A Short History of Russia: How to Understand the World's Most Complex Nation

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Accession of the Romanovs and early rule [ edit ] Election of 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty Alexander was succeeded by his son Nicholas II (1894–1918). The Industrial Revolution, which began to exert a significant influence in Russia, was meanwhile creating forces that would finally overthrow the tsar. Politically, these opposition forces organized into three competing parties: The liberal elements among the industrial capitalists and nobility, who wanted peaceful social reform and a constitutional monarchy, founded the Constitutional Democratic party or Kadets in 1905. Followers of the Narodnik tradition established the Socialist-Revolutionary Party or Esers in 1901, advocating the distribution of land among the peasants who worked it. A third radical group founded the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party or RSDLP in 1898; this party was the primary exponent of Marxism in Russia. Gathering their support from the radical intellectuals and the urban working class, they advocated complete social, economic and political revolution. [155] The invasion of Russia was a catastrophe for Napoleon and his 450,000 invasion troops. One major battle was fought at Borodino; casualties were very high, but it was indecisive, and Napoleon was unable to engage and defeat the Russian armies. He tried to force the Tsar to terms by capturing Moscow at the onset of winter, even though he had lost most of his men. Instead, the Russians retreated, burning crops and food supplies in a scorched earth policy that multiplied Napoleon's logistic problems: 85%–90% of Napoleon's soldiers died from disease, cold, starvation or ambush by peasant guerrillas. As Napoleon's forces retreated, Russian troops pursued them into Central and Western Europe, defeated Napoleon's army in the Battle of the Nations and finally captured Paris. [110] [111] Of a total population of around 43 million people, [112] Russia lost about 1.5 million in the year 1812; of these about 250,000 to 300,000 were soldiers and the rest peasants and serfs. [113] Prince Vladimir the Great, who converts from paganism to Orthodox Christianity, rules the Rurik dynasty while spreading his newfound religion. His son, Yaroslav the Wise, reigns from 1019-1054 as grand prince, establishing a written code of law, and Kiev becomes a center of politics and culture in eastern Europe. Yaklaşık 2000 yıllık bir tarihi, bir kültürü ve majestik olayları 300 küsür sayfada anlatmak herkesin harcı değil. Ascher'in biyografisine baktığınızda Rusya tarihi hakkında gerçekten söyleyecek çok şeyi olan birisi olduğunu rahatça görüyorsunuz.

Peter the Great died in 1725, leaving an unsettled succession, but Russia had become a great power by the end of his reign. Peter I was succeeded by his second wife, Catherine I (1725–1727), who was merely a figurehead for a powerful group of high officials, then by his minor grandson, Peter II (1727–1730), then by his niece, Anna (1730–1740), daughter of Tsar Ivan V. The heir to Anna was soon deposed in a coup and Elizabeth, daughter of Peter I, ruled from 1741 to 1762. During her reign, Russia took part in the Seven Years' War.Ben yine genel akışı öğrenip genel kültür seviyesinde konuları öğrenmeyi amaçlamıştım ve bu amacıma rahatça ulaştım. Ama geçmişinde deli derya değişimler, devrimler, ikilemler olan bir ülkenin tarihini bu kitaptan derinlemesine öğrenmeyi tabii ki beklememek lazım. The Mongols dominated the lower reaches of the Volga and held Russia in sway from their western capital at Sarai, [56] one of the largest cities of the medieval world. The princes had to pay tribute to the Mongols of the Golden Horde, commonly called Tatars; [56] but in return they received charters authorizing them to act as deputies to the khans. In general, the princes were allowed considerable freedom to rule as they wished, [56] while the Russian Orthodox Church even experienced a spiritual revival. The invading Mongols accelerated the fragmentation of the Rus'. In 1223, the disunited southern princes faced a Mongol raiding party at the Kalka River and were soundly defeated. [46] In 1237–1238 the Mongols burnt down the city of Vladimir (4 February 1238) [47] and other major cities of northeast Russia, routed the Russians at the Sit' River, [48] and then moved west into Poland and Hungary. By then they had conquered most of the Russian principalities. [49] Only the Novgorod Republic escaped occupation and continued to flourish in the orbit of the Hanseatic League. [50]

Perfectly fine for a neophyte like myself, but nothing spectacular, just the facts, ma'am. This book surveys the millenium and a half of Russian history well enough. I learned quite a bit. Hay un buen abordaje sobre la rus de Kiev y la dominación mongola explicando sus principales aspectos, y el como la horda dorada, le dio autonomía a los moscovitas o la propia eliminación de la veche, como lo poco democrático que tenía el territorio ruso. Unlike his father, the new tsar Alexander III (1881–1894) was throughout his reign a staunch reactionary who revived the maxim of " Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and National Character". [151] A committed Slavophile, Alexander III believed that Russia could be saved from chaos only by shutting itself off from the subversive influences of Western Europe. In his reign Russia concluded the union with republican France to contain the growing power of Germany, completed the conquest of Central Asia, and exacted important territorial and commercial concessions from China. Dec. 25, 1991: Following an unsuccessful Communist Party coup, the Soviet Union is dissolved and Gorbachev resigns. With Ukraine and Belarus, Russia forms the Commonwealth of Independent States, which most former Soviet republics eventually join. Yeltsin begins lifting Communist-imposed price controls and reforms, and, in 1993, signed the START II treaty, pledging nuclear arms cuts. He wins reelection in 1996, but resigns in 1999, naming former KGB agent Vladimir Putin, his prime minister, as acting president.Russians are increasingly exposed to western media, while carrying their own rich history of Russian culture, poetry, film, and literature. Interestingly, contemporary Russian culture seems to be exporting little—how many Russian bands, authors, or directors can the average westerner identify? In the absence of this transfer, the Putin caricature is all many westerners know.

In accordance to Russia's treaty with the Georgians to protect them against any new invasion of their Persian suzerains and further political aspirations, Catherine waged a new war against Persia in 1796 after they had again invaded Georgia and established rule over it about a year prior, and had expelled the newly established Russian garrisons in the Caucasus. The first major East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, is founded and led by the Viking Oleg of Novgorod (although some historians dispute this account). Kiev becomes the capital 20 years later.The mid-18th century was marked by the emergence of higher education in Russia. The first two major universities Saint Petersburg State University and Moscow State University were opened. Russian exploration of Siberia and the Far East continued. Great Northern Expedition laid the foundation for the development of Alaska by the Russians. By the end of the 18th century, Alaska became a Russian colony ( Russian America). In the early 19th century, Alaska was used as a base for the First Russian circumnavigation. In 1819–1821, Russian sailors discovered Antarctica during an Antarctic expedition. This week Russia held its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow. Delayed by the coronavirus and decidedly more muted than parades past, the event nonetheless displayed its usual pomp and circumstance. President Vladimir Putin welcomed the presidents of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia as well as the presidents of Abkhazia, Belarus, Moldova, Serbia, and South Ossetia. He had hoped to host western leaders but whether their absence was covid-related or Crimea-related is open for debate (perhaps a little of both).

I have only just started but I wanted to get a few thoughts down. His writing style is good, straightforward, and pretty readable considering the scope of the book. Some of the things that give me pause, however, and the general gist I get is that early Russian history is not the author's main interest or area of expertise. He's vague, not terribly objective, and has a lot of hand-wavey explanations. Afantastic read... insightful and leaves the reader wanting more in the best of ways." -Diplomatic Courier A good survey of Russian history, so great for people who don't know much (like me). Ascher starts with the question of whether Russia is European or Asian. The answer, unsurprisingly, is both and neither. It started off more Asian, being under the yoke of the Mongols shortly after the Muscovy became a powerful state. In fact, the subsequent tribute paid to the Mongols (later called Tatars) gave Muscovy a big boost relative to its neighbors because they took a cut and kept good relations with the Tatars. After the Rurik Dynasty died out and the Romanovs took over, Russia looked more and more to the west. Other reviewers have noted the tone change in the section on Vladimir Putin. This is an added section in the 2nd edition. Although I wouldn't challenge any of his facts about Putin, it is too editorial a tone for a "history".After the defeat of Napoleon, Alexander presided over the redrawing of the map of Europe at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), which made him the king of Congress Poland. He formed the Holy Alliance with Austria and Prussia, to suppress revolutionary movements in Europe that he saw as immoral threats to legitimate Christian monarchs. He helped Austria's Klemens von Metternich in suppressing all national and liberal movements. [114] In the 15th century, the grand princes of Moscow continued to consolidate Russian land to increase their population and wealth. The most successful practitioner of this process was Ivan III, [51] who laid the foundations for a Russian national state. Ivan competed with his powerful northwestern rival, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, for control over some of the semi-independent Upper Principalities in the upper Dnieper and Oka River basins. [57] [58] If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. The immediate task of the new monarch was to restore peace. Fortunately for Moscow, its major enemies, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden, were engaged in a bitter conflict with each other, which provided Russia the opportunity to make peace with Sweden in 1617 and to sign a truce with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1619.