Ivan IV and Absolutism Ivan IV (the Terrible) ascended the throne at the age of three and ruled for just over half a century. Being the first to crown himself tsar, Ivan sought to extinguish the opposing power of the boyars. Ivan's struggle with the boyars was first addressed in a relatively...

Although we are looking at two different forms of government rule it can be perhaps suggested that there were similarities in these forms of government but it may also be suggested that fundamentally and ideologically they were completely different types of states. Both were centralist states, which...

Throughout this world's great history there have been many great rulers. Some of these great rulers to note would be Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Peter the Great of Russia. These monarchs can be compared in various areas including domestic polic...

Many people associate the 1920's in Russia as a preparation for Stalin, and the period of time after 1953 as a long recovery from his dictatorship. People who were anti-revolution pointed to the horror and fatality under Stalin as justification for their position on the issue of the revolution. On t...

The history of Russia began many centuries ago. By the 800's Slavic groups had founded many towns in what is now the European part of Russia and Ukraine, of which the two most important once are Novgorod and Kiev (1). In 882 a Viking chieftain named Oleg, captured the city of Kiev, situated on...

There were no prospects for democracy in Russian in 1914. Tsar Nicholas II believed he had the god-given right to rule over his country absolutely. His power to govern was reinforced by the strongest institutions in Russia, The Orthodox Church, The Army, and the peasant class. Even the Tsar's o...

What were the consequences of the Mongol invasion on Kievan Russia? The question about the consequences of the Mongol invasion is considered one of the most difficult in the history of Russia. Definitely, they had a great impact on demographics, agriculture, social, political and cultural deve...

The United States and Russia have been battling off pernicious factions menacing the stability of their democracies over the years. Russia has come a long way over the past century, enduring a number of different phases that have completely desecrated any power Russia may have had paralleled to t...

Imperial Russia declined for a few reasons. It started in the year of 1721 and went until 1917. Before Russia's Imperial Age began, 2 main events took place. The first was the Golden Horde. The Mongols rode all across Asia to find themselves on a great, flat plain, the location of Russia a...

Until 1917, Russia had been governed by a monarchy, which controlled the land for over 300 years. This was an autocratic government where the Czar was powerful, unchallenged, and never questioned. Until 1905, Russia did not have political parties of elections. Either the czar or the appointed minist...

Joseph Stalin has had a great effect on Russia. From his early life in the Georgian seminary we will see why he entered the seminary, and how this contributed to his activities and how his life progresses through the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, to when he was dictator. When he was a full rev...

Communism is a concept or system of society in which the community owns the major resources and means of production rather than by individuals. In theory, such societies provide for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits according to need. Some conceptions of communist soc...

Unless we accept the claim that Lenin's coup gave birth to an entirely new state, and indeed to a new era in the history of mankind, we must recognize in today's Soviet Union the old empire of the Russians -- the only empire that survived into the mid 1980'sÓ (Luttwak, 1). In their Communist ...

"Unless we accept the claim that Lenin's coup d'etat gave birth to an entirely new state, and indeed to a new era in the history of mankind, we must recognize in today's Soviet Union the old empire of the Russians -- the only empire that survived into the mid 1980's" (Luttwak, 1). In thei...

Acid Reign: The Rule of Nicholas I Nicholas I has been portrayed, and perhaps rightfully so, as a strict and reactionary tsar. Indeed, his internal policies were often repressive -- he sought to nip any liberalism in the bud, often brutally. His approach to solving problems in the Empire and kee...

Folklores are tales shrouded in mystery and mysticism, often depicting a time and an era long since dead, but there is a story of a man, not to long ago which entertains all the traits of a tall tale. Nobody in recent Russian history commands as much villainy, sainthood and mystery as the char...

The quotation, " 'I shall maintain the principle of autocracy just as firmly and unflinchingly as it was preserved by my unforgettable dead father.' (Nicholas II) In spite of the Czar's decrees and declarations, Russia, by the beginning of the 20th century, was overripe for revolution," i...

A great poet is much more than a lyrist or a verse writer, a great poet is a person of deep imaginitive and expressive capabilities with a special sensitivity to the world around them. Anna Akhmatova is a great poet. Even more specifically, Anna Akhmatova is a great poet of Russia. In the late 19th ...

"Ivan the Terrible. Statesman or Madman? Discuss." Ivan was crowned in 1547 at 17 years of age, when he married Anastasia Romanov. Ivan's life can be divided into two distinct phases- the 'good' years and the 'bad' years. During his 'good' years he ...