2017-11-30
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THE HISTORY OF RUSSIA
Russia’s history dates back to the year 862. in the 9th century AD the Early Russian State came into being with the cities of Kiev, Novgorod and Vladimir as its centres. The newly established state started to rival the Byzantine Empire. During the middle and late 10th century, Svyatoslav, grand prince of Kiev, began to unite the land of Russ; his son Vladimir continued the unification. He baptized Russia in 988.
The first settlements were for the first time mentioned in the chronicles in 1147. This year is now accepted by the historians as the beginning of the city’s history. In 1156 the fortress was reinforced by Prince Yuri Dolgorury. By and by the settlement became bigger and more powerful.
As feudalism advanced, just as everywhere in Western Europe the Early Russian state began to disintegrated into separate principalities. The rulers of the Golden Horde took advantage of it and overran the Russian land. After the Mongol conquest of most of Russia about 1240, such principalities as Novgorod continued to prosper; others such as Moscow and Tver, became important centers; and others declined. In the 13th century Moscow became the capital of the Moscow principality-as the centre of the struggle of the Russian lands against the Tatar yoke. Ivan IV the Terrible was the first tsar of Russia. His military campaigns against the Tatars added several non-Slavic states to the empire. In 1480, in the reign of Grand Duke Ivan III, the foreign yoke was thrown off. In the 15th century Moscow became one of the most important cities of the united Russian state. In the 17th century Moscow was occupied by Polish and Lithuanian invaders but the people’s volunteer army headed by K. Minin and D. Pozharsky drove the invaders out the city.
The 18th century is the time of great reforms. Peter I the Great not only carried out a number of administrative and military reforms, but he Westernized the country’s culture and style of life. His aim was to transform Tsarism into European kind of absolute monarchy.
Peter I started to reform Russian education. The Tsar introduced secular education and made it compulsory for all state servants. Peter founded the Naval Academy. He organized the Academy of Sciences as an institution for scholarship and research. The creation of a national standing army on Western model was one of the most fundamental legacies of the Tsar. By appropriating the Baltic provinces and areas along the Caspian Sea, Peter I established Russia as a legitimate European power.
Peter the Great moved the capital to the newly-built St. Petersburg which had been constructed as a European city with the participation of many architects. Peter did not like Moscow because of the so called “Old Orders”, the old way of life in Moscow. He wanted to reform the style of life as well as the architecture and the design of dresses.
After the Revolution St. Petersburg was too close to Finland and could be easily conquered. The young Soviet State would be in great danger in this case. That is why it was moved back to Moscow.
