Russia and the Western Republics
Chapter 16 Section 1
Historical Events
In 1555: Construction begins on St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
In 1613: The Romanov dynasty of czars begins.
In 1812: The French general, Napoleon retreats during winter after a failed attack on Russia.
In 1922: Russia becomes part of the Soviet Union.
In 1991: The Soviet Union falls, and Russia becomes independent.
Important People
Peter the Great, who was czar- or emperor- of Russia from 1682 to 1725.
The French general, Napoleon.
Czar Alexander II.
Valdimir Putin president.
Government
They had a Communist government and it collapsed the Communist government and the Soviet Union in 1991-and the end of the Cold War.
Culture
Russia and the Western Republics faced hard times under the czars and the Communists. But these leaders could not destroy the cultural and spiritual traditions of the region's people. Some of the cultures they destroyed was a beautiful onion-shaped domes.
Economy
To move their society toward communists, Soviet leaders adopted a command economy- one in which the central government makes all important economic decisions.