1. Mapping the Conflict and Convergence of Empires
Dr. Zoltán Grossman Geography/World Indigenous Peoples Studies,
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash.

3. All without leaving his
Ivan’s border changes
Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (before WWI)
Grew up in Czechoslovakia (after WWI)
Fought in Hungary (during WWII)
Grew old in the Soviet Union (after WWII)
Died in Ukraine (after 1991)
Notes
All without leaving his
hometown of Mukachevo,
in Transcarpathia

4. Ivan in Austria- Hungary

5. Ivan in Czecho- slovakia

6. xxxxxxx
xxxx
Ivan in
Hungary I

7. Ivan in the Soviet Union

8. Poor Ivan in
Ukraine I

9. European religions : Legacy of Empires
Catholic in Southwest/Central
Protestant in Northwest
Orthodox in East/Southeast
Muslim in part of Southeast

10. Growth of Russian Empire

11. U.S. & Russia Westward (or eastward) expansion of land-based empire
Settler colonialism
on Native lands
Railroads enable
settlement
End to slavery
(or serfdom), 1860s

12. Kievan Rus (988-1239) First “Russian” state, founded around Kiev.
Scandinavian
Proto-Slavs settle on
Dnieper trade route at
Kiev (Kyyiv), c. 862
First “Russian” state, founded around Kiev.
Vladimir I converted to Orthodox Christianity, 988.
Sacked by Mongols, 1239

13. Eastern Orthodoxy Patriarch was at Byzantine capital
Constantinople (Istanbul)
Close links with secular authority
Suffering linked with salvation
Cyrillic alphabet (derived from Greek)

14. Serbian*-Croatian-Bosnian
Slavic Peoples Today
WEST
Polish
Czech
Slovak
EAST
Russian*
Ukrainian*
Belarusian*
SOUTH
Slovene
Serbian*-Croatian-Bosnian
Bulgarian*
Macedonian*
*-Majority
Orthodox
Christian

15. Mongol Empire (1200s-1400s) including Tatars’ Khanate of the Golden Horde (green). Russian principalities pay tribute as vassals.
. Novgorod
RUSSIAN
PRICIPALITIES

17. Russians moved north, founded principality at Moscow 1325
Muscovy
Russians moved north, founded principality at Moscow 1325

18. Muscovy Center of Orthodoxy after Ottomans take Constantinople, Absorbed other principalities, 1400s Independent 1476; conquered Tatars 1500s

19. Growth of Russia, Feudal state, based on relationship of lord to serfs (peasant “slave”) “Russification” of minorities

20. Russian expansion,

21. Russia at maximum extents
Finland
Poland
Tuva
Bessarabia
(Moldova)
Chechnya
Iran

22. Barriers to Russian expansion
WEST
Swedes,
Poles,
Lithuanians
(Invaded
by French,
Germans)
EAST
Japanese,
Americans
(Alaska 1867)
SOUTH
Ottomans (Turks),
Persians (Iranians),
British (in India)

23. French crossed into Orthodox Russia; turned back from Moscow, 1812

24. French turned back from Moscow, 1812
German invaders later faced identical fate

25. Russians contained in SW by Ottomans, Brits, French
Crimean War,
Russians contained in SW by Ottomans, Brits, French

26. xxxx

27. Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
British drew from Ratzel’s geographic view of state as organism

28. Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Whoever controls “Heartland” (Pivot Area) can control world
Fed “Great Game” between Britain, Russia, 1800s-1900s
Maritime powers need control
in “Rimland” (Inner Crescent), esp. Middle East
Prevent Russo-German alliance
or Russian control of Germany

29. Poland-Lithuania Catholic power to the west, 1450-1699

30. Partitions of Poland by Austria, Russia, Prussia 1772 1793 1795

32. Poland-
Lithuania

33. Russian
Empire

34. Jewish
“Pale”

35. Divide-and-conquer Ethnic nations split between
Berlin
Conference
divides map
of Africa,
1884
Ethnic nations split between
and within colonial empires
(British, French, etc.)
But “clean” ethnic
boundaries also not possible

36. African
colonies

37. Ottoman Empire Losses, 1878

38. Macedonia
claimed by
Serbia,
Bulgaria,
Greece

39. Muslims as Ottoman Legacy
SANJAK
(Serb.-Mont.)
TURKS
(Bulgaria,
Romania,
Moldova)
ALBANIANS
(Albania,
Kosovo,
Macedonia)
BOSNIANS
(Bosniaks:
converted
Serbo-Croats)
Turkey
Pécs church
in Hungary
(former mosque)

40. Austro-Hungarian Empire

41. Balkans shatterbelt Meeting of Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims
Competition between Russian (Orthodox), Ottoman (Muslim), Austrian (Catholic) spheres
“Balkanization”

42. Balkans shatterbelt Immense ethnic diversity; Small groups
become proxies
for empires

43. Caucasus shatterbelt Patchwork of ethnic diversity Meeting of Orthodox
Christians, Sunni and
Shi’a Muslims
Competition between
Russian, Ottoman,
Persian spheres

44. Legacy of Empires European religions : Catholic in Southwest/Central
Protestant in Northwest
Orthodox in East/Southeast
Muslim in part of Southeast

45. Industry:
Canals &
Railroads

46. Industry:
Pop
Growth
1870-
1910

47. Industry:
Pop
Growth
1870-
1910

48. Culture/
Education
through
1700s

49. Culture/
Education
Pre-1914

50. Why was Russia poor?

53. Russian Empire Industrialization, late 1800s
Czars more open to Western investment
Rail-based industry: Heartland, Urals, Ukraine
Slower rise of industrial working class

54. Modernizers vs. Slavophiles
Westernizers
Pro-industrial
Capitalists &
Socialists
Russia as state
Eurasians
Pro-peasantry
Royalists & populists
Russia as nation
Not up to West’s technical, military standards;
Peter and Catherine emphasized links to West

55. Decolonization, 1940s-1990s

56. Breakup of Soviet Union/Russian Empire, 1991

57. “Clash of Civilizations” theory
Samuel Huntington theory of Western, Islamic,
Slavic, etc. “blocs” in conflict with each other.
Fails to recognize differences within each “bloc”

58. Critiques of “Clash of Civilizations” theory
Most sources of conflict are local
(often ethnic), not religious.
Often blames the victim
for the conflict (Chechens, etc).
West shares responsibility
(military aid arms both sides)
Ignores differing levels of
Development which (like relgion)
Is a legacy of the empires

59. Better-off first to revolt
Soviet empire extended too far into Catholic/Protestant West,
just as Napoleon & Hitler crossed into Orthodox East
Poland, Hungary in Warsaw Pact
Baltic States in USSR
Better off first to secede to guard status:
Slovenia, Croatia in Yugoslavia
Czech Rep. in Czechoslovakia

60. “Push” of USSR, “Pull” of EU

61. European Union Began as European Economic Community (EEC), 1957.
EU decision
1988;
Implemented
1994
Revolutions
between dates

62. European Union Croatia (2013) Candidates: Montenegro Macedonia Turkey
Iceland

63. Eurozone Official: Finland Estonia Slovakia Slovenia Latvia (2014)
Unofficial:
Montenegro
Kosovo

64. Schengen Area EU border controls lifted startng 1995
Mainland Catholic,
Protestant countries
(except Croatia)
Includes 3 non-EU,
but EU members
Romania, Bulgaria,
Cyprus delayed in
joining

65. A “Blue Curtain”? Eastern Europe as a “Mexico” for West?
Less developed economy;
Reserve for labor?
Hungarian
border
towers
moved
from
Austria
to Romania

66. A “Blue Curtain”? Catholic/Protestant West Orthodox/Muslim East
Will Orthodox/Muslim
be welcome in EU “club”?
Greece in EU but foreign/
econ policies unwelcome;
Romania/Bulgaria not
fully welcomed

67. Religious minorities Orthodox stuck in West:
Serbs in Croatia (expelled)
Russians in Kaliningrad
Russians in Baltic States

68. Religious minorities Catholics stuck in East: Croats in Bosnia
Hungarians in Romania
“Uniates” in western Ukraine
Poles in Ukraine/Belarus
Also Lutheran Karelian Finns in Russia

69. Remnant Boundaries: Poland’s 2007 Parliamentary Election
Civic Platform (PO)
Free market economics/
Socially liberal
Law & Justice (PiS)
Economic populist/
Socially conservative
Left & Democrats (LiD)
Capitalist/Populist/
German Empire
Russian Empire

70. Remnant Boundaries: Ukraine’s 2004 Elections
Yushchenko Yanukovych
Which Viktor?

71. First runoff,
November 21

72. First runoff,
November 21
49.4%
46.7%

73. Evidence of
electoral fraud
in first runoff,
November 21

75. Fears of ethnic division
Ukrainians in
west, north
Russians in
red in
east, south
Many Ukrainians
prefer Russian
Prime Minister Yanukovych
meets Russian President Putin

80. November 21 runoff election
49.4%
46.7%

81. The “Orange Revolution”

82. Tent City in Kiev Thousands of Yushchenko supporters camp out in
Independence
Square to back
new election

83. “Clean Ukraine” Yushchenko backers against corruption, lean West to EU
supporters
converge in Kiev
Donetsk region
(coal & Russians)
threatens self-rule
if Yushchenko
takes power

84. Democracy protests grow
Serbia & Georgia turned back electoral fraud (attempt in Belarus)
West criticizes Russian interference; Russia criticizes Western aid
Flags of Ukraine,
Georgia, Belarus etc.

85. Not all protesters were for democracy
Ukrainian
nationalists in
UNA-UNSO
(fascist/anti-
Semitic party)
backed Revolution
as stand against
Russians.
Led to Svoboda
(fascist) party,
Pravy Sektor (Nazis)

86. Lampoons of President Kuchma & Yanukovych
Kuchma began to
withdraw support for
his Prime Minister
SBU (ex-KGB)
warns Tent
City of Interior
Ministry assault
Supreme Court
orders new runoff

87. Yanukovych wins First Runoff, November 21
49.4%
46.7%

88. Yushchenko wins Second Runoff, December 26
44%
52%

89. Yushchenko Becomes President, Jan. 2005
Calls for EU membership,
Iraq pullout
Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko later becomes rival
Independence
Square in Kiev

90. Home-grown or Western-inspired or both?
“Color Revolutions”
Home-grown or Western-inspired or both?

91. 2006 Parliamentary Election

92. 2010 Presidential Election
Viktor
Yanukovych
49.0%
Yulia
Tymoshenko
45.5%
Tymoshenko
Yanukovych