1. Birth of an Empire Russia began in the 9th century (800s A.D.)
Vikings settled between the Baltic & Black seas
They adopted the customs of the local Slavs

2. The Tartars & Ivan the Great
In the 13th century, Mongol warriors called Tartars invaded
Mongols controlled the region until the 1500s
Moscow prince Ivan the Great put an end to their rule

3. Russia Expands Rapidly
Ivan & other Russian leaders expanded east
They added more territory and people
Despite the growth, Russia lagged behind Europe in science & technology

4. Russia Empire before 1796

5. Peter the Great Peter the Great was czar of Russia from 1682-1725
He tried to modernize his empire
He built St. Petersburg and moved the capital there from Moscow

6. Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great was the czarina of Russia from
She brought about many changes in the empire
Russia continued to lag behind other countries, however

7. Czarist Russia The royal family and the wealthy of czarist Russia lived a life of comfort and enormous luxury.

8. The Peasants Most of Russia however, was made up of landless peasants who were desperately poor & uneducated.

9. The Russian Revolution
During WWI ( ) people’s anger with the czar exploded
The Russian Revolution of 1917 ended the rule of the czars
The Communist Party, under V.I. Lenin, took control

10. The Soviet Union
The Communist Party took control of the region’s economy
In 1922, the USSR was formed (Soviet Union)
By the time WWII broke out in 1939, Josef Stalin was the leader of the USSR

11. Map of the Soviet Union

12. The “Iron Curtain” The Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany
After WWII, Stalin installed pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe (Iron Curtain)
The Cold War followed between the U.S. & USSR

13. Collapse of the Soviet Union
Rivalry between the U.S. & the Soviet Union continued until the 1980s
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev gave more freedom to the Soviet people
The USSR collapsed in 1991

14. The Soviet Economy
The Soviet system was based on the ideas of Karl Marx
His ideas became known as communism
The soviet economy was a command system – the central government made all important economic decisions

15. Economic Control & Planning
The government controlled Soviet land, mines, factories, banks, etc.
Soviet planners decided what to produce & the cost put on the products

16. Collective Farms & Industrialization
Rapid industrialization was a major Soviet goal
Collective farms were established to increase food production
Millions starved - more than 14 million died under Josef Stalin

17. Aftermath of the Soviet Union
In the end, the Soviet Union ( ) was a colossal failure
The political, economic and human costs of communism were enormous to Russia
Current leader, Vladimir Putin, has tried to improve the economy

18. Russia’s Rich Culture
The Soviet Union could not destroy Russia’s rich culture
Russia has numerous ethnic groups – 80% are ethnic Russians
The major religion is Orthodox Christianity; religion & art are closely related in Russia

19. Land of Artistic Genius
Renowned writers Aleksandr Pushkin & Feodor Dostoyevsky wrote about Czarist Russia
Peter Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky were among the world’s best composers

20. Traditions Survive Changes
Despite modern changes and new freedoms, many old Russian traditions remain:
People still have homes in the country called dachas
The Russian-style sauna, a banya, is still popular

21. Russia continues to be an amazing country.