part 1 8/31-9/21

defining factors in russian history

• geography and climate

• conversion to christianity

• expansion

what is special about the location of russia

russia is neither europe nor asia

eurasia! WOW

head in europe and body in asia

mixture/bridge between east and west

russian population

giant country but low population

low pop density

russian terrain

• Lots of broad plain / prairie

  • Few barriers to migration, invasion, and expansion

• Northern tundra 

  • the minerals are here, far far away from cities

• Some mixed forest zones: timber, game, food, coal, gold

• ¾ tundra, permafrost, low population 

• ¾ of the population is in the European part of the country 

early russian border

• Early russia has no natural confines or barriers: European “border” is a large plain that fluctuates in size depending on how strong Russia currently is: 

  • Russia thriving = can expand 

  • Russia on the decline = neighbors claim land 

what does it mean to be “Russian”

• Russian is an umbrella term that hides many diverse groups 

  • These diverse groups all ended up there one way or another, so their historical centers are elsewhere 

  • Non homogenous population

  • 38% of old Russian empire was Muslim but there were also buddhists and jews from Poland Lithuanian Commonwealth . equality of all religions had been declared but antisemitism 

Russia and israel

idk if this is actually important or if he was just yapping

• Russia played important role in establishing Israel bc gave them arms 

• Did this bc in line with Stalin’s decolonization agenda after war 

• Or because wanted to keep Great Britain from creating a military base in Jordan

• Or because wanted to spread socialism 

• Cold war strained relationship with Israel but they made up and now citizens can move between them without Visa 

  • Isarel gets tourism money 

  • Christian Russians get to do pilgrimage 

  • ⅙ israelis are from former soviet union

Establishment of Rus

• Source is the Russian Primary Chronicle, written by educated Monks 12th century 

• 3 Scandinavian brothers came with followers Rus, 860 . from Sweden, maybe Denmark

• To create order, East Slavs in nearby cities invited Vikings (prolly swedish) to promote security and rule 

• First ruler of Russia was Ruryk 

  • Named Rus after his tribe 

The capitol of Rus

• Second ruler was Ruryk’s son Ingwar/Igor and his regent Oleg . Oleg decided that Kiev was a better capital than Nogorat bc along river (trade) and between Scandinavia and Byzantine empire 

• 882: (date important) Kiev became capital of Rus 

Religion in early Rus

• East slavs were previously pagan, polytheistic  

how choose religion

• People came to convince vladimir of their religion: muslim Bulgars (but Vladimir wanted alcohol), Germans (western christianity), Jewish Khazars (judaism) , Greek (eastern) christianity.

• Sent 10 people to each country to scope out and report back 

• Chose eastern christianity from Byzantine empire because described to be glorious churches in Constantinople 

  • also bc Constantinople was then the most important political and cultural center of europe.

how spread religion

• Prince baptized and married sister of emperor of constantinople 

• built many cathedrals and monasteries 

• abolished capital punishment  (only God should punish)

• Motivation for art 

Effects

• Unity of people

• Better international standing 

• Motivated art 

• Grand prince has divine power

Orthodox christianity

• self governing churches without centralized organization. 

• Patriarch is very important in societal life 

• Russian orthodox churches claim unbroken succession to Saint Andrew

• Symphonia: symphony of church and state was byzantine ideal of church and state relationship 

• Sobornost: “council”. Means fellowship between people in a religious dimension, moral choir, creates the body of the church 

• Orthodox churches do not recognizes popes. Each nation has its own autonomous orthodox church with elected patriarch

• Practices 

  • Clergy can have family unless fully devoted/monk 

    • Better for rural russia where need family to survive

  • May not sit in church unless old or handicapped  

Tatar-Mongol Yoke

• Genghis khan was the first great khan of the Mongol Empire 

  • Was talented military commander and politician 

  • Conquered eurasia and asia and caucasus 

  • The longest contiguous empire history 

  • Came to power by uniting many nomadic tribes of northeast asia. Made of 100s of ethnic groups

Mongol invasion of Rus

early Rus history

• 1240, end of Kyiv era

• Genghis khan’s grandson invaded russia and russia became province of tatar mongol empire

  • Destroyed the capitol city (kyiv) and burnt it down. Gradually incorporated Rus into territory 

  • Had large effect on russian history, philosophy, national identity, and political outlook 

Rus as Mongolian Ulus

Ulus = province

• Rus rulers had to travel to Mongol capital to be approved for leadership (had to be loyal to Mongols)

  • Get permit to rule called Yarlyk .

• Boys in Rus were conscripted into mongolian armies 

• Russians had to pay taxes to Mongols or else physical punishment 

• Tatar Mongols were pagan and did not care about Russian religion.

  • Religion became more important for Rus.

  • Enabled them to maintain original national identity.

  • cathedrals/churches were used as shelters/protection’

• Why didn’t western europe try to rescue Rus from these “barbarians”/pagans as fellow christians and as the people who were next to be conquered? 

  • Would only help on the condition that Russians recognize papacy. Russian leaders rejected converting to catholicism . that would mean betrayal of ancestral religion / sinful 

• lasted 240 years

Collapse of Rus as part of Tatar-Mongolian Yoke

• Mongolian empire overextended itself and collapsed 

• Russian capitol migrated from Kyiv to Moscow to have religious and political leaders in the same place .

  • Moscow = the Holy City  

  • “third Rome”. the protector of christianity 

• 1380: battle where residents fought against Mongol forces 

  • Different groups of people entered the battle and were united by battle, all exited as Russians 

• 1480: ivan the great , the third 

  • Russia became sovereign country 

First russian king where russia was united 

• Ivan the fourth, the terrible, the thunder, the awesome . longest reign in Russian history (1533 to 1547).  

• Boyars = aristocrats

Models of Russian Expansion

1. Collection of lands model: 

   1. Russia expanded by collecting already Russian principalities to make 1 entity 

2. The moving of borders (colonization) model: 

   1. Eastern expansion (siberia, alaska) 

   2. People there were not Russian 

   3. Easy because very sparsely populated and little resistance 

   4. They didnt care hoo was in charge as long as they protected the land and provided security 

   5. Kozaks reached natural border of pacific ocean 

3. The strategic borders model:

   1. Expansion to the west / baltic sea under Peter the Great

phases of expansion order

• 1552 conquest of Khanate of Kazan

• 1581-2 siberia 

• 1639-1648 Harbor of Okhotsk 

•  Ukraine 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslavl 

• 1700-1721 the great northern war 

• 1741 Russian america / alaska 

• 1783 Caucasus 

• partritions of poland, end of 18th century

• final 1809

• central asia 19th century

• 1812 annexation of bessarabia

conquest of Khanate of Kazan

1552

• Former mongol empire splintered and this was a left over splinter / principality. 

• Ivan the fourth decided we needa conquer this and incorporate it into Russia

• important bc this was the first step in Russia’s transformation in to huge empire 

1

siberia 

2

• 1581-2 siberia 

  • Russian imperialism tends to still danger by expanding to fill all the space its able to dominate 

•  Harbor of Okhotsk 

3

a phase of expansion

• 1639-1648 Harbor of Okhotsk 

  • Cossack pioneers reached pacific ocean and founded this harbor

    • Ivan IV decided to make cossacks subjects of Russian state / domesticate them and they became part of the Russian army

    • These were peoples who lived abroad and were skilled horsemen, free men hired by overlords

Treaty of Pereyaslavl

4

• aka Russia integrated ukraine

• 1654

• Kyiven Rus was in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth  

  • PLC was catholic and they were still orthodox 

    • Mistreatment/Second grade citizens 

  • Cassocks remained free and eventually had an uprising led by Hetman / commander of Cossacks

  • Pereyaslavl council pledges allegiance to moscow Tsar

  • Ukraine decided to join russian bc 

    • Common religion 

    • Recognized cossack statehood 

    • Tsar recognized a privileged status for the cossack 

    • Laid foundations for a military alliance 

 the great northern war 

5

more expansion

• 1700-1721 the great northern war 

  • Baltic estland and livland (estonia and latvia)

Russian america / alaska

6

• 1741 Russian america / alaska 

  • Conquered this but no firm roots, sparse settlements 

  • Bc GB right there (in Canada) and didnt want them take over 

  • US eventually purchased Alaska 

caucasus

7

• 1783 Caucasus 

  • Between black sea and caspian sea 

  • Took georgia and armenia and azerbaijan 

  • Georglesk Treaty , previously persia and muslim 

  • Imam shamll: hero of resistance against Russian expansion but obviously didnt end up working out

Partitions of Poland , end of 18th century

8

• Expanded into Belarus 

• Poland was divided up bc Prussia (germany) didn’t want Russia getting too much influence over Polish Lithuania 

• Poland turned into three nations: part of prussia, austria, and russia 

• mistreated orthodox christians bc polish catholic state 

• Brought 400,000 jews into empire , Ashkenazi Jews. antisemitism towards them . lived in specific segments and only some allowed to live in cities

Finland 1809

9

• Until 1907

• Finland was part of russian empire as an autonomous grand Duchy of Finland 

• After Russo-swedish war, russia conquered Finland from Sweden

• Had its own arm and laws and administration but under Russian foreign policy control 

• Fins were historically dominated by Swedish aristocracy . fins gained advantage being under Russian control because now have more autonomy (acc to prof) 

Central asia 19th century

10

• Gradually incorporated 

• Compete with Great Britain 

• Turkestan

• 1812 Annexation of Bessarabia (moldova)

11

• Moldova is between romania and ukraine 

• Were already orthodox christian (third Rome duty)

• Russia becomes largest land based empire in the world (ie not island like GB), also has 200+ ethnic groups 

how did the Russian empire keep itself united

• Co opting local elites and integrating them into Russian government.

• This widened the gap between the elites and masses/normal people in all groups including the Russians themselves 

• Made empire multinational 

  • Only 6% of Russia aristocracy was Russian 

Georgia as an example of being taken over by the Russian Empire

• Was part of Islam empires previously

  • So now at least ruled by another orthodox christian empire

  • Members of the Georgian empire joined the Russian army / imperial aristocracy as generals. And ended up having more power than they had before 

  • He as a georgian aristocrat now brother to the other aristocrats, and therefore further removed from his people 

russian peasant commune

Peasants lived in villages / communes. No single farmers, supported each other and were mostly family

serfdom

• Medieval system binding workers (‘serfs’) to land . if land sold , went with the land 

• Farmed and gave portion of produce as payment to landlord 

• Could not leave or marry without permission. Or own significant property 

• Got lords protection and land to live on

• Hereditary servitude , status passed to children 

• Not slaves bc were not owned

• Abolished in 1861

patrimonial system

• Ruler / tsar considered his people as his household or his children 

• He is the master of russian land and the people are his children 

• And the landlord/serfs were like micropatrimonial system

time of troubles

• 598 to 1613

refers to multiple periods were Russia was in the trenches 

• usually when soldiers came back after war or when the next successor was dubious 

• example after the last ruler of swedish viking family Rus had no children and had no clear successor. Solved via election of far relatives of him by assembly of landowners . came with crisis and period of civil war and famine 

• example Elections complicated by differing interests of influential parties and because of the king of england

Alexander I / war with napoleon

• 1801 to 1825

• first tsar with the expansion unit behind us

• Was a liberal ruler, but only abolished serfdom in baltic provinces as an experiment 

  • Nobility would not get rid of serfdom (since they depended on them) 

• War with Napoleon 

  • Russians retreated and left moscow 

  • French army began drinking left alcohol and set Moscow on fire / Destroyed churches and icons 

  • Became patriotic war when army and normal people united to expel them 

  • Army pursued French to Paris

  • Alexander became big hero hoo degraded napoleon 

• After war with Napoleon, Russian armies returned from France a couple years later 

  • Each time Russia's soldiers returned from war, there was always crises in russia.

  • Most of EU did not have serfdom and limited their monarchy 

  • So russia was already bubbling with feelings of wanted to progress as a society . upper class wanted to modernize russia 

  • Upper classes formed secret societies that wanted to modernize russia politically, wanted constitution and to abolish serfdom 

  • Americophiles wanted American constitution, plus no more serfdom 

• Alexander died in 1825, no children

Transition between tsars (Alexander I and Nicholas I)

• Alexander I’s brother, Nicholas I, was next in line 

• Decembrist Revolt 1825

  • Aka decembrist insurrection 

  • Revolutionaries chose this transition period where power transfer was shaky

  •  wanted to progress as a society . upper class wanted to modernize russia  

  • Revolutionaries were aristocrats, lower nobility, officers

  • Clash on Peter’s square 

• Nicholas I was shocked that his upperclassmen decided to challenge the status quo

  • Their actions were also anti-religious since the tsar has divine appointment 

  • Executed leaders of the movement or sent them to Siberia with family 

Nicholas I

came to power right after Decembrist Revolt 1825

• very conservative

• took preventative measures for possible future revolutions

  • new schools for ordinary russiasn: their ignorance separates them from the monarchy

  • Immediately suppressed any revolutions via his troops 

• Wanted to strengthen orthodoxy (Third Rome) and gain control over holy sites in Palestine

  • “Orthodoxy, autocracy, and nationality” slogan.

  • palestine was part of the Ottoman empire . he reached agreement with Sultan 

  • pope found out and crashed out and began to conspire against Russia with France and GB. pressured Sultan 

  • Sultan revoked agreement 

  • Nick crashed out too and relations became tense with the Ottoman empire. 

  • France and GB were concerned that Russia would prevail against a hypothetical war against the Ottoman empire and be too strong. Began to build coalition against Russia made of France, GB, and Ottoman empire 

  • Ultimated in Crimean War

• Crimean war

  • Nick I got sick and died in 1855 during war 

Alexander II

• Nick I’s son 

• Russia lost Crimean war: Signed treaty and russia was punished / lost fleet

• 1861 signs manifesto to abolish serfdom 

  • 30 million no longer serfs 

  • Poorly organized transition 

• Liberal but implemented action too slow 

  • Educated society also wanted constitution, representative parliament. 

  • Intelligentsia. : group of people of different social origins dedicated to changing Russian society and politics. previously change was driven by aristocracy.

    • Primarily young people 

    • Split into two schools : westernizers and slavophiles 

    • Westernizers: Russia is part of Europe and can become modern by following EU countries 

    • Slavophiles: Russia is distinct, huge, orthodox, consisting of many groups and neither europe nor asia. So have a special way of modernization  

• 1873 - 1877 “Going to the people” movement 

  • Students met with lower classes and explained to them they should be more active 

  • Not very successful . rural areas got these people arrested for challenging tsar and status quo 

• 1876 land and liberty organization 

  • Wanted to overthrow government

  • Wanted to end private land ownership and redistribute it to peasants

  • Made up of anarchists and socialists

  • 1879 Splintered into two groups: one wanted to prepare the people for revolution, the other wanted immediate terror 

  • Latter group “the will of the people” killed Alexander II in 1881 to throw government into disarray . thought that this would create change and wake up society 

Alexander III

• His son 

• Conservative 

• Very harsh 

• Suppressed any revolutions . revolutionists were arrested/tried/executed 

• Russia was not engaged in any wars /  he promoted businesses, industries, railroads 

• Died in 1894

Nicholas II

• His son 

• Last emperor of russia 

• Challenging reign: Russo japanese war 1904. For korean peninsula . russia lost which is very embarrassing bc Japan is smol. Contributed to revolutionary movement  

• 1905 Revolution of 1905 / Bloody Sunday . demonstration of cowed asking for more freedom (press, speech, assembly, civil rights, first constitution (“Duma”)). Palace soldiers to fire at crowd 

• 1906 officially adopted constitution. Step forward in modernization demands towards democracy. State council and Duma / parliament

  • Many orgs and parties were legitimated / established 

  • Some moderate and some extreme . became concerned about the extremism 

• Most challenging issue was land reform 

  • Hundreds of thousands of peasants in villages / communes . want them as american farmers instead, with land . should be provided with land and make them responsible for agriculutre and production. 

  • East russian territory: give financial support to peasants hoo would move there and own farm 

• Attempted to revent revolutionaries in any way / harsh  

• Last emperor of russia 

• Brutally executed by revolutionaries with family

Socialism rising in Russia was surprising

• Marx viewed Russia as a conservative nation

• Marx also viewed industrial workers as drivers of socialism and that was not large percentage of Russian people 

Marxism / Marxist theory

• Method of reasoning 

• Conflict of opposites results in new synthesis and progress “unfolding in stages and culminating in perfection” 

• Economic elements (means and relations productions) comprise society’s substructure and determine its superstructure (government) 

Marxist process type deal: 

• at first capitalism is revolutionary and productive 

  • bourgeoisie/upper class contend over means of production (land, factors, tools, anything that contributes to production)

• then get the Antagonistic social classes : Upper class exploits lower classes  

  • Workers/proletariat, creator of value, recover in wages only a fraction of the value his labor creates and the upper class pockets the rest/the surplus as profits

  • Industrial workforce will absorb much of the peasantry until it becomes vast majority

    • Which will cause overproduction, unemployment, worker dissatisfaction, and class consciousness

  • Lots of goods from fully developed capitalism which miserably paid worker cannot buy

• Passage to next stage results from conflict between a class owning means of production and the one it exploits. 

  • Workers struggle for rights

• the exploited class achieves greater freedom and new stage develops usually by revolution. 

• Each successive historical stage reflects a more mature form of production.

Example London were workers worked 12 hours, low wages, child labor

• predicted revolutions will occur in advanced capitalist countries

Socialism

• System of social organization where private property and distribution of income are subject to social control rather than people pursuing their own interest of the market forces of capitalism 

• Became popular after world war 2

• Means of society are owned by society itself and are utilized in planned fashion. Distribute work amongst all those able and guarantee their livelihood 

• Education of individual will promote own innate abilities and develop sense of responsibility for his fellow man in place of glorification and success in present society 

• “From each according to his ability to each according to his work.” still have social classes but not antagonistic 

• Socialism is the first stage in building communism 

Why rise of socialism? in world

• People saw the soviet union with it 

  • Which lost 27 million people in WW2. other countries impressed because Russia used to be downtrodden but used education to defeat the Nazis 

• Socialism promote idea of equality between sex, ethnicity, and race .

  • US was still segregated at this time. Many former colonies adapted socialist model of modernization 

Communism

• last stage of society development

  • Socialism is the first stage in building communism 

• Founding on distribution according to need (rather than ability) 

• requires material wealth generated by high tech and organization

• Elimination of differences in ownership, class type, type of work 

  • Realize full potential through work 

  • Social harmony 

• Self governing public bodies based on social organizations 

• Always failed bc end up with dictatorship 

  • Human nature is main obstacle for extreme socialism / communism. Didnt care about work led to fall of soviet style socialism 

Anarchism

• Political belief that society should have no government / laws / authority 

  • Free association of all members

  • Core idea of antistatism, antiauthoritianism 

  • Opposite of centralized control / planning

  • far right  

  • State is evil repressive mechanism 

• Local production instead of central government 

opposite of socialism / communism

Difference between socialism and capitalism

• Cap: means of production are privately owned

• Soc: means of production are publicly owned to avoid exploitation of members