A Brief History of break up of Russia
A Brief History of break up of Russia
A Brief History of break up of Russia
Russia is a country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, covering an area of 17,098,242 square kilometers. It has a population of over 144 million people and is the ninth most populous nation in the world. Russia has a long and complex history that dates back to the 9th century when it was first established as a state by Viking invaders from Scandinavia.
The first Russian state was founded by Rurik, a Viking prince who established himself as Grand Prince of Novgorod in 862 AD. This state was known as Kievan Rus’ and it became one of the most powerful states in Eastern Europe during its time. The Kievan Rus’ was eventually replaced by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1480 AD, which would later become known as the Tsardom of Russia.
Under Ivan III (1462-1505), Russia began to expand its borders and influence into Eastern Europe. By 1547, Ivan IV (the Terrible) had conquered much of what is now modern-day Ukraine and Belarus, making them part of the Russian Empire. This expansion continued under Peter I (the Great) who conquered much of what is now modern-day Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland between 1696-1721.
The Russian Empire reached its peak under Catherine II (the Great) who reigned from 1762-1796. During her reign she expanded Russia’s borders even further into Central Asia and parts of what is now modern-day Turkey and Iran. She also annexed Crimea from the Ottoman Empire in 1783 which made it part of Russia until 1954 when it was transferred to Ukraine by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
The Russian Empire began to decline after Catherine II’s death in 1796 due to internal unrest caused by serfdom and other social issues that were not addressed by her successors Alexander I (1801-1825) or Nicholas I (1825-1855). This unrest eventually led to the Decembrist Revolt in 1825 which was crushed by Nicholas I but still marked an important turning point for Russia as it showed that there were people willing to stand up against autocratic rule.
In 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated his throne following months of protests against his rule which had been exacerbated by World War I losses on the Eastern Front. This led to a period known as “dual power” where two governments existed simultaneously: one led by Alexander Kerensky’s Provisional Government and another led by Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik Party which eventually won out after Lenin seized power during October Revolution later that year.
The Bolshevik Revolution marked a major shift for Russia as Lenin implemented sweeping reforms such as nationalizing industry, abolishing private property rights and introducing collective farming practices throughout much of Eastern Europe including Ukraine, Belarus and other former territories within the Russian Empire such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania which declared their independence shortly after Lenin took power in 1917.
This period also saw an increase in tensions between Russia and its former territories with many countries refusing to recognize Soviet rule or accept Soviet control over their affairs leading to several border disputes throughout this time period including those between Poland/Ukraine/Belarus/Lithuania/Latvia/Estonia/Finland/Romania/Bulgaria/Greece/Turkey etc.. These disputes often resulted in military conflicts such as those seen during World War II when Nazi Germany invaded many countries within this region with support from some local populations who opposed Soviet rule or wanted independence from Moscow’s control over their affairs.
After World War II ended with victory for Soviet forces over Nazi Germany, Stalin imposed his own brand of communism on many countries within this region including those mentioned above plus Czechoslovakia, Hungary etc.. This period saw increased repression throughout these countries with many people being sent off to labor camps or executed for opposing Stalin’s rule or simply speaking out against him or his policies leading to further resentment towards Moscow’s control over these countries’ affairs which would eventually lead to their break up with Russia following Stalin’s death in 1953 when Nikita Khrushchev came into power ushering in a new era for relations between Moscow and its former territories within Eastern Europe culminating with their eventual break up following collapse of Soviet Union 1991 marking end Cold War era between East West blocs paving way for new era cooperation between them today despite lingering tensions remain present some areas due past history events like Crimean crisis 2014 still unresolved today .