The+Rise+of+Russia

The Rise of Russia



Day 1:

1. Describe the effects of Mongol occupation on Russian civilization 2.Trace Russian expansion under the Ivans.
 * Under Mongol control Russia was set back from flourishing. Their rule weakened the economy and created a cultural disadvantage. Although the Mongolian rulers were only interested in tribute they managed to influence their dressing habits and social habits upon the Russians. While under Mongol rule the level of literacy also decreased, for example among the priests. Concluding with trade being low and manufacturing as well Russia became an agricultural economy that ran off of peasant work.
 * When Ivan the great came to rule he freed a large part of Russia from the Mongols. By 1462, Russia had gained a vast territory that stretched from the borders of Polish Lithuanian kingdom to the Ural Mountains. Then Ivan the Terrible continued the ideals of Russian expansion. The expansion was centered mainly on central Asia. Due to Russia’s vast plains, they pushed the expansion southward towards the Caspian Sea, East of Ural Mt., and Western Siberia.

Leader Analysis


 * Name of Leader: Peter I

|| Peter the Great || 1682-1725 || Russia was under Mongol Rule with set back their economy and cultural advances. Ivan III freed Russia from Mongol rule and by 1480, Moscow was freed from Mongols and they gain territory expansion from Polish Lithuania kingdom to Ural Mountains. After his rule came Ivan IV. He also focused on expanding Russia. The expansion went from Southern Caspian Sea, East Ural mts., to Western Siberia. The tsars focus on carefully managing contacts with Western Europe. Soon enough Western merchants set up outpost in Moscow and other parts of the Russian territory. After Ivan IV died, new rulers came about, boyars; this was called the **Time of Troubles**. Then the boyars chose a member of Romanov family to rule and they did so till 1917.Michael was the first of the family to rule setting up internal order. Drove off all the foreign invaders and resumed with the ideas of his predecessors to expand Russia. After a war with Poland they gain control of Ukraine and Kiev. Michael’s successor Alexis abolished the assembly of nobles and gain control of the church. After Alexis his son came to rule his name was Peter I. ||
 * Lifespan : 1672 to 1725 || ** Title: **
 * Country/region: Russia || Years in Power: 43 years
 * Political, Social, & Economic Conditions Prior to Leaders Gaining Power’
 * Ideology, Motivation, Goals:

Peter the great focused on extending his predecessors’ policies of building up tsarist control and the expansion of Russia. He also changed selected aspects of economy and culture by imitating the reforms of the west. He was a vigorous and extremely intelligent leader, with a ruthless energy. He was also exceptionally tall standing at 6.8”. He wanted Russia to resemble the western cultural orbit and diplomatic values. || He traveled to the west widely in hope to find allies to create a crusade to attack the Turkish power. That didn’t go as planed. He also worked as a ship’s carpenter in Holland, which gained him interest for science and technology. His political views clearly showed that he was autocratic. He enhanced the power of the state by using reform force. He recruited bureaucrats from other regions and gave them noble titles in exchange. He imitated the west’s’ military tactics. He input a foreign policy that established lines. · || Long-Term Effects
 * Significant Actions & events During Term of Power
 * Encforced police to watch over political leaders
 * started trading camp
 * promoted education system focused on math and science
 * supported upper class women ||
 * Short-Term effects:
 * Attacked ottoman empire but had no victory
 * Moved Russia’s capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg
 * Eliminated noble council and added advisors under his control
 * temporarly beccame major power
 * changed power of aristocrats
 * established trading ports in Baltic and Caspian Sea


 * Created first Russian Navy
 * Well defined military hierocracy
 * Improved armies weaponry
 * Law code for whole empire
 * Revised tax system
 * secret police
 * increased learning
 * westernised russia ||


 * Name of Leader: Catherine II

|| Catherine the Great || 1762-1796 (34 years) || After Peter the great died in 1724, Russia had many weak rulers, dominated in part by power plays among army officers. The plan to expand Russia’s territory continued but some conflicts arose with the Ottoman empire. || Catherine was a German born princess. She changed her name from Sophie Auguste Frederike to Catherine when she married Peter III. She converted to orthodox faith after marriage. She didn’t have a good marriage and Peter III, her husband made constant threats of divorce. She also didn’t get along with her son, Paul I. She cultivated the Russian court and dethroned her Husband. || She, like Peter the great were westernizes. She admired the French Enlightenment so she had many French philosophers visit. She firmed reform commissions to discuss new law codes and other western –styles. She was a centralizer and believed in a “strong tsarist hand”. Catherine also gave power to the nobility over their serfs. That meant nobles served a central government and staffed it as bureaucrats and officers. These landlords were allowed requisition peasant labor; levy taxes in money and goods. They could impose punishments for crimes because landlords dominated courts administered local justice. She continued to build in St. Petersburg and enforced the children study there. She did appose cultural influence from the west, shutting the door on the French after their revolution in 1789. She pursued the tradition of Russian expansion with energy and success. She gained territory in Crimea. The contest between ottoman and Russian empire became a drag for both. She accelerated the colonization in to Siberia, Alaska, and northern California. She interfered with Polish government since its was basically paralyzed. With the parathion of Poland she held rule over the territory. The first time Russia moved into the heart of Western Europe was when they beat Napoleon army in 1812. || · Gave powers to nobles over serfs · Partition of Poland -commercial treay with great britian - wars with Ottoman empire || Long-Term Effects
 * Lifespan : 1729-1796 || ** Title: **
 * Country/region: Russia || Years in Power:
 * Political, Social, & Economic Conditions Prior to Leaders Gaining Power’
 * Ideology, Motivation, Goals:
 * Significant Actions & events During Term of Power
 * Short-Term effects:


 * Increased harshness of punishments nobles could decree for their serfs
 * Accelerated colonization
 * Territory of Crimea
 * extended borders of russia south, east, and west ||

Day 2:

· Serfdom This was the Russian form of Slavery, which deferred from the Europeans because it was labor enforced on their own kind. Serfdom gave government to regulate peasant life and satisfy the nobility. Around 1800’s half of Russia’s peasantry was enserfed to the landlords. Landlords had legal rights over the serfs. In 1649, an act passed so that if you born into a serf family you couldn’t escape your duties. They could be bought, sold, gambled away, and punished by their masters. They were considered slaves, but were illiterate, paid higher taxes, and owed a lot of labor service to the landlord. · Dependence The Russia society wasn’t just made of landlords and serfs. There were nonoble bureaucrats and professionals. Also there was a small merchant group. Russian cities depended a lot on west imports and with concern abut this they prevented the rise of substantial merchant class. But the social system and economy worked well. They did produce enough to expand. They traded furs and other goods with central Asia. The populations double to 36 million in the 18th century. However agriculture remained dominate.

· Social Unrest But the society wasn’t very please with the economic and social systems, so they began to protest. Western oriented criticized the regime’s backward ways. There were recurring peasant rebellions. The peasants respected the tsars but they had hate for their landlords. Some even attacked and killed their landlords. The most famous of the rebellions was Pugachev’s in 1770’s. He claimed to be the real tsar and he’d end taxes, serfdom, and military conscription. His words traveled through Russia until defeated. His body was sent in a case and he was cut into 4s in the public square. · Eastern Europe The regions west of Russia were still aiming for the borderland between east and Western Europe. The Balkans was growing trade with west. Greek merchants picked up enlightenment ideas along the trade. Areas like Poland, Czech, and Slovak remained with western cultural orbit. Polish scientist Copernicus contributed to scientific rev. and reformation echoed even in Hungary. After Hungary was freed from Ottomans they went under German –dominated Habsburg Empire. That empire also took over Czech and called it Bohemia. Prussian territory expanded towards Poland. In 1500 Poland and Lithuania united forming the second largest state next to Russia.

 · Spanish king granted conquistadors control over native populations.  · Conquestadors had to extract tribute  · They would be granted a number of natives who they had to protect,teach the spanish language to and convert them to catholic faith. ||  · Subjugated populations  · The both denided to call it slavery  · Attempted to resiste out side influences. ||  · This was the Russian form of Slavery, which deferred from the Europeans because it was labor enforced on their own kind.  · Serfdom gave government to regulate peasant life and satisfy the nobility. Around 1800’s half of Russia’s peasantry was enserfed to the landlords. Landlords had legal rights over the serfs. In 1649, an act passed so that if you born into a serf family you couldn’t escape your status.  · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">They could be bought, sold, gambled away, and punished by their masters. <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">They weren’t considered slaves, but were illiterate, paid higher taxes, and owed a lot of labor service to the landlord. ||
 * Encomienda: ||  Both  ||  Serfdom  ||

Thesis: Compare labor systems that emerged in Russia and Spainsh colonies in the Americas in the 1400-1800. 1 paragraph on diff. and one on similarities