Chapter 16
Section 1
A History of Expansion
Russia's growth had lasting effects on nearby lands and peoples. you can see these effects even today in the republics to it west: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and the Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Birth Of An Empire
The Russian state began in the region between the Baltic and Black seas. In the ninth century, Vikings from Scandinavia came to the region to take advantage of the river trade between the two Dnieper River. In time, the vikings adopted the customs of the local Slavic population. Soon the settlements began to expanded.
Russia Lags Behind Western Europe
Russia's territorial growth was rapid, but its progress in other ways was less impressive. Russian science and technology lagged behind that of its European rivals. Peter the Great, who was czar-or-emperor-of Russia from 1682 to 1725, tried to change this.