Russia Unit Study Guide Knowt

Tundra

The area of Russia near the arctic north, real cold

Siberia

The massive cold northeastern part of Russia home to very little.

Taiga

a region of evergreen forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions

Steppe

The area of the Russian region that contains good soil and has the ability to be agriculturally productive. Found from Ukraine to Kazakhstan.

Kievan Rus

First Russians are known as this-

Cyrillic alphabet

The 32-letter alphabet introduced to Russia from Kiev, used for writing Slavic languages, derived from Greek

Boyars

Rulers/Land owners (Like Gentry) of early Russian City-States, and throughout most of Russian history

Grand Prince

the most powerful boyar for each city-state

Vladimir of Kiev

987 AD - He converts to a new religion, Orthodox. Basically founder of Russia

Russian Orthodox Church

Primary religion of Russia, aka Eastern orthodox. The religion GP Vlad converted to

Mongols

People of Central Asia who conquered Russia and ruled by tribute, setting them back hundreds of years. 1240s on

Tribute

Money paid from one country to another for "protection" Russia pays Mongols in Russia's case.

Isolationism

A policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations

Ivan the Great

Got rid of Mongols, also known as Ivan III

Ivan the Terrible

Bad guy, grandson of Ivan III. He centralized and strengthened the govt, and had the secret police. Aka Ivan IV

Oprichniki

Secret police force that was created by Ivan the Terrible

Time of Troubles

Bad situation after Ivan IV died, internal fighting, famine, drought, peasant revolts, and invasions. Ended with selection of Michael Romanov

Michael Romanov

In 1613 an assembly of nobles chose him as the new czar. For the next 300 years his family ruled in Russia (1613-1633)

Czar (or Tsar)

"Caesar" or ruler in Russia during time of Russian empire (until 1917)

Serfs

Farmer workers who were tied to the land on which they lived during the Russian Empire

Peter the Great

This was the tsar of Russia that Westernized Russia and built up a massive Russian army. He was obsessed with the west.

St. Petersburg

Large city and major port that Peter the Great established in 1703, named after himself

Westernization

adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture

Catherine the Great

ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, added new lands to Russia, encouraged science, art, literature, Russia became one of Europe's most powerful nations. She was a regent but never let her son rule.

Regent

somebody who rules in place of a young ruler, usually a parent or relative

Nicholas II

the last czar of Russia who was forced out of leadership in 1917 by the Russian Revolution

Alexandra

Last Tsarist of Russia, had a son who was a hemophiliac, and was put under the influence of Rasputin, where he exploited her. A major cause in the collapse of the Russian empire into revolution.

Alexei Romanov

son of Nicholas II who had hemophilia and was the reason for Rasputin's presence at the palace

Hemophilia

A hereditary disease where blood does not coagulate to stop bleeding. Alexei Romanov had this disease so Rasputin pulled up and things got weird. (Alexie got it because his parents were like second cousins)

Rasputin

"Black Monk", who pulled up to the palace to help try to cure the czar's son, who was a hemophiliac. He kinda had a weird relationship with Alexandra.

Duma

The elected parliament. Though through establishing this is seemed like the Czar was giving his people power, in reality he could easily get rid of this if they made any laws or such that he didn't like.

Alexander Kerensky

Headed the Provisional Government in 1917. Refused to redistribute confiscated landholdings to the peasants. Thought fighting the war was a national duty.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik (later Communist) Party. He lived in exile in Switzerland until 1917, then came back to lead the Bolsheviks to victory during the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed.

Bolsheviks

A group of revolutionary Russian Marxists who took control of Russia's government in November 1917

Karl Marx

founder of modern communism

Marxism

A branch of socialism that emphasizes exploitation and class struggle and includes both communism and other approaches.

Communism

a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. Socialism is a big piece of this

Socialism

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Soviet Union

The former communist country that existed in Eastern Europe and much of Asia made up of 17 republics, including the present-day "stans", the baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus, and more.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition.

Great Purge

A campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened Stalin's power. People were taken out if they tried to oppose stalin.

Five Year Plan

Stalin's economic policy to rebuild the Soviet economy after WWI. tried to improve heavy industry and improve farm output. Leaped Russia forward

Capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Nikita Khruschev

Succeeded Stalin as the head of the Soviet Communist Party and became the Soviet premier.