Russia and the former USSR

 From the frozen Arctic tundra of Siberia to the
deserts of Kazakhstan, size and climate help
define Russia and its former republics.

 Russia, the largest country in the world, It
stretches over 6,000 miles from the Baltic
Sea to the North Pacific.
 Russia and the former republics cover 1/6
of earth’s land surface
- 8 1/2 million square miles
 - three times the land area of U.S.
 - region crosses 11 time zones
 Russia is transcontinental (Europe and Asia)

 Russia boasts an enormous variety of landscapes,
ranging from tundra to steppes, from deserts to
mountains, from glaciers to volcanoes.

 Often referred to as
Western or European
Russia.
 75% of Russians live in
European Russia.
 The Ural Mountains form
a natural barrier between
Europe and Asia.
 Much of Russia’s largest
cities are in the Europe
side including Moscow and
St. Petersburg.
 Kiev is a major city in the
Ukraine.

St Petersburg is sometimes
called the "Venice of the
North" as it has many canals
and hundreds of bridges.

Moscow is the capital and
largest city in Russia.

The Kremlin is the center
of government.

 Most Russians are
Orthodox Christian and
St. Basil’s Cathedral is a
large, beautiful building
in Moscow’s Red Square.
 Because of its many
towers it almost looks
like a fairy-tale castle or
gingerbread house.
 The “onion dome” shape
is found often in Russian
church architecture.

 Red square is
the central
area in Moscow.
It has a rich
history as many
events have
taken place in
the square over
time.

 Siberia or Eastern
Russia is the
massive section of
central and Eastern
Russia.
 It makes up roughly
77% of the land area
in Russia but only
25% of the
population.
 It is very rich in
natural resources.

 Siberia has huge reserves
of coal, iron ore, other
metals
 The region is also a
leading producer of oil
and natural gas
 - petroleum deposits around
Caspian Sea among world’s
largest
 Forests have 1/5 of
world’s timber
 Large producer of
hydroelectric power due
to rivers

 The taiga or boreal forest
in Russia is the largest
forest on earth, mostly
coniferous
- home to sable, fox, ermine,
elk, bears, wolves and even
tigers!

 Siberia is desolate and
has a large variation
in temperatures that
makes life difficult
for its inhabitants.
 -cityof Verkhoyansk
can be -90° F in winter,
94° F in summer
 - most of the time it is
cold and temperatures
rarely exceed 50° F

 Cold weather has
impact on daily life
- Siberians use frozen
lakes and rivers as
roads for part of year
 The region has
layer of permafrost
that can reach
depths of 1,500
feet

 Winters are especially harsh in Russia.
 Harsh climate has even helped Russia fight off
invaders
 For example, in the early 1800s, French leader
Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Europe
 Bonaparte invades Russia in 1812 with 600,000 men
- arrives in Moscow in September, as winter begins
 - Russians burn the city leaving no shelter
 - Tired, cold and without supplies, Napoleon retreats.
 - Only 40,000 of Napoleon’s troops survive.
- This is considered one of the greatest military disaster in
history

 The Volga river
is longest river
in Europe.
 -15thlongest in
the world
 - flows 2,300
miles south from
Moscow
 - carries 60% of
Russia’s river
traffic
 - empties into
the Caspian Sea

 Caspian Sea is 750-
mile-long saltwater
lake
-largest inland sea in
world

 Lake Baikal is the
largest and deepest
freshwater lake in
the world.
- Over 1 mile from
surface to the bottom
 - said to contain 20%
of the earth’s fresh
water!
 -very clean lake,
home to over 1200
unique plant and
animal species

 During winter Lake Baikal
freezes over and is used
as a highway!

 From modest beginnings,
Russia expanded to become
the largest country in the
world.
 Long ago, people known as
the Slavs settled in Russia.
 Settlements were relatively
small until the Vikings
settled in the region and
adopt Slavic culture.
 Other peoples settle into
the region as well,
including the Mongols.

 The Mongols control
much of the region
until Ivan the Great
expels them in the
1500’s.
 Ivan the Great takes
the position of czar
or emperor.
 Czar is literally the
Russian translation
of the name Caesar.

 Russia continues to expand its empire until
it reaches the Pacific in the early 1700’s.

 Despite its large expansion,
Russia’s technology
advancement does not
match.
 Czar Peter vows to
modernize Russia and make
it into a great power.
 He moves the capital from
Moscow to St. Petersburg on
the Baltic Sea.
 St. Petersburg provides sea
access to Europe: “window
to the West”.

 Peter also strengthened
the army and even created
Russia’s first navy.
 He introduced many new
European customs to
reform and modernize
Russia.
 By Peter’s death in 1725,
Russia was one of the most
important European
states.

 Under Czar Nicholas II imperial
Russia goes from being one of
the foremost great powers of the
world to an economic and
military disaster.
 Russia is slow to industrialize in
the late 1800s-early 1900’s,
trailing Europe by half a century.
 Eventual industrialization brings
harsh working conditions and low
wages.
 The peoples’ unrest and anger
with czar grows.

 Czar Nicholas II came
to power in 1896.
 He had a large family,
four daughters; Olga,
Tatiana, Maria and
Anastasia before he
had his son and heir
Alexei.
 Alexei, however, was
born with a rare blood
disease known as
hemophilia.

 The royal family used
many doctors to try
and cure Alexei’s
ailment; however, all
treatments failed.
 Desperate for a cure,
Czarina Alexandra
turned to mystics and
holy men.
 One of these men
was Grigori Rasputin.

 Rasputin was believed to have
healing power through prayer.
 The Czar and Czarina believed
Rasputin could actually speak with
god and was able to heal Alexei.
 It seemed as though it was working
as Alexei did seem to find relief in
Rasputin.
 Rasputin would then play an
important role in the royal house, so
much, in fact, that he was said to
have had a strong influence on the
Czar’s decisions concerning politics.

 Many people feared that Rasputin’s
influence was affecting the Czar’s
decision making.
 Russia had fallen on hard times and
on top of that, they were involved in
World War I.
 The people of Russia suffered
greatly. They were cold and
starving as Russia’s economy was in
a depression.
 A group of nobles decided that
Rasputin's influence over the Czar
had made him a far too dangerous
threat to the empire.

 The legends surrounding the death
of Rasputin are perhaps even more
mysterious and bizarre than his
life.
 The nobles lured Rasputin to one of
their homes and led him down into
the basement where they fed him
cakes and red wine laced with
cyanide.
 Rasputin was unaffected even
though there was enough poison to
kill five men!
 Determined to finish the job, a
noble shot Rasputin in the back.

 They left his body in the basement and came back for him hours
later.
 To their surprise, Rasputin’s eyes re-opened and he lunged at them.
 The men opened fire and shot Rasputin three more times.
 As they went to check on his body, they were again surprised to find
that he was still alive and struggling to get up.
 They clubbed him into submission and even castrated him (gross!).
 They then bound his body, wrapped him in a carpet and threw him
into the icy Neva River.
 Three days later, Rasputin’s body was found. Bloody, badly beaten,
poisoned and shot 4 times.
 He had broken loose from his bindings and the carpet and appeared
to have been trying to claw his way out of the river.
 An autopsy revealed that the official cause of death was drowning.

 In 1917 amidst World War I, conditions
in Russia had become extremely bad
and a collapse was imminent.
 The government continued to
concentrate on the war effort while
the people at home suffered.
 There were food and supplies
shortages.
 Inflation was at an all time high. An
egg cost four times as much as it did
just a few years prior.
 The final straw came when the
government shut down public railroads
to use for war.

 In Moscow, the shortage of food
and severe winter caused a mob
of people to start breaking into
stores.
 People marched through the
streets with red banners
screaming “Down with the
government! Down with the
Czar!”
 The riot was soon a full fledged
revolution as disgruntled soldiers
in the army soon joined in.
 They wanted Czar Nicholas to
abdicate, (step down).

 Czar Nicholas had no choice but
to step down as Vladimir Lenin
and the Bolshevik party seized
power.
 The Bolsheviks were a socialist
political party that represented
the working class of Russia.
 They saw a quick rise to power
as the economic crisis plagued
the country in the early 1900’s.
 The preached discipline and
strong military.

 The Czar and his family were
exiled to a mansion in the
Ural Mountains.
 There, they were held captive
and guarded by soldiers.
 At 2:00 AM one night in 1918,
the Czar was told to head to
the basement with his family.
They were told that
revolutionaries were marching
towards the mansion and it
may be fired upon.

 Once they were in
the basement, the
executioners then
came in.
 It was then explained
to them that they
were condemned to
death.
 They then shot and
killed the royal
family.

 In 1979 the bodies of Czar
Nicholas II, the Czarina and
three of their daughters were
found in a grave in central
Russia.
 Missing were the bodies of Alexei
and Anastasia.
 It was believed that at the time
of the execution, the royal
family was wearing garments
with jewels sewn into them.
 It is possible that bullets did not
mortally wound Anastasia and
she was able to escape.

 Over the years, many women
came forward claiming to be
Anastasia but none could
prove it and/or DNA evidence
would prove they were in fact
not related to the royal
family.
 In 2007, two more bodies of a
young boy and girl were
discovered.
 In 2008, DNA evidence proved
that the bodies were in fact
Alexei and Anastasia.

 The revolt in 1917 ends the reign of the
czars.
 Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik party assumes
control of the government and the
economy.
 The Bolsheviks follow ideas of Karl Marx,
a German philosopher
 This idea is known as Communism
 - feel capitalism is doomed because few are
wealthy, many are poor
 - predict communism—shared property, wealth
—will replace it

 Communism is a social and
political structure in which
classes are abolished and
property is commonly controlled.
It advocates and aims to create
a common society in which
everyone is has equal share.
 - central government makes
major economic decisions
 - controls the wealth: land,
mines, factories, banks,
transportation
 - decides what products, crops
are produced; sets prices

 Communist Party
in Russia then
organizes diverse
peoples of Russian
empire
 Forms Union of
Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR)

 Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik party
who overthrew the Russian government in 1917. He
headed the Soviet state in its initial years.
 His body was preserved and put on public display after
his death in 1924.
 It rests in a mausoleum in next to the Kremlin in Red
Square today.

 Following Lenin’s death in 1924,
Joseph Stalin takes over USSR.
 Under Stalin’s reign during the
1930’s and 40’s is known as
“The Great Terror”.
 During this time period, millions
of “enemies of the state” are
executed and/or sent to the
Siberian Gulags.
 It is estimated the that around
20-30 million people died from
execution or repression under
Stalin’s regime.

 During the Soviet regime, the GULAG was
a government agency that administered
several prison/labor camps in Siberia.
 These camps housed a wide range of
convicts, from petty criminals to political
prisoners.
 The Gulag system is infamous as the place
where many millions died from inhumane
work conditions and hunger.

 Stalin leads USSR into
WWII and becomes
allies with the U.S.
and Britain.
 The USSR suffers
greatly from the war.
 Around 25 million
Russian soldiers and
civilians die as a
result of this conflict.

 Vasily Zaytsez was a famous
Soviet soldier during WWII and
perhaps the most famous
sniper of all time.
 He is said to have around 600
sniper kills.
 He gained notoriety in the
battle of Stalingrad which he
was said to have around 250
kills.
 His exploits are portrayed by
Jude Law in the movie
“Enemy at the Gates”.

 After the war, many Eastern
European countries start to adopt
communist ideals.
 Tensions grow as U.S. fears
worldwide Communist expansion.
 This leads to the Cold War, a conflict
between the U.S. and USSR that
never actually becomes open
warfare.
 During the Cold War, the U.S. and
USSR try to best each other by
increasing the size of their militaries.
 Tensions get so high that it seems as
though nuclear war is imminent.

 During the Cold War, both countries
vie for nuclear superiority and
increase their arsenals.
 The idea was that by building more
and more bombs; eventually, one
side would stand down.
 This, actually, will never happen.
 While it is a little unclear about who
was bigger or stronger, it is
speculated that the U.S. had many
more bombs, while the Soviets had
more destructive ones such as the
Tsar (Czar) Bomba.

 Not only was the Cold
War a race to increase
military prowess, it
was also a race for
technological prowess.
 This included the race
to be the first country
into space.
 The Soviets were first
to send the first
satellite known as
Sputnik into space.

 The Soviets bested the United
States once again when they
sent Soviet cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin as first human in
space on April 12, 1961.

 The U.S. would have been the
first, but instead we sent a
monkey on January 31, 1961.

 After the Cuban
Revolution in the early
1960’s, the new Cuban
government adopted
communism.
 Shortly thereafter, the
Soviets started building
nuclear missile silos on
the island.
 Through secret, spy
photographs, the U.S.
found out about the
missiles.

 Angered by these actions, the U.S. demanded the
Soviets withdraw from Cuba.
 The Soviets refused and it seemed a conflict was
imminent.
 Both sides believed that only armed combat could
resolve the issue.
 President Kennedy was even set to invade Cuba and
remove the missiles by force.
 Just when it looked as if nuclear war was going to
occur, the two sides came to an agreement. The
Soviets would remove their missiles from Cuba as
long as the Americans removed their own from
Turkey.

 In 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev “restructures” to allow
more economic, political freedom.
 This is known as Perestroika.
 This causes a domino effect and the
people (especially those in the smaller
republics) demand independence
-this leads to collapse of Soviet Union,
end of Cold War in 1991
 Region divides into 15 independent
republics.
 Russia becomes a democracy and
remains that today.

 The collapse of the
powerful Soviet
government has
left many of its
former republics
facing difficult
ethnic, economic,
and environmental
challenges.

 Many of the former
republics of the
USSR located in the
Caucuses region
experience crime
and religious or
ethnic conflict
following the
collapse of the
USSR.

 The Caucasus region is about
the size of California but is
home to over 50 different
ethnic groups.
 These groups fight violently
for independent territories
after USSR falls.
 There is much violence is in
the Russian republic of
Chechnya.
 Chechnya remained part of
Russia following the collapse
of the USSR but yearns for
independence.

 The people of Chechnya
differ from most Russians.
 Because of their
geographic location, they
are more closely ethnically
related with the other
people of the Caucasus
region and the Middle East
rather than the Slavic
Russians.
 Most Chechens are Muslim.

 During the early 1990’s,
Russia sends its military to
Chechnya to ensure they do
not declare independence.
 Chechen rebels hide out in
the mountains and carry out
attacks on Russian forces.
 In 1999, bombings in Moscow
force Russia to once again
send its military to Chechnya
 While Chechnya remains
under control, the region is
still in constant turmoil.

 On January 24th, 2011, a
terrorist set off a suicide bomb
at Moscow’s busy Domodedovo
Airport.
 The attack killed 36 people
and injured 180.
 2 weeks later, a leader of a
Chechen Muslim militant group
claimed responsibility.
 The leader says the Muslims of
the Caucasus are at war with
the Russian "occupation" and
says the attacks will continue.

 The former Soviet Union’s nuclear
programs have become a problem
 The dissolution of the USSR means
that not 1, but 15 countries now
have nuclear capabilities.
 - nuclear weapons scattered
throughout the republics make it hard
to keep track of them
 - nuclear power stations are not being
properly maintained
 - nuclear waste dumps are decaying

 These issues pose a threat to the
region’s people and environment.

 The breakup of the USSR
means that several countries
now have control of nuclear
weapons making it difficult to
keep track of them.
 Where are the weapons? Are
they safe? Where are the
nuclear scientists?
 Many fear that the weapons
made be sold, stolen or
misused by the wrong people
(terrorists or countries with
unstable governments.)

 Russia and the
former republics are
also facing problems
with aging, poorly
built nuclear
reactors.
 Radioactive waste
and dumping has
also been a problem
since the dissolution
of the USSR.

 In 1986, a Soviet nuclear
power plant in Chernobyl,
Ukraine experienced a
meltdown.
 The resulting fire sent a
plume of radioactive
fallout into the
atmosphere which spread
over a large geographic
area (over 100,000 square
miles are said to have
been affected!)
 It is the worst nuclear
accident in history.

 The nuclear accident at has
a variety of effects on
people, animals and the
environment.
 People in the effected area
are more prone to cancer
and birth defects from the
radiation.
 Mutations have also
occurred in plants and
animals after the plant
explosion. Leaves changed
shape and some animals
were born with physical
deformities.

 http://villageofjoy.com/chernobyl-today-
a-creepy-story-told-in-pictures/

Many nuclear
power plants
are same design
as one at
Chernobyl.

Will there be
another
disaster?

 Following the fall of the USSR, Russia adopts
capitalism.
 The government sells businesses to private individuals.
 Russian mafia controls many businesses (illegal and
untaxed).
 Without limits, prices of many goods rise over 250%.
 This causes Russia to go into a severe depression in the
1990’s.
 Even today, up to 40% of Russians live far below the
poverty line.
 Many Russians are wondering if things might have been
better when they were under Soviet control.

 With the economy in poor shape
and instability at it’s borders,
Russia has started to re-arm it’s
military.
 Recently, Russia’s government
placed over $400 billion back into
its military.
 The hope is to create new jobs,
boost the economy and make
Russia a military super power that
it once was.
 Are we headed for another Cold
War?

Russia and the former USSR

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