Russia
Peter the Great
Standing at 6'7 feet tall was Peter I, more widely known as Peter the Great, the nickname he was given for his giant figure.
- In 1696 Peter the great comes into power, as the new Czar of Russia
- Unlike the Czar's before Peter, he was really curious about new things for Russia
- Peter ended all the Russian traditions
- He even proposed a tax saying if you have a beard like the old fashion Russians, you must cut it off
- He was very intrested in European technology
- Russia fought in the Great Northern War that lasted almost 20 years
- After this war, Peter realized Russia could not fight alone and they needed allies
- Peter decided to go to Europe to see the way they do things
- He left on March 9, 1698, with only a few of his advisers that he trusted the most
- He went incognito, and traveled under the name Peter Mikhail
- While in Europe, Peter traveled to Swedish Baltic provinces, Prussia and other North German states, Holland, England, Austria and Saxony
- Even after traveling to all these European places, Peter was still very curious
- Peter wanted his Country to trade and compete with the Europeans
- He stayed in Holland for four months where he learned the art of shipbuilding
- He also learned the art of the British Navy while in England
- Peter's expidetion to England lasted 17 months and 17 days
- This expidetion was recorded as the Great Embasy
- In 1696 Peter the great comes into power, as the new Czar of Russia
- Unlike the Czar's before Peter, he was really curious about new things for Russia
- Peter ended all the Russian traditions
- He even proposed a tax saying if you have a beard like the old fashion Russians, you must cut it off
- He was very intrested in European technology
- Russia fought in the Great Northern War that lasted almost 20 years
- After this war, Peter realized Russia could not fight alone and they needed allies
- Peter decided to go to Europe to see the way they do things
- He left on March 9, 1698, with only a few of his advisers that he trusted the most
- He went incognito, and traveled under the name Peter Mikhail
- While in Europe, Peter traveled to Swedish Baltic provinces, Prussia and other North German states, Holland, England, Austria and Saxony
- Even after traveling to all these European places, Peter was still very curious
- Peter wanted his Country to trade and compete with the Europeans
- He stayed in Holland for four months where he learned the art of shipbuilding
- He also learned the art of the British Navy while in England
- Peter's expidetion to England lasted 17 months and 17 days
- This expidetion was recorded as the Great Embasy
hi
- After winning the Great Northern war, Peter had a vision
- This vision was about the future town named after his patroned saint, St. Petersburg
- He began to build the city on a fortress and port in 1700
- St. Petersburg was built across from the Nova River
- Peter had canals dug, and he built his first house in St. Petersburg
- Around this time, Russia gets their own Navy
- In 1712, St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia, and the citizens of Moscow were stunned
- All senators were ordered to leave Moscow, and come to St. Petersburg to reestablish themselves
- The same year, Peter had ordered 1000 men of the upper class and their families to come live in St. Petersburg
- Peter also ordered 500 merchants and shoekeepers, and ordered all 1500 of the men to build homes
- Built the city with their bare hands
- When the workers dug piles of earth, they transported the dirt in their clothing because of the lack of technology
- In 1714 they began to work on the Peterhof
- In 1719, Engineers constructed a 14 mile water system
- Now that Peter's vision has come to life, his biggest goal is to make Russia part of Europe
- In 1725 Peter died from saving a sailer from drowning in the cold water
- His vision of becoming part of England is now left in the hands of the next ruler
“I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself.” - Peter the Great
- This vision was about the future town named after his patroned saint, St. Petersburg
- He began to build the city on a fortress and port in 1700
- St. Petersburg was built across from the Nova River
- Peter had canals dug, and he built his first house in St. Petersburg
- Around this time, Russia gets their own Navy
- In 1712, St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia, and the citizens of Moscow were stunned
- All senators were ordered to leave Moscow, and come to St. Petersburg to reestablish themselves
- The same year, Peter had ordered 1000 men of the upper class and their families to come live in St. Petersburg
- Peter also ordered 500 merchants and shoekeepers, and ordered all 1500 of the men to build homes
- Built the city with their bare hands
- When the workers dug piles of earth, they transported the dirt in their clothing because of the lack of technology
- In 1714 they began to work on the Peterhof
- In 1719, Engineers constructed a 14 mile water system
- Now that Peter's vision has come to life, his biggest goal is to make Russia part of Europe
- In 1725 Peter died from saving a sailer from drowning in the cold water
- His vision of becoming part of England is now left in the hands of the next ruler
“I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself.” - Peter the Great
Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая, Yekaterina II Velikaya)
Interesting, industrious, and powerful, renowned are all words used to decribe Catherine the Great
- In 1762 Peter III's (Peter's son) wife Catherine comes into power
- Catherine came into power when Peter III was assasinated
- Catherine had always thought of her self as Peter's rightful Heir
- Russia grew stronger then ever before under her power, becoming one of the worlds Great Powers
- Catherine expanded Russia to it's greatest points to date
- During her time in power, Catherine built many schools, hospitals, and many other services to St. Petersurg
- She built 216 towns in total
- Her most popular edition to St. Petersburg was the winter palace
- The palace had hundereds of rooms, and even Catherine herself resided there
- Mnay balls were held at the palace
- The palace still remains in Russia today, but is now used as a museum called the Hermitage Museum
- Catherine truly transforned St. Petersburg and made it what it is today
- Catherine decided to stop ruling in 1796
"I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all." - Catherine the Great
- In 1762 Peter III's (Peter's son) wife Catherine comes into power
- Catherine came into power when Peter III was assasinated
- Catherine had always thought of her self as Peter's rightful Heir
- Russia grew stronger then ever before under her power, becoming one of the worlds Great Powers
- Catherine expanded Russia to it's greatest points to date
- During her time in power, Catherine built many schools, hospitals, and many other services to St. Petersurg
- She built 216 towns in total
- Her most popular edition to St. Petersburg was the winter palace
- The palace had hundereds of rooms, and even Catherine herself resided there
- Mnay balls were held at the palace
- The palace still remains in Russia today, but is now used as a museum called the Hermitage Museum
- Catherine truly transforned St. Petersburg and made it what it is today
- Catherine decided to stop ruling in 1796
"I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all." - Catherine the Great
Czar Nicholas II
- On 20 October 1894, Nicolas I became Czar at 26 years old
- Nicholas' father Alexander III died from liver disease, putting Nicholas in power
- This same year, Nicholas III marries Princess Alexandra who is German and the Granddaughter of Queen Victoria
- Nicholas is known to not the brightest one in the bunch
- He doesn't like the work that comes with being Czar
- He also dislikes confrintation
- In 1904, 100,000 workers in St. Petersburg went on strike declining wages
- The many people protesting made it clear that they wanted Nicholas to help them
- The petition the protestors carried read:
"Oh Sire, we working men and inhabitants of St. Petersburg, our wives, our children and our parents,
helpless and aged women and men, have come to You our ruler, in search of justice and protection.
We are beggars, we are oppressed and overburdened with work, we are insulted, we are not looked
on as human beings but as slaves. The moment has come for us when death would be better than the
prolongation of our intolerable sufferings. We are seeking here our last salvation. Do not refuse to help
Your people. Destroy the wall between Yourself and Your people."
- As the large group of protestors made their way over to the Winter Palace, they were confronted by troops
- The troops shot many of the protestors, killing hundreds
- This shooting is known today as "Bloody Sunday"
- Russia was a mess, with 400,000 people going on strike, and on top of all this, the loss of the Russo- Japanese war
- Bloody Sunday caused a Revolution
- Nicholas III is forced to accept Legislature in 1917
- Nicholas' father Alexander III died from liver disease, putting Nicholas in power
- This same year, Nicholas III marries Princess Alexandra who is German and the Granddaughter of Queen Victoria
- Nicholas is known to not the brightest one in the bunch
- He doesn't like the work that comes with being Czar
- He also dislikes confrintation
- In 1904, 100,000 workers in St. Petersburg went on strike declining wages
- The many people protesting made it clear that they wanted Nicholas to help them
- The petition the protestors carried read:
"Oh Sire, we working men and inhabitants of St. Petersburg, our wives, our children and our parents,
helpless and aged women and men, have come to You our ruler, in search of justice and protection.
We are beggars, we are oppressed and overburdened with work, we are insulted, we are not looked
on as human beings but as slaves. The moment has come for us when death would be better than the
prolongation of our intolerable sufferings. We are seeking here our last salvation. Do not refuse to help
Your people. Destroy the wall between Yourself and Your people."
- As the large group of protestors made their way over to the Winter Palace, they were confronted by troops
- The troops shot many of the protestors, killing hundreds
- This shooting is known today as "Bloody Sunday"
- Russia was a mess, with 400,000 people going on strike, and on top of all this, the loss of the Russo- Japanese war
- Bloody Sunday caused a Revolution
- Nicholas III is forced to accept Legislature in 1917
Personal life of Nicholas II
- In his personal life, Nicholas is going through a lot
- His son Alexi is diagnosed with the hereditary disease, Hemophelia
Click here to see the family tree of Hemophelian disease:
http://www.sciencecases.org/hemo/hemo.asp
- In 1902 in St. Petersburg, Rasputin appeared to Alexandra
- Rasputin was introduced to the family in 1905
- Rasputin was able to "heal" Alexi;
- whenever Raspution was around, Alexi would get better
- Rasputin, unfortinatly, was known for more then his healing powers
- He was known as a partier, a drunk, a womanizer, and a lover of Alexandra's,
- These are all reasons why Nicholas wanted him out of the picture
- Many of Nicholas' loyal people wanted to get rid of Rasputin as well
- They attempted to poison, shoot, and beat him
- The winning attempt was wrapping Raspuin in a blanket and tossing him in a river
- This caused him to drown and die
;
- Aside from their only son Alexi, Nicholas and Alexandra had four girls
- Olga, Tatiana, Marie, Anastasia
- July 17, 1918 the Romanov's were told to dress up in their finest, because they were going to take a picture
- The family was ordered to go to the basement, and so they did
- They took their picture, and Yurovsky, began to shoot
- He got everyone except for the girls, because his bullets reflected off their many jewels and diamonds
- This led to him having to stab them all to death
- The family was burried in the woods behind their home
- Nicholas II ended the Romanov dynasty, and was the last Czar to serve Russia
- About a year after this day, an unknown girl was pulled out of the river near the Romanov's home
- She was put under psychiatric observation at the Dalldorf Asylum in Berlin
- The girl claimed to be the royal Anastasia, after showing many signs of reseblance
- Most of the world believed this was true for many years
- This was proved to be false in 1994, after DNA testing became avalible, and the girl was really a Polish Peasant girl
- Anastasia being the most popular daughter, was made into a movie in 1997, exaggerating the story of the families death
Click here to read more about the life of Anastasia
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/anastasia/index.html
Click here to see a song from the motion picture "Anastasia" that puts a twist on the story of her life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeQvp2_axAw
Click here to see recent news about finding the remains of Alexi Romanov:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294360,00.html
- Olga, Tatiana, Marie, Anastasia
- July 17, 1918 the Romanov's were told to dress up in their finest, because they were going to take a picture
- The family was ordered to go to the basement, and so they did
- They took their picture, and Yurovsky, began to shoot
- He got everyone except for the girls, because his bullets reflected off their many jewels and diamonds
- This led to him having to stab them all to death
- The family was burried in the woods behind their home
- Nicholas II ended the Romanov dynasty, and was the last Czar to serve Russia
- About a year after this day, an unknown girl was pulled out of the river near the Romanov's home
- She was put under psychiatric observation at the Dalldorf Asylum in Berlin
- The girl claimed to be the royal Anastasia, after showing many signs of reseblance
- Most of the world believed this was true for many years
- This was proved to be false in 1994, after DNA testing became avalible, and the girl was really a Polish Peasant girl
- Anastasia being the most popular daughter, was made into a movie in 1997, exaggerating the story of the families death
Click here to read more about the life of Anastasia
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/anastasia/index.html
Click here to see a song from the motion picture "Anastasia" that puts a twist on the story of her life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeQvp2_axAw
Click here to see recent news about finding the remains of Alexi Romanov:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294360,00.html
Bolshevik Revolution
Boshleviks - communists led by Vladimir Lenin
- After Nicholas II dies, Russia is in ruins, with no leader to guide them
- A new Government came into place in 1917, called the Provisional Government
- This Government was made up of bankers, lawyers, industrialists, and capitalists.
- The Government was very weak and didn't do much for Russia
- Russia stayed in the war, but made things worse for the Government and for Russia
- Vladimir Lenin arrived from exile in the spring of 1917 and joined the Bolshevik Party
- The Bolshevik's goal was to overthrow the Provisional Government and set up a government for the proletariat
- In July 1917, the workers challenged the Government, where they were defeated
- The workers were jailed, and Lenin went into hiding
- In late August, the Government began to support the workers
- The Government was becoming closer and closer to becoming Blosheviks themselves
- The Revolution was very important in World history, and the history of Baltic states
- On October 24-25, 1917 pro- Bolshevik Sailors, Soilders, and Reg Guards stormed into the Winter Palace
- They arrested the members of the Proisional Government
- This was known as the "bloodless coup", which put the Bolshevik's in power
- The next day the elections gave the Bolshevik's a majority of the seats
- A month later, when they did the elctions again, the Bolshevik's were very upset to find they hadn't gotten majority of the seats
- The day after this happened, the Bolshevik's dissolved the Constituent Assembly and took controll
- This led to a Civil War with the "Whites"
- Latvian troops helped the Bolshevik's, which caused them to win the War with the Whites
- A new Government came into place in 1917, called the Provisional Government
- This Government was made up of bankers, lawyers, industrialists, and capitalists.
- The Government was very weak and didn't do much for Russia
- Russia stayed in the war, but made things worse for the Government and for Russia
- Vladimir Lenin arrived from exile in the spring of 1917 and joined the Bolshevik Party
- The Bolshevik's goal was to overthrow the Provisional Government and set up a government for the proletariat
- In July 1917, the workers challenged the Government, where they were defeated
- The workers were jailed, and Lenin went into hiding
- In late August, the Government began to support the workers
- The Government was becoming closer and closer to becoming Blosheviks themselves
- The Revolution was very important in World history, and the history of Baltic states
- On October 24-25, 1917 pro- Bolshevik Sailors, Soilders, and Reg Guards stormed into the Winter Palace
- They arrested the members of the Proisional Government
- This was known as the "bloodless coup", which put the Bolshevik's in power
- The next day the elections gave the Bolshevik's a majority of the seats
- A month later, when they did the elctions again, the Bolshevik's were very upset to find they hadn't gotten majority of the seats
- The day after this happened, the Bolshevik's dissolved the Constituent Assembly and took controll
- This led to a Civil War with the "Whites"
- Latvian troops helped the Bolshevik's, which caused them to win the War with the Whites
Vladimir Lenin
- Vladimir Illych Ulyanov was Vladimir Lenin's real name
- He changed it on the run from the secret police so he wouldn't get arrested
- In November of 1917, Lenin established the first Communist Government, and overthrew the Provisional Government
- Russia had the first Communist Government in the World
- Before all this happened, Lenin became a lawyer and visited communists in St. Petersburg
- Lenin was part of the Bolsheviks which means majority in Russian
- In 1895, Lenin went to visit Europe
- When he came back, he had communist books and leaflets
- This was forbidden in Russia, so Lenin was sent to prison
- He was exiled to Siberia where he thought a lot about how to take down the Government in Russia
- In 1914 Lenin moved to Switzerland, still planning ways to take down the Russian Government
- Lenin Believed many things
- He believed that the rich abused the poor, and that the poor needed to be helped
- He also believed that anybody making a profit was abusing everyone around them
- He Believed that everyone was equal and should be treated that way
- He wanted to overthrow Russias Government, and create a new one that truly represented the people
- He based most of his belief's off of Karl Marx, A German Philosopher who is considered the Father of Communism
- By the end of 1917, Lenin was the leader of Russia
- In 1924, Lenin died
- He changed it on the run from the secret police so he wouldn't get arrested
- In November of 1917, Lenin established the first Communist Government, and overthrew the Provisional Government
- Russia had the first Communist Government in the World
- Before all this happened, Lenin became a lawyer and visited communists in St. Petersburg
- Lenin was part of the Bolsheviks which means majority in Russian
- In 1895, Lenin went to visit Europe
- When he came back, he had communist books and leaflets
- This was forbidden in Russia, so Lenin was sent to prison
- He was exiled to Siberia where he thought a lot about how to take down the Government in Russia
- In 1914 Lenin moved to Switzerland, still planning ways to take down the Russian Government
- Lenin Believed many things
- He believed that the rich abused the poor, and that the poor needed to be helped
- He also believed that anybody making a profit was abusing everyone around them
- He Believed that everyone was equal and should be treated that way
- He wanted to overthrow Russias Government, and create a new one that truly represented the people
- He based most of his belief's off of Karl Marx, A German Philosopher who is considered the Father of Communism
- By the end of 1917, Lenin was the leader of Russia
- In 1924, Lenin died
Joe Stalin
- Joe Stalin is known for turning Russia, a country going backwards in progress, into a world power
- Stalin was one of Lenin's sucessors
- In 1922, Stalin was apointed to the General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee
- Stalin quickly began to have controll of a lot of things, including who had access to the leader
- After Lenins death, Stalin became the leader of Russia
- Stalin began to destroy the old leaders of the party
- Stalin wanted Russia to achieve the goal of rapid industrialism so it could be at the same level as capitalist powers
- Russia succeeded and created an industrial infrastructure
- Some titles Stalin recieved over his life include "Father of Nations", "Brilliant Genius of Humanity", "Great Architect of Communism",
and "Gardener of human happiness"
- The population of Russia is less now then it was during the time of Stalin
- Stalin died in 1953, while still leading Russia
Click here for an interveiw between Stalin and H.G. Wells on Marxism VS. Liberalism:
http://rationalrevolution.net/special/library/cc835_44.htm
- Stalin was one of Lenin's sucessors
- In 1922, Stalin was apointed to the General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee
- Stalin quickly began to have controll of a lot of things, including who had access to the leader
- After Lenins death, Stalin became the leader of Russia
- Stalin began to destroy the old leaders of the party
- Stalin wanted Russia to achieve the goal of rapid industrialism so it could be at the same level as capitalist powers
- Russia succeeded and created an industrial infrastructure
- Some titles Stalin recieved over his life include "Father of Nations", "Brilliant Genius of Humanity", "Great Architect of Communism",
and "Gardener of human happiness"
- The population of Russia is less now then it was during the time of Stalin
- Stalin died in 1953, while still leading Russia
Click here for an interveiw between Stalin and H.G. Wells on Marxism VS. Liberalism:
http://rationalrevolution.net/special/library/cc835_44.htm