Russia Vocabulary

Russia Vocabulary

Siberia– area of land located between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean

Taiga—Vast forest of evergreen trees

Steppe– vast, grassy plains in southern Russia

Cyrillic Alphabet—Russian alphabet used today; it is a form of the Greek alphabet

Russia Vocabulary

Mongols (Tartars)—a group of people who invaded Russia in the 13th century. (They conquered the city of Kiev) The Mongols allowed Russian princes to rule over local states. Muscovy became the strongest state. In this region Moscow was the main city.

Czar—means emperor. It is Russian for “Caesar.”

Russia Vocabulary

Bolsheviks—group of radical Russian Communists which took control of Russia’s government in the Russian Revolution. They formed a new country called the USSR. Their first leader was Vladimir Lenin.

Russian Revolution—a revolt led by the Bolsheviks under Lenin in November 1917 that led to a period of civil war which ended in victory for the Bolsheviks in 1922

Russia Revolution

Gulags—harsh Soviet labor camps often located in Siberia. Under Stalin’s rule, many people were sent there because they spoke out against the government.

Red Square-- is a city square in Moscow. The square separates the Kremlin from the historic merchant quarter.

Russia Vocabulary

St. Basil’s Cathedral-- famous Russian landmark was built during the reign of Ivan IV. It was built in honor of Russian military victories.

St. Basil’s Cathedral

Russia Vocabulary

Faberge Eggs– famous form of Russian art. First created by Peter Carl Faberge, these priceless eggs were unique and held a small surprise inside

Faberge Eggs:

Russia Vocabulary

Dachas— Russian country houses

Trans-Siberian Railroad—rail line that runs from Moscow to Vladivostok on the east coast. It is the longest single rail line in the world.

Russian Vocabulary

Kremlin-- The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex in Moscow, overlooking Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Red Square. It is home to four palaces, four cathedrals and the enclosing Kremlin Wall. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of Russia.

Kremlin

Russia Vocabulary

Vladivostok--Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean

Sturgeon--large primitive fishes valued for their flesh and roe

Caviar- Sturgeon eggs which have been preserved in salt

Sturgeon and Caviar

Russia Vocabulary

Ivan IV—Czar of Russia in the 1500s known as Ivan the Terrible. He used secret police to control his people. He blinded the artists of St. Basil’s Cathedral so that they could never again produce something so beautiful

Peter the Great—(Peter I) Czar who modernize and expanded Russia. He moved the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg.

Russian Vocabulary

Catherine the Great—(Catherine II) ruler who modernize and expanded Russia

Geography of Russia

All land east of the Ural Mountains is considered to be part of Siberia.

The northern part of Siberia has winters that are long, dark, and fiercely cold. During the short summers, only the top few inches of the soil thaws out.

The best farmland in Russia is located in the steppe which is in the Southern part of Russia.

Early Russia

In the 800s, Slavs built a civilization in a city called Kiev.

In the 1200s (13th century), the Mongols invaded Russia and ruined the wealth and the power that Slavs had in Kiev.

Early Russia

Meanwhile, Moscow, a town to the north became the center of a new Slavic territory called Muscovy

In 1480, Ivan III, a prince of Muscovy, drove out the Mongols

Muscovy developed into the country we know today as Russia.

Czars

Russian rulers expanded their power, built up their armies, and seized land and other resources They called themselves czars, or emperors

Ivan IV was known as “Ivan the Terrible” because he used the secret police to tighten his iron grip on the people and control their lives. St. Basil’s Cathedral was built during Ivan IV’s reign

Catherine the Great and Peter the Great

Peter I, or Peter the Great, moved the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg (named after himself)He had it designed like European cities with elegant

palaces, public squares, and canals.

Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, focused on improving education for the people of Russia.

Both Peter the Great and Catherine the Great sought to modernize and expand Russia.

The French emperor, Napoleon, tried to invade Russia in 1812, but his army couldn’t survive in the harsh winters of Russia.

Railroads

Because of Russia’s gigantic size and harsh climates make transportation difficult within the country

Unlike the U.S., railroads are still an important means of getting around

The Trans-Siberian Railroad runs from Moscow to Vladivostok and is the longest single rail line in the world.

Russian Revolution

Unprepared for WWI, Russia suffered greatly. As food shortages caused starvation,

discontent grew among the Russian people. There was widespread poverty, but a few

people had all the wealth. As a result, there was a Russian Revolution.

In 1917, Czar Nicholas II was overthrown, and the Bolsheviks, a Russian communist group, took power.

The Bolsheviks formed a new country, the USSR or Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) after the Russian Revolution

Vladimir Lenin set up a communist government in Russia He moved the capital to Moscow, which is the current

capital of Russia.

Communist Russia

After Lenin, Joseph Stalin became the Soviet Union’s leader.

Stalin set up five year plans to industrialize the country, and the government took complete control of the country Those who opposed Stalin’s actions were killed or sent

to gulags (work camps) in Siberia

Cold War

When WWII ended, Stalin wanted to protect the Soviet Union from any more invasions.

He strengthened the military and built powerful nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union became a superpower as a result.

The U.S. and Soviet Union competed for world (and outerspace) dominance in the Cold War.