Russian and Soviet Expansionism

Russian Imperial flag

Soviet flag

Current Russian flag

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• A. The country we know today as Russia started out as a small settlement on the Moscow river.– Rulers have always been in need of warm water ports

for trade.Summarize

B. Early cultures of Russia – clustered / grouped together around rivers such as the Volga for transportation/trade access

Black Sea

Summarize

C. The Rus (Reds) built a Kremlin (fort) on the Moscow river at Moscova/Moscow and made Moscow their capital city. The Kremlin is still the site of Russia’s government today.

Summarize

The original walls of the KremlinRead only

Czar’s palace in MoscowRead only

D. Before the 20th century,

Russia was ruled by Czars.

Czar means ‘Caesar’ ie King

Czars had absolute authority over all

Russians. One goal of the Czar’s was to

expand Russian territory

Czar Ivan III

Summarize

1500s > Ivan III expanded the territory to include northern Russia. He was trying to find a port for trade.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow –

built during the time of

Ivan the Terrible…

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Czar Ivan III challenges the rule of the Mongols from Asia, destroying the letter of the khan/leader.

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Czar ‘Ivan the Terrible’ adds

Siberia to Russia. Siberia contains many resources including oil and diamonds

E. Peter the Great ruled

from 1682-1721.

He founded the

city of St. Petersburg as a

“Window to the West” and

tried to modernize Russia

Summarize

F. Catherine the Great• During her reign, she

expanded the Russian Empire to the Black Sea in search of a warm water port for winter shipping.

Summarize

Peter the Great added the Baltic Sea and Pacific Rim areas to Russian territory.

Catherine the Great expanded Russia to include the Black Sea region.

Peter

Cath.

Cath.

Peter

Cath.

G. Russia’s economy changes to communism, politics to dictatorship

The Russia Revolution of 1917 led to the creation of the USSR in 1921.

The Soviet Union/USSR was the world’s first communist economy.

The first Soviet leader was Vladimir Lenin.

He had Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and his family executed during World War I.

Summarize

Communism’s characteristics

• Definition > • The Government/State

– plans and operates all production (The ‘5 year plan’)– owns all means of production (factory, equipment)– Gives rewards to factory managers for meeting government

quotas

• People serve the government

• RULES are most important, NOT CONSUMERS

Summarize

From 1920 until 1989, the Soviet Union continued to spread its communist influence and

added territory in central Asia.

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Summarize

Communist countries Today include >

CHINANORTH KOREA

VIETNAMCUBA

H. The end of Soviet Communism 1991

The last leader of the USSR was Mikhail Gorbachev.

Gorbachev tried to reform the communist system in the 80’s using glasnost’ and ‘perestroyka’

Summarize

Gorbachev’s Policies

Glasnost - the policy of openness in the government

transparency (see through like ‘glass’ in the activities of all government institutions

the freedom of information

Perestroika – Economic reforms

Summarize

Fall of Communism

Reason #1 – Soviet Union runs out of money.

Why???

- Rapid industrialization = expensive- Fighting/funding wars to spread communism = expensive

- The negative economic effects of communism (5 year plans do not keep up with international trade flows)

Summarize

• Directions: on your paper, complete the vocabulary task below and turn it in before class is over today.

COMMUNISM 2. Definition (Look in your notes)

3. How is life in Communist Russia different from life in Imperial Russia? (Write a 3 sentence answer.)

4. Sketch what Communism in the USSR would look like (economics, culture, politics….)

Task

• Sketch two examples of how the economic effects of communism caused the Soviet Union to run out of money.

I. Ethnic conflict within Russia

• Russia is composed of 21 states. Some of those states, like Chechnya, are having ethnic conflicts and want to be independent countries.

Summarize

The end of Soviet Communism

1980’s…..1. Soviets invade Afghanistan – to support

the Communist government in the Afghan Civil War with money, soldiers and weapons.

2. Russians were sick of Communism’s negative effects – Stalin’s Purges, Industrialization at all costs

Summarize

The TROIKA Region Video (Troika means 3!)

Watch the video and fill in answers on your paper…

1. List the 3 parts of the ‘Troika’.2. List at least 5 facts about the physical and

environmental aspects of this region3. List at least 10 facts regarding the history of

the Troika region with emphasis on >Russian Empire>Soviet Union/USSR>Russian Federation