1. Cultural geography of russia
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2. Russia & the western republics

3. A history of expansion
Russia’s rapid expansion had lasting effects on nearby lands & people
Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Baltic Republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
Formed between Baltic & Black seas
Settled by Vikings b/c of river trade
13th century: Mongolian invaders halt growth
1500: Ivan the Great expands to east
By 1700s, extended to Pacific Ocean
More people = more religions = more cultures

4. Russia lags behind Western Europe
Territorial Growth = rapid
Progress in other ways = science & technology = lags behind
Peter the Great = Czar = tried to change this
Moved Russia’s capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg
Direct access to Baltic Sea = “window to the “West”
Late to industrialize
Harsh working conditions, low wages

5. The rise & fall of Soviet Union
Russian Revolution – 1917; people angry at czars revolt & communist Lenin came to power
Formation of USSR (1922) – capital moved back to Moscow
Stalin leading Russia (1939) = conflict with rest of world
1940s = Cold War Begins; Fear of spreading communism
1980s = Gorbachev gives Soviet people more freedoms leading to collapse of communism/USSR & end of Cold War
USSR divided into 15 republics

6. A rich culture Variety of ethnic groups b/c of rapid expansion
Russians mostly Orthodox Christianity
Buddhism, Islam, Judaism
Many Jews have fled b.c of persecution
Russian architecture = elaborate churches, onion shaped domes

7. Art & culture 18th & 19th Century art portrays czarist Russia
Emergence of Russian ballet
Moscow & St. Petersburg resemble cities in West - clothing, art, magazines, movies, music