to the location near trade routes.

• The Orthodox church also made it the capital.

• In 1380, the princes of Moscow took the lead in battle against the Golden Horde at the battle of Kulikovo. This reduced Mongol power but did not end it.

Ivan the Great

• A driving force behind Moscow’s successes was Ivan III also known as Ivan the Great. From 1462 to 1505 he brought much of Northern Russia under his control.

• He was known as a great dictator. He fought off many Slavic states. And brought back many territories that had been lost.

Ivan the Great

1462 – 1505Ivan the Great (Ivan Ivan the Great (Ivan

III)III)• Northern Russia was under his rule.

• Limited power of the boyars (nobles).

• Gave himself the title of czar (Russian for Caesar).

• Claimed ruler was like “highest god.”

Ivan the Great

• Czar is the Russian word for Caesar. He thought the title made him a God.

He married Sophia Zoe Paleologus, niece of the last Byzantine emperor. This helped to validate Russia. He adopted the Byzantine court practices.

Ivan The Terrible

• Ivan the IV, the grandson of Ivan the great helped centralize royal power even more.

• He continued to limit the power of the old boyar families and granted land to nobles in exchange for military and other services.

• Ivan’s father Vasily, died when he was only three. His mother also died. He grew up on the thrown. He was well read, intelligent, religious, and was crowned Czar at age 17.

Ivan the Terrible

• According to his own letters, when he was a boy Ivan and his younger brother Yuri often felt neglected and offended by the mighty boyars from the Shuisky and Belsky families.

• For this reason he tried to limit the power of the Boyars, (the great landowning nobles).

Ivan IV

• Under Ivan the Terrible the land base of Russia doubled. Russia went from a medieval state to an empire. Ivan was the first man to be crowned czar of ALL Russia.

• He showed absolute power. He created a standing army, and reformed the law code.

Ivan IV

• Historic sources present disparate accounts of Ivan's complex personality: he was described as intelligent and devout, yet given to rages and prone to episodic outbreaks of mental illness.

• The nickname Ivan the Terrible came from his contemporaries.

Ivan IV

• Around 1560, Ivan became increasingly unstable. He trusted no one and became subject to violent fits of rage. In a moment of madness, he even killed his own son.

• Ivan had seen his daughter in-law dressed immodestly and had tried to violently correct her. This resulted in a miscarriage of her baby.

Ivan IV

• When his son who was also called Ivan heard of this he confronted his father and this resulted in a heated argument. During the argument Ivan hit his son with the sharp end of his staff and accidently killed him. Changed the way they appointed rulers.

• This is demonstrated in a painting by Ilya Repin

Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan on Friday

Ivan IV

• He organized a group called the Oprichnike. They were agents of terror who enforced the czar’s will. They dressed in black robes and mounted on black horses. They went through killing rebellious boyars and sacked towns because they were suspected of disloyalty.

Oprichniki

• The black robed oprichniki had their saddles decorated with dog’s heads and a broom symbol. These were symbols of their constant watchfulness to sweep away their master’s enemies.

• He left a legacy of extreme absolute power.

Oprichniki

Oprichniki

Ivan

• At the end of his life. He recognized the terrible things he had done and tried to atone for his sins.

• He became a monk. He sent money to churches to pray for the names of those he had killed and tortured. When he died he left Russia in ruin.

Quiz

1. What is a Boyar? Define Boyar?

2. What does czar mean?

3. How did Ivan IV kill his son?

4. What happened as a result of Ivan IV murdering his son? What policy was changed?

5. Who were the Oprichniki?

Ivan the Terrible

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m2yEjQ3N70

Geography of Russia

Russia is big!

Tell me more…

• Area: 17,025,200 square km. Around twice the size of the U.S.

• Climate: ranging from sub-arctic in Siberia to humid in much of European Russia.

• Terrain: Low hills, steppe, forest, arctic tundra, mountains….the lot!

• Despite its size, much of the country is either too cold or the soil is too dry for agriculture.

Early days…

First came the Slavs who settled along the rivers of Southern Russia and the Ukraine in the 6th Century.

The Vikings are coming

Then came the Vikings who in the 9th Century established the large and powerful state of ‘Kievan Rus.’

The Mongols are coming!Then came the Mongols….In 1236 a vast Mongol horde successfully invaded the Russian city states. For the next 240 years, the Russians were forced to pay tribute to the Mongol khans.

Moscow’s rise to power

Moscow grew in power as the chief tax collector for the Mongols.

In the 14th Century, Moscow’s Grand Prince led several other cities in a battle to overthrow the Mongols.

They were successful and this marks the beginning of a united Russia.

Ivan the Terrible (1533-84): Russia’s first tsar

Mother was poisoned when he was 7yrs old. Ivan developed a dangerous paranoia.

Would throw live animals from the palace towers for fun.

After his wife, Anastasia died, Ivan developed a really nasty streak – sentenced thousands to death, would give detailed instructions on how to torture victims so as to ‘recreate hell’.

Killed his own son in a fit of rage. Then came a period of remorse.

Became a monk towards the end of his life and prayed for the souls of his victims.

1600’s and on…1600’s and on…

• Time of TroublesTime of Troubles (1604-1613)– Marked a time of disputes over succession,

peasant uprisings, and foreign invasions.– Plunged Russia into a period of disorder.

• Michael Romanov• Russia became an emerging power.• Byzantine influence will establish a

strong tradition of autocratic rule.

The Romanov RulersPeter the Great (1682-1725)

Determined to make Russia a modern European state.

Nearly 7ft tall!

Built a new city on the boggy banks of the River Neva and named it St Petersburg.

In 1712 he declared this city the new capital of Russia.

Cartoon of Peter

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfWaHCWO42M

Catherine the Great (1762-96)Overthrew her feeble husband Peter III (who soon afterwards died ‘in an accident’) and took over the throne with the help of her lover.

Russia became even more powerful and prestigious during her reign, gaining more land.

Turned St. Petersburg into one of the most impressive European capitals.

Story of her death is shrouded in myth and mystery.

Catherine the Great

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5htYavwnLr8

Last of the Romanovs

Tsar Alexander II: a ‘great reformer’ although still disliked by others. Ended up being blown up by a bomb.

Tsar Alexander III: fat, mean, liked a drink, and drank himself to death.

Tsar Nicholas II: Bit of a wimp. The Romanovs went out with a fizzle….

February 1917 Revolution

Started with protests about food shortages in St. Petersburg. Russia was doing very badly in World War I. Ended with the Tsar abdicating and the start of a new Russian Parliament.

October 1917 Revolution

Parliament did not last long! Lenin and the Bolshevik Party seized power after storming the Winter

Palace.

Cartoon Version

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs0je4sIZSU

The murder of the Tsar and his family

Soon after seizing power, the Bolsheviks ordered the deaths of Nicholas II and

his family.

They were taken to a basement in the middle of

the night and shot.

They were buried or burned in a nearby forest.

True story

• Rasputin

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvTRh9C2GxY&list=UUaNe6r230eV7GwCxC2VUjtw

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPXbr2Zb_Es

Go to Russian Revolution Slide

Where’s the Tsar?

After a long and bloody civil war, the Bolsheviks (now the

Communist Party) took complete control of Russia, or the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republic.

They were inspired by the ideas of Karl Marx and claimed that they would

establish a state in which power and wealth would be held by the masses and not

the few.

Bolsheviks in Power

• Lenin orders all farmland to be distributed among the peasants and gave control of the factories to the workers

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• The Bolsheviks sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany

• Russia had to surrender a large chunk of territory to Germany

• The land contained a large portion of Russia’s population and industry.

• The terms of the treaty caused widespread anger

Civil War

• The Bolshevik opponents form the White Army

• Leon Trotsky commanded the Bolshevik Red Army

• Around 15 million Russians died in the civil war from 1918-1920

• The Red Army won

Lenin’s Economic Reforms

• War and revolution destroyed the Russian economy

• Lenin launched the New Economic Policy or NEP

• Lenin put aside his idea for a state-controlled economy and resorted to a small scale version of capitalism.

• The government still kept control of major industries and banks

Lenin’s Political Reforms• Lenin organized Russia

into several self-governing republics under the central gov’t

• The country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

• Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party

• They created a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles, but the Communist part had total control

Lenin’s death

Lenin had a series of strokes and died in 1924.

In his will, he warned of the dangers of letting power fall

into the hands of one particular man…

v.

• Trotsky (right) was a firm Marxist who wanted support for a worldwide revolution against capitalism

• Stalin (left) wanted to work on socialist views in Russia first

• Stalin put his supporters into top jobs and isolated Trotsky in his own party

Stalin v. Trotsky cont…

• Trotsky was stripped of party membership and fled into exile in 1929

• He was later murdered in Mexico by an agent working for Stalin

JOSEF STALIN

• NOT HIS REAL NAME, HE’S NOT EVEN A RUSSIAN.

• BORN IN GEORGIA (CAUCUSUS) IN 1879.• IOSIF DZHUGASHVILI. FATHER WAS A

SHOEMAKER AND A DRUNK. HE GREW UP IN A HUT.

• ENROLLS IN SEMINARY;

IS THROWN OUT FOR

READING MARX

“COMRADE” STALIN AS REVOLUTIONARY

• DOES LITTLE DURING RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

• APPOINTED BOLSHEVIK COMMISSAR OF NATIONALITIES AFTER THE REVOLUTION

STALIN COMES TO POWER

• Becomes party secretary

• Gets to appoint those loyal to him to Politburo

• Takes full power by 1929

• Says Lenin wanted him to be his successor

Stalin becomes Dictator

• Stalin was cold, hard and impersonal

• After forcing Trotsky out Stalin focused on Russia’s development

• He used the phrase “socialism in one country” to describe his aims of perfecting a Communist state

Josef Stalin

A loveable rogue who completely transformed Russian life and was largely responsible for

the deaths of millions of Russians.

Stalin’s Totalitarian State• Stalin transformed Russia

into a Totalitarian state• Totalitarianism described

a gov’t that takes total, centralized state control over every aspect of public and private life

• Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of security and give direction for the future

Stalin’s Economic Reforms• Lenin’s NEP was a

mixture of free enterprise and state control

• Stalin’s economic policy called for total state control

• He called for a command economy, which is a system where the government makes all economic decisions

USSR’s Industrial Revolution

• In 1928, Stalin outlined the 1st of many five-year plans for development of the USSR’s economy

• The five-year plans set unrealistic quotas to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity

USSR’s Industrial Revolution cont…

• To try and reach these unrealistic quotas, the gov’t limited consumer production

• People faced shortages of housing, food, clothing and other goods

• The gov’t controlled every aspect of the worker’s life, which took a toll on peoples personal lives

• From 1928-1937, industrial production increased by 25%

Collective farming

Stalin’s policy was to organise farms into collective units which would ‘feed the state’. This turned into a

disaster and he was responsible for one of the biggest man-made famines in history.

COLLECTIVE FARMS

Agricultural Revolution

• In 1925, the gov’t seized 25 million privately owned farms

• The gov’t combined them into collective farms

• Peasants resisted the gov’t and Stalin used terror and violence to force the peasants to work

Agricultural Revolution• The kulaks, a wealthy

class of peasants, resisted heavily and the gov’t executed them or sent them into exile

• By 1938, more then 90% of peasants lived on collective farms and agricultural production was twice what it had been in 1928

ELIMINATING THE KULAKS

• KULAKS WERE PROSPEROUS PEASANTS, WHO SOMETIMES LENT MONEY AND SEED TO OTHER PEASANTS

• ACCUSED OF SABOTAGE

• STALIN LAUNCHES A CLASS WAR

FAMINE IN UKRAINE

• HARVESTS FAIL IN 1932-33

Generalissimo Stalin

Stalin stayed in power through a mixture of propaganda, terror,

and genuine devotion from some Russians.

He attained god-like status particularly after defeating the

Nazis in World War II.

Weapons of Totalitarianism

1) Police Terror• Dictators of

totalitarian states uses terror and violence to force obedience

• Monitored telephone lines, read mail, planted informers

Lavrent Beria(right): head of secret police

Weapons of Totalitarianism

• In 1934, Stalin launched the Great Purge, a campaign of terror that was directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power

• When the Great Purge ended in 1939, Stalin gained total control of both the Soviet government and the Communist Party

Stalin’s purgesSuspected critics or opponents, or anyone that Stalin

didn’t like the look of were systematically rounded up and executed.

Or, if they were lucky, they were sent to a Siberian labour camp for maybe 10 or 20 years.

PURGES• STALIN REMOVED ANYONE HE PERCEIVED

AS A THREAT• EVENTUALLY, ALMOST ALL THE “OLD

BOLSHEVIKS” OF THE REVOLUTION WERE REPLACED BY “LITTLE STALINS”

SHOW TRIALS

Public humiliation of

Those being purged.

Started with killing of

Kirov, a loyal follower

Of Stalin. Liquidations

Sometimes amounted

To hundreds a day.

Weapons of Totalitarianism

2) Indoctrination and Propaganda

• Totalitarian states rely on indoctrination or instruction on the govt’s set of beliefs, to mold people’s minds

• Party leaders lectured workers and peasants on the ideals of communism

• The State supported youth groups and used them as training grounds for future party members

Weapons of Totalitarianism

• Soviet newspapers and radio broadcasts glorified the achievements of Communism and Stalin

• Soviet Realism was an artistic styles that praised Soviet way of life

Weapons of Totalitarianism

3) Censorship• Stalin would not

tolerate individual creativity that threatened conformity

• Gov’t controlled all newspapers, motion pictures, radio and other sources of information

Weapons of Totalitarianism

4) Religious Persecution• Communists aimed to

replace religious teachings with the ideals of Communism

• The Russian Orthodox Church was the main target of persecution

• Roman Catholics and Jews were also persecuted

Daily Life for Women Under Stalin

• With the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, women won equal rights

• Women had new educational opportunities, but were still responsible for their household duties

• Women were supposed to provide the state with future generations of obedient citizens

Education• The government

controlled all education from nursery school to the university

• School children learned the virtues of the Communist Party

• They party also set up youth programs called Komsomols

STALIN AND HITLER

• HITLER DETESTS COMMUNISM; IS DETERMINED TO DESTROY IT

• STALIN AND HITLER SIGN NONAGGRESSION PACT IN 1939

• Stalin cooperates in Hitler’s invasion of Poland, grabs territory.

• Refuses to believe in 1941 that Hitler would invade Soviet Union

STALIN AS WAR LEADER

• FINALLY RALLIES PEOPLE AFTER THREE WEEKSORDERS COUNTER-ATTACK OUTSIDEMOSCOW.ANYONE WHO FAILS,DIES

SOVIETS DEFEAT NAZIS

• MILLIONS OF LOSSES, PERHAPS 20 MILLION DEAD, GREATEST OF WAR

• SOVIETS GET AMERICAN MATERIAL HELP• ROLL ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE IN 1944-

45• TAKE BERLIN, HITLER COMMITS SUICIDE• HAVE BIGGEST ARMY IN EUROPE, BEST

TANKS

Dr Evil strikes back!

Only after his death did

Khrushchev, his successor, have the courage to

denounce some of Stalin’s policies.

The final 50 years in a nutshell

Russia remained part of a huge ‘Communist empire’

ruling large parts of Eastern Europe during

the cold war.

By the late 1980’s the cracks were beginning to

show and in 1991 the Communist system

collapsed, bringing in a new era of capitalism to

Russia.

Quiz 1. List one reform that Peter the great did?

2. What treaty did Russia sign with German to get out of WWI?

3. List one of Lenin’s economic reforms?

4. What is collective farming?

5. List 4 weapons of totalitarianism?