LAWLzoR

It's been way too long since I've taught you guys and gals and friends something. Seeing as I want to become a history teacher when I get a job, I'd like to teach you folks about something history related. I might not know the answer right away, which will require research, but I'll try my best. So what about history has got you scratching your head? Please suggest lessons I'll start us off with an easy one: Russia!

Russia has its roots in the Mongolian Empire. You guys know about the Mongols, right? If you don't, feel free to suggest that Anyway, the Mongols were reaching the end of their near invincible empire age. One part of the empire included the Russ (modern day Ukraine/Russia). The Russ (for various reasons, but one big one being not liking their rulers) decided to break free from the Mongols, starting with Moscow. Moscow was a big economic power in Russ at the time, and could afford the break.

After much fighting, the Russ gained their independence, which created a weird culture for them. Because of their hatred for the Mongols, they didn't identify as Mongolian, but had a bit of their culture (including fashion). They weren't European, and they weren't Byzantine even though the Byzantine Empire gave them their religion: Eastern Orthodoxy. So the Russ had a quasi-Mongolian culture that would soon flourish into its own.

Russia's first big step into imperial power shows up by the name of Ivan IV, aka Ivan the Terrible. I could have an entire lesson on this guy, but for now let's leave it at the fact that he had secret police, and an undying hatred for some of his royal advisers or whatever their jobs were.

During a lot of the Russian rulers' eras, there was a lot of expansion. There was a vast tundra that was unclaimed by any big power. During the early years of Russia (1500s to around 1700s) Russia didn't expand much farther east than the Black Sea. But between the 1700s and the 1800s, Russia acquired so much land as to be the largest continent on Earth, and even being bigger than Pluto!

Which from the 1800s, you know the story. Russia started to modernize/westernize, this caused factory bosses to be the leader of the people not the masters over their serfs. This then caused uprisings in early 1900s, which by 1917, the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR or in Russian: CCCP) was formed.

I'm sure you guys definitely know the history from there, but as a refresher: millions died under Stalin's regimes and by WWI and WWII, and continued oppression by many a Russian/Soviet dictator. The Cuban Missile Crises was sparked by the US noticing Russian nuclear warheads in Cuba. Kennedy's determination and strong stance against the Soviets ended any more aid going to Cuba. By the 1960s, the Soviet Union was definitely heading for a collapse. If not during the 60s, it was the 80s that sealed the deal. The collapse of the Berlin wall in 1989 meant that Soviet collapse was imminent, and by the early 90s, the Soviet Union collapsed, returning to being Russia.

Now we can't talk about Russia unless we talk about several key people, one of those being Ivan III, who basically STARTED Russia. He was one of the first leaders of Russia and took big steps towards Russia becoming an independent state.

The next key person is Catherine the Great, who tried to modernize Russia without giving serfs freedoms. She was known as a "enlightened despot" who suppressed the people while taking on the face of enlightenment. This was all occurring the Enlightenment in Western Europe. Catherine did not want Russia to seem like it was lacking behind Europe, the biggest power in the region. So she modernized Russia (at least tried to) to ensure that Russia wasn't a big laughing stock.

Next we have the obvious triple: Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin. These three were big pushers for a communist state in Russia. Of course another person who belongs with these three (but not in the same group) is Nicholas II, who was the last ruling Russian monarch.

After those triple is the big man himself: Gorbachev. His actions in the 80s helped the Soviet government become clearer and more democratic with his "Glasnost and Parashtroyka" which made the Soviet Union more like the Western Europe.

The next is Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed. While he may not be the best president Russia ever had or will have, but Yeltsin was one of the first steps towards a Russian REAL Republic

Lastly we have Putin. Actions surrounding Putin today are not the best. While the internet may have given him a position that many might be jealous of, outside of the internet is a different story. Putin was born in the Soviet Union, and was a KGB officer stationed in Eastern Germany. Could this be perhaps why he's invading Ukraine? Or, I'm sorry, supporting "Ukrainian rebel groups"? I don't know too much. We're living in this part of Russian history.

So that's the first history lesson. Please tell me how I did, and what you thought please suggest new topics.