I. Russia and the Eurasian RepublicA. Location
1. Borders the Arctic and Pacific Oceans2. Located on European and Asian continents3. Chukchi Peninsula-separated from Alaska by 50 miles
B.Land1. stretches nearly halfway around the globe2. Ural Mountains (runs North and South
a. divide Russia into European and Asian Sections3. North European Plains
a. Fertile plainb. mild climatec. 75% of the people live here
4. Caucasus Mts.a. covered with pine and other trees
5. Siberia (means sleeping land)a. sparsely populatedb. one of the coldest climates in the worldc. Tundras- frozen treeless plains
permafrost- permanently frozen layers of groundd. Southern Siberia- home of the Siberian tiger
Siberian Tiger
Siberian landscape
C. Waterways1. Caspian Sea (Salt Lake in Southern Russia)
a. largest inland body of water in the world2. Lake Baikal
a. world’s deepest freshwater lakeb. Paper mill has polluted the area (major
source of income for the region3. Volga River a. longest river in Europe b. major transportation route4. Lena River5. Ob River
D. Climate1. North (near the Arctic) winters long, dark and cold
a. Many ports close in the winter due to ice2. East- short summers long, snowy winters3. West- humid continental climate
a. Railroads, rivers, and canals are important means of getting around
E. Early Russia1. Muscovy (Russia) was led by czars2. Mongols conquered the area3. Ivan I (Kalita)
a. means moneybags, only interested in himselfand money
4. Ivan IIIa. Freed Russia from the Mongols
5. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)a. believed he would gain respect through fearb. had St. Basil’s Cathedral builtc. had the architect blindedd. Brought books, music and art to the Russian
people
6. Peter the Greata. brought shipbuilding to Russiab. made it modernc. built the first port city: St. Petersburg
Dress before Peter the Great
Dress after Peter
7. Alexander IIa. Freed the serfsb. serf-based economy hurting Russia as a great
military power
After several assassination attempts Alexanderwas finally killed in 1881 by a radical groupwho wanted to end the rule of the czars and establish a Constitution.
F. The Russian Revolution1. Russia was involved in World War I
a. They were on the losing sideb. The czar wasn’t interested
2. Czar Nicholas II czar of Russia in 1914a. More concerned with his family than with running the country
** had a sick son ** his wife believed a con artist Rasputin could cure her sonb. Forced to abdicate the throne in 1917
Abdicate= give up the thronec. He and his 5 children were killed a year later
3. Bolsheviks led the revolution that took over the thronea. Bolshevik Revolution
Czar Nicholas and his wife Alexandria
Rasputin
Bloody Sunday
Bolshevik Revolution
4. Vladimir Lenin a. encouraged Bolsheviks to overthrow the government led a second revolution and established a Socialist government b. based on the teachings of Karl Marx c. Government has control, distributes everything
to the people
Karl Marx
Vladimir Lenin