Disclaimer: Neither Hetalia nor its characters belong to me. They are property of their author.
This is a 99% historical fanfic. This is basically a summary of the history of each country. Today I bring you Russia! One of my favorite characters.
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- Clarifications:
Russia represented the Kievan Rus, the Republic of Novgorod, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the past.
As the chapters are long, each one must read them at their own time. But try to read it completely to avoid comments such as "it was fine, but you miss this" ... and that I had put in the writing. Nothing else. :)
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-New characters:
-Slav or Slavic: personification and representation of the ancient Slavs. He is the "mother" of Russia even if it's a male character.
-Rus: personification and representation of the Varangians (Vikings). Danish and Swedish merchants called Rus by the Slavs. He is the "father" of Russia.
Cossack: a people who were one of the many ethnic groups in Russia.
- Byzantine Empire or Byzantium: consequence (son) of the Classical Roman Empire. It is the Eastern Roman Empire.
-Vladimir-Suzdal: ancient principality where today is western Russia. He was a brother of Russia.
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As I said, this is basically a summary. If one wants to internalize more about certain topics or historical figures, I recommend that each one study on their own.
Now yes, enjoy it!
Россия (Rossiya/ Russia)
-Beginnings, the Slavs:
The Slavs were an ancient people of Eastern Europe and some of Western Asia. These were one of the few to which the Roman Empire couldn't catch since his expeditions to the west made Slavic and the Roman luckily never meet
When the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century, and when the sons of Germania, the Germanic peoples and tribes, moved even more to Western and Central Europe, Slavic timidly began to advance on Eastern Europe even more, now being mostly in Eastern and Central Europe.
In those days, the Eastern Roman Empire, later called Byzantine Empire or Byzantium, ruled over Eastern Europe, and observed the Slavs in a cautious and expectant manner.
The Slavic people settled on Eastern Europe and remained there, under the eyes of Byzantine and others, until their destination arrived.
-The Kievan Rus:
Time passed, and Slavic began to be constantly harassed by different peoples and Byzantine, but especially by the Varangians (way in which the Byzantines called the Vikings, traders and pirates Danish and Swedish), but Slavic was strong, and they could often defend themselves and defend their integrity.
However, the Varangians forced Slavic, among others, to pay tribute, but Slavic with other peoples expelled the Varangians beyond the sea, refusing to pay more taxes, and established his own government. But there was no law among themselves, and the tribe rose against the tribe. Thus the discord was primed among them, and the wars began, one against the other. It was there that Slavic, seeing that he was strong, but could not have an effective form of government, knew that his time had come and an idea occurred to him. Slavic looked for the Varangians who harassed him so much and appeared before them. It was there that Slavic made a pact with Rus (form in which the Slavs called the noble Danish and Swedish merchants), and the pact proposed that the Rus ruled over the Slavs by adopting the Slavic culture and moving the capital of the Varangian Hrörekr (Rúrik, in Russian) from Novgorod to the Slavic city of Kiev.
The Rus (Varangians) accepted the deal, Slavic married and merged with the Rus, and there was born the Kievan Rus, the first Slavic state, the first potential of Eastern Europe. There had been born from that union the one that would be known as Russia.
Thus it was that, with the union of the Slavs and the noble Danish and Swedish merchants (called Rus by the Slavs), in the years 882, the Kievan Rus was born, and that which would be Russia, the one that would be the greatest of all.
At that time, as France had done with the Normans, the Slavs also did it before with the Rus, for similar and different reasons. And all these unions had important changes in the course of history, and more in what is Eastern Europe. Slavic as an entity of a people no longer had reason to be, like Rus, because now the maximum representation of the Slavs was the state of Kievan Rus, so both eventually died, but before leaving, Slav spoke weakly to his little son, and told him, with seriousness and strength, that he should be strong, that he would be the greatest of all, and that despite the harshness of life, he would be the one to say the last word. And Slavic died, with sadness, and his little son broke his heart sad look before dying.
But in those times the little Slavic that would be Russia wasn't sad or disturbed, he was very young and in good condition since the Kievan Rus, which was him, was the power of Eastern Europe.
Kievan Rus was a Slavic state of aristocratic character by lineage, consisting of different principalities that made him up, such as the principality of Kiev, who was his older sister, that that would be Ukraine, or the principality of Pódlatsk, his little sister, the that who would be Belarus, among other principalities that conformed him, that wouldn't reach adulthood due to the adversities and cruelties that the Slavic brothers would bring.
But not yet, they were still young and the powerful Kievan Rus. So much so, that the little one began to see with eyes of conquest to Byzantine.
It was so, that the little Rus of Kiev, in the year 941, with his fleet, set out to attack Byzantine, with all the confidence of the world.
Byzantium, frightened, as he was too busy fighting against the Muslim Arabs in the Mediterranean, did his best to stop the young Kievan Rus, who was excited to see the wonders of Constantinople.
In the Caspian Sea, there was a naval battle where the naive and excited Kievan Rus would see pain and horror for the first time. In the first place he learned that one cannot attack a power like the Byzantine Empire was, and he knew horror and pain in person.
The Byzantines, in the naval battles, used the fearsome Greek fire (a flamethrower of the time) against the slavic Rus. When seeing the flames on him, the small one was in shock. The Russians, seeing the flames, jumped overboard, preferring water over fire. Some sank, overwhelmed by the weight of their armor and helmets, others burned. The prisoners were beheaded.
Before such a thing never before seen by the naive young child, his heart was hurt and great was his pain and fright. The Byzantines obviously won against the Kievan Rus, and forced Igor of Kiev, the boy's advisor, to flee.
Alone and desolate, the young one with the overwhelmed heart, before the fanatical Christianity of the Byzantines, that in fact bothered the boy, responded to such an act of cruelty as it was the Greek fire, crucifying the Byzantine ones that the found.
With the pain and disappointment marked on his face, the little boy returned home with his brothers and sisters who comforted him and healed his wounds.
With the death of Igor of Kiev, his wife Olga, a Varangian, rose up as the mistress of Kievan Rus and encouraged the boy again to attack the Byzantine.
Before the little boy set up a fleet again and stubbornly tried to return to war, Byzantine, who saw potential in him, hurried and arranged peace with Kievan Rus. The child was surprised at such an act, but deep down he was grateful for it since his agreement with Byzantium began a peaceful period again and became disenchanted with the war forever seeing the true horror and nonsense of it.
With his proximity to Byzantium and the cultures and peoples of the East, the young Russia began to take a very different identity from his Western European neighbors.
Soon, the young Kievan Rus controlled the trade between Byzantium and Scandinavia, making the orders of Byzantine, obtaining him a great power and wealth.
His cousins in Scandinavia always looked at him with coldness and suspicion, which young Rus of Kiev didn't understand, but he didn't care. In those times he was happy and he believed that having already known the war he would never have it back. Together with his brothers and sisters, Kievan Rus was happy.
The trade route that the Rus controlled was called "from the Varangians to the Greeks", the route that linked the Varangians (Vikings), the Kievan Rus and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine), which was practically controlled for the young Russia.
Over time, in the times of the illustrious Russian prince Vladimir I, the young Russian began to consider having to adopt a religion before he was approached by violence. His western neighbors were under the tutelage of the Roman Church, there was also Islam, and on the other hand, the Christianity of the Eastern Roman Empire. Little Russia thought about which one he would end up becoming, and soon he decided it.
He with his expeditions and warriors, visited Catholics and Muslims to see what these religions were like, but when the little boy first entered in the city of Constantinople, he was so amazed that when he returned home, he convinced his prince Vladimir I that the Orthodox faith of the Byzantines was the best option.
It was so that the Kievan Rus, who would be Russia, first adopted Orthodox Christianity in the year 988, thus further defining his cultural identity and his close relationship with Byzantine, who became his religious teacher, as well as Vatican was with the Catholics. The identity of Russia was forming, the one that would define him forever.
Kievan Rus, with his control over important trade routes, with the benefit of the Byzantine Empire, his control over Eastern European lands, and with his development of independent letters from the Latin or Greek alphabet, the Cyrillic (in honor of Cyril), he lived as in the golden days, together with his brothers and sisters and he cared little about anything.
In order to establish a relationship with his western neighbors, the daughters of his advisers married kings from the western kingdoms, such as France, the Holy Roman Empire, etc. But in reality, Kievan Rus' wasn't interested in Western Europe and the West wasn't interested in Kievan Rus.
Soon, the State of Rus had his first code of laws called the Rus' Justice (Russkaya Pravda), and THE government was tied and imitated everything that the Byzantine Orthodox Church did.
Little Russia didn't like Byzantine very much, but he knew that he had to learn a lot from him and had already learned that when there is someone more powerful than one to face him as he had before, it wasn't a good choice.
In those times, everything for him was wonderful, and Russia would remember it as the time when he was in with his siblings, at the time when there were almost no wars for him, when he was independent of everything and everyone, he would remember it as the time one of the happiest moments of his life.
But like everyone, fate and their lives would make them suffer, wrapping them in a vicious wheel.
-Disintegration of Kievan Rus, the kidnapping of his sisters, and the Mongol invasion; The Mongol Empire:
There came a moment in the history of Kievan Rus where things started to get complicated.
Soon, the principalities that made up the union, by nobility whims, began to fight among themselves, seek to separate from the Rus, or beginning civil wars. This began to worry young Russia, who uselessly tried to calm down his brothers who began to war between them and it was there when all happiness ended for little Russia. Such were the conflicts between principalities and nobles, which 83 civil wars occurred within the Kievan Rus. The little one didn't understand it, he didn't understand. Why they fought? if it was evident that together it was better for everyone. He never knew the answer or why the evil desire for power seized his brothers, but the boy discovered even more how horrible the war can be, and how much more if it is against those who were his brothers. He saw how they killed each other, saw how their blood was spattered on his hands and his young face, saw how the light escaped from people's eyes and was horrified. He cried and trembled. His older sister hugged and comforted him, told him not to look, but his violet eyes saw everything. The saw absolutely everything and he never forgot it.
Many of his brothers died, killed by their own brothers, and when the remaining principalities went to ask him for independence, the little and disturbed Russia knew that his brothers were idiots when they asked for their own death, since they could not live alone, and he knew that the evil of power had seized them, although he never knew why.
To clarify things among the principalities, the boy organized the Council of Liubech, in 1097, the first federal council in his history, to deal with the regional rivalries that took place.
To worsen the situation of Kievan Rus, when Westerners set out to sabotage the Muslim Arab world and began the Crusades, the trade routes under the power of the Rus were cut when the largest military campaign of the Middle Ages began. This caused his power and influence to diminish and his artistic and cultural advances, which were more advanced than those of the Westerners, fell.
When the forces of the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople, his trade with Byzantium was further weakened.
All this caused the child to worry and cry of impotence, knowing the outcome of everything.
Finally the Kievan Rus disintegrated. He would have died young if he hadn't gone on to represent something else. What was the Kievan Rus became the Republic of Novgorod, he, the Principality of Pódlatsk his Belarusian sister, the principality of Hálych his Ukrainian sister, the principality of Vladimir-Súzdal another of his brothers, among other minors who were disappearing or joining their older siblings.
This division broke his heart. Kievan Rus was the symbol of union of the Slavs, but now they were divided because of the desire for power of some.
With the war, with the killings, with the disappointment, the young Russia's heart darkened, but he continued to love his brothers and sisters in spite of everything. Russia forgave them their mistakes believing that they would not do it again.
Even so, in spite of being separated he united his among his siblings, as the principalities continued to help each other. Still, life was harder now that they were not officially together, and they had to take slightly separated paths. For the first time, little Russia was alone, just him and the cold winter that cut his skin from the cold.
While walking through the frozen woods, in the night, he met General Winter, who had always been there, but he had never paid attention to him because the warmth of being with his family together made him ignore the cold of the world. But now, and with great sadness and pain, he saw General Winter.
And soon his destiny would become more miserable.
Before any European, before in the West, the young Russia was the first to see them, to feel them and the first to suffer them.
In the midst of his melancholy, he heard in the distance his horses at full gallop, heard their bows and horns, and soon saw them, the Mongols invaded him.
He didn't know the Mongols, nobody from Europe or Western Asia had but now he would, and Russia was the first of Europe in did.
When the Mongols approached in an imposing military campaign until arriving dangerously at which today it's Ukraine, the young Russia was allied with the other Slavic principalities, including his older sister, and decided to face them. It was there when his mind broke completely.
As much as he tried to fight and stop them, the Mongols destroyed everyone. Their arrows flew without wishing and always hit the target, all were massacred. The little one prayed that no more blood be spilled and it was like that. The Mongols didn't shed more blood of their enemies, but they were trapping them, enclosing them in the battlefield and suffocating them. Such an act despaired of little Russia, who thought he was dying of suffocation full of horror.
The Mongol victory was decisive. This was the bloody Battle of the Kalka River, which occurred in 1223.
In the battle more than 20,000 men died and twice as many wounds.
With malice, little Russia was caught and taken prisoner of the then Mongol Empire. And with impotence and horror, he saw how the Mongols, now unbridled, devastated and annihilated his brothers. They devastated Kiev in 1240, and to his relief his sister fled from them, but to his sorrow, now he was alone, truly alone.
When he was in the hands of the Mongol Empire, he tried to escape, beg or fight but everything was useless. The Mongol Empire stood over him and claimed his body, and Russia wanted to think about anything else, looking at the snow, crying in pain and indignation.
Soon, Mongolia caught and immobilized him, and forced him to see, with wide eyes, how he cut the throat of his brother, the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, who fell dead before him. Seeing this, seeing his brother being killed in front of him, seeing that he was no longer alive, the young Russia wanted to vomit from the impression, but with such pain and such a disastrous situation, he could only faint.
Genghis Khan, the great general of the Mongols, soon withdrew and stopped the conquest but Russia was no longer the same, nothing would be the same, and he was no longer free, because the Mongols still had him under his influence.
Soon a second campaign began and all that had been the Kievan Rus was completely under the Mongols, with the exception of the Republic of Novgorod, which was independent, but the power Russia no longer personified that place. He had done it at first with the disintegration of Kievan Rus, but he wasn't so bad anymore.
But soon his fate would continue to make him suffer.
The Mongols soon attacked kingdoms like Hungary and Poland, and it was there when Russia would be alone with his enemies as the only company.
In the 13th century, more precisely in the year 1246, Lithuania faced the Mongols and defeated them, but it was not the only thing he did that day. Taking advantage of his opportunity, he kidnapped Russia's younger sister, little Belarus, and incorporated her into the Duchy of Lithuania. Russia, at the hands of the Mongols, cannot rescue her and she wept and screamed for him whiles he heard his sister's cries of help, who shouted his name, but he cannot help her.
Now he only knew that his sister Hálych Volynia (Ukraine) was free but not with him. He would have loved to have her around, since she had always been his mother figure, but at the same time he didn't want her to be with him, that would mean that she also was at the hands of the Mongols.
But as if the world hated him, his older sister Ukraine was soon captured by Poland in the year 1349.
Now they were truly separated. While the young Russia kept him further away from his only beloved ones, this one, between tears of tears, swore that he would return, he would become strong, he would get rid of the Mongols and he would recover them, that was swore. And from these tragic events that plunged the little Russian into a dark pit, his path was already stained with blood and perversion, like everyone's way.
-Russia and the Golden Horde:
When Mongolia returned home after his empire ended and disintegrated, Russia knew realistically that his problems were still far from being solved.
The Golden Horde, formerly known as the Blue Horde, was founded by the famous Mongolian warrior Batu Kan.
The Mongols who didn't return home and stayed in western Asia and Eastern Europa were called Tartars, and with them the young Russia had to deal with.
The Golden Horde became an important and dangerous Estate that put under his feet the young Russia, having him as a vassal. During these times Russia practically had to pay taxes to the Golden Horde so as not to be invaded or plundered by him, and had to do everything he said. This was how the Golden Horde became a kind of tutor, replacing what had been Byzantine for him.
In exchange for obedience the Slavic princes received a document, the yarlyk, which certified them as rulers in representation of the Kan (title of maximum ruler of the Golden Horde). In general, princes enjoyed considerable freedom to rule at will, but even so, young Russia wasn't happy at all and dislike the Golden Horde, as Russia wanted to be strong enough to get rid of him and recover his sisters. The little Russian must have been a completely pure being in his beginnings because despite the evil and the tragic history of his life, he always had a hint of innocence, but soon, the perturbation would be too big.
During the time he was with the Golden Horde, he met Prince Aleksandr Nevski, who became a legendary figure in his history, thanks to the victories that the young Russian reached over the Teutonic knights, the Lithuanians and the Swedes. For the Russians, Western Europeans represented a bigger danger than the Mongols themselves. This left an important imprint on the mind of the young Russian.
The young Russian was bitter when his neighbors attacked him. He wanted desperately to have friends or allies to help him out of his harsh situation but apparently, his neighbors to saw him vulnerable decided to attack him. Russia didn't understand why. Why the world was like that, he didn't know, and he wondered who would have been the sadist who created it.
Sweden used to attack him and young Russia eventually, because of that and because of the superior look that Sweden had when he looked at him, young Russia came to detest him.
As for Lithuania, even though Russia fought against him, and even Lithuania had his younger sister captive, young Russia couldn't really hate him, even so, had well in mind to recover his sister, and if he stayed of step with Lithuania, better. But for some reason, Lithuania hated and feared Russia enough, it could be saw in the simple glance of Lithuania.
And then there was the Teutonic Order. That was a real pain for Russia. The annoying and fanatically religious personality of that order bothered Russia a too much little. Even so, the Teutonic Order learned that with the Russians he should be careful, when the Battle of the Ice happened, which occurred on a completely frozen lake. In this battle the young Russia met the young Estonia, who was on the side of the Teutonic Order and sought to take land and if it was possible, kill him.
This battle is considered legendary, and was known as the Battle of the Ice. There, along with his admired Aleksandr Nevsky, Lithuanians pagans, and some mongols (because the Golden Horde tried to help Russia) Russia won a decisive victory, which caused the Teutons to stop attacking him and Estonia, began to fear him.
Russia for the first time was congratulated by the Golden Horde, who awarded him a privileged status to Prince Aleksandr Nevsky, an ally of the Mongols.
Alexander Nevsky defended the Russian integrity from the West, but allied himself incontidionally with the Mongols, and it was for him that Russia began to see them with different eyes. When Alexander's brother, Andrew, joined with other Russian nobles and European powers against the Mongols, Alexander betrayed them to the Horde. Anndrew and his people sought the help of the child Russia, and there, Russia had to choose, and chose. Coldly, he said nothing, and agreed with Alexander. The conspirators were killed.
When the Catholic Church offered Alexander and Russia converted to Catholicism in exchange for get ride of the Mongols, both refused.
The young Russian, after a long time, felt something happy again, and his heart was confused. A part of him, suddenly, wanted to stay with the Golden Horde and desist in betraying him, desist to look for his sisters, who could be dead.
But the anguish and wounds of the young Russia had not healed, and he didn't yet forgive the Golden Horde. One day, when he could, he would kill him himself.
Even so, Russia admitted without problems that the Mongols and the Golden Horde left traces military and commercial very flattering for him. Even so, for all his suffering, young Russia planned to kill him someday.
The Mongols, and then known as Tartars, and the different Turkic peoples also left a great cultural mark in what would be Russia, being many peoples who inhabited him, always with a Slavic base, but multifaceted base. Russia was beginning to be cosmopolitan.
Among all this, there was an insignificant town called Moscow, which was so unimportant, unlike what was Kiev, Vladimir or Novgorod, that nobody would have bet that it would become something more.
That town called Moscow was ravaged by the Mongols twice in the past, and yet, twice flourished, influenced by the trade routes of the Golden Horde and the rest of the territory. And who would say, Moscow, or Muscovy as it was known at the time, under the Mongol occupation also developed a postal system by road, the census, collection of taxes and a military organization. And slowly, without being noticed, Muscovy would become a powerful center and finally the most powerful in all of Eastern Europe, which would make young Russia again a power.
-The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovy:
Among all this, between pain and blood, in the deadly cold of winter, lay in what had been the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, a small town called Moscow. An insignificant, unnoticed, that even nobody know the date of foundation exactly. A town mistreated and devastated, but who always found the way back.
Moscow was ravaged by the Mongols during the period of the Mongol Empire, and was set on fire in the winter of 1238, and still, it emerged from its debris and winter ice. The town was devastated by the Golden Horde later, but it still endures.
At first, Moscow was nothing and worth nothing. When it began to flourish from its rubble it was still a town of princes, nothing more. And the little Russia still didn't know its existence, too worried about massacres, for important cities, worried about the Golden Horde, for the Teutons and the Lithuanians and the Swedes, he cannot account for that city of slowly rising despite of everything.
Daniil Aleksándrovich was the first prince who founded the principality of Muscovy, with Moscow as its center, but it was in its beginnings a small and insignificant principality.
But in spite of everything, of its insignificance, of the adversities, Moscow was growing slowly, under the snow of the General Winter, who always watched over the young Russia.
Now, with the times, the politically realistic leaders of Muscovy collaborated with each other with the Mongol lords (Tartars of the Golden Horde), and therefore they guaranteed that the title of Grand Prince and the control of the collection of Mongol tribute taxes were hereditary for descendants the lords of Moscow. Therefore, Muscovy had a great growth and began to rise until the young Russia, in the midst of bloodshed, blood and ice, heard about Moscow, and could not guess what would be Moscow for him yet.
Moscow, the city that was born of fire and ice.
But the full rise and supremacy of the Muscovy principality arose and equated all the rest when the religious center of the Orthodox Church moved there. It was there that the fate of little Russia was going completely to what he would be, what he would be again: the lord of Eastern Europe.
Ivan the Great, Fall of the Golden Horde, Moscow-Lithuanian Wars and the Third Rome:
Since the young Russia emerged as the Grand Duchy of Moscow, what would be was already defined forever.
The young Russia had been frustrated, traumatized and disillusioned with life. And then, with the horrible experiences of his childhood, he was soon disturbed until he had scratched the sadism and the madness, but even so, he had a naive heart and lacked true evil. He wanted power for revenge, revenge for what had torn his family and him apart, and he wanted his sisters back. What poor Russia didn't know was that he began to get more and more into a hole with no way out, where he would not be free even if he believed it, the hole where everyone was, and would not be able to see the light.
That General Winter was his only company bothered him, and the Golden Horde didn't count. Russia didn't really have anyone.
At the fourteenth century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow was already beginning to prevail. The Muscovite princes and lords began to remove and expropriate large lands by incorporating them into the dukedom, doubling riches and population. The biggest implementing this was Ivan III the Great who established what would be the foundation of the Russian state from the moment. From there, young Russia began to define himself even more.
At the same time that the young Tudor dynasty was in England, in the young Russia it proclaimed absolute sovereignty over the small independent principalities and other Russian nobles.
And soon, he became so big, so powerful, that he no longer looked at the Golden Horde from below.
The Golden Horde began to profess his decadence and Russia, with a satisfying smile, knew that the hour of rebellion and disengagement from the Horde had arrived.
When he refused to pay tribute as he always had to do, the Golden Horde knew that Russia would no longer follow his orders. Russia began to attack him and bloody battles were fought between them. The young Russia proceeded to divide and wipe out the khanates (different kanes, states of the Golden Horde), and with great pleasure began to defeat his former subjugator, his former tutor. When the moment approached, the young Russia looked at the weakened and sorrowful Golden Horde, with great satisfaction his violet eyes shone with pleasure. And both fought. The young Russia wielded his sword and with a great amount of strength, that force that characterized him so much, and with all the accumulated resentment, and with pain, he incrusted his sword in the Golden Horde and shouted from the bottom of his beaten soul: "Pochuvstvuyte slavyanskuyu stal '!" * And then blood splashed over his face, his eyes and mouth, over de ice, over the snow. The Golden Horde had died, although the Tartars never left him, they were part of him forever. With blood even on his teeth, Russia looked at the sky, looked at the white and red snow, and with a powerful look forward, and told himself that nobody would ever impose on him, unless he wanted to be one with him.
When the Golden Horde and the Tartar yoke were pulled out on him, he felt a great relief and everything that was accumulating in him came out as pressure. He didn't take long to harass and annex the semi-independent cities such as Novgorod, which joined him gaining more power and territory. Having that power, he soon set his sights on the west, where Lithuania looked at him with disgust and caution. Russia still didn't hate Lithuania, even though Lithuania did hate him. Russia and Lithuania had a long rivalry and some bloody and horrible wars. Lithuania feared Russia. He was strong, unafraid of anything, and somewhat disturbing; on the contrary, Russia had come to conceive the idea of conquering and staying with Lithuania when he saved his younger sister from him. These wars against Lithuania and his fiancé Poland, who was a cousin of Russia, were called Moscow-Lithuanian Wars, since they were fought between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. And it were five war accounts that bathed Eastern Europe and painted the snow in red.
-The first occurred between 1492 and 1494, and occurred when Lithuania began to be hostile to him and began a big expansionism that alerted Russia having to defend himself. Although peace was agreed, Lithuania came out more favored, to the Lithuanian's satisfaction.
-The second war occurred between 1500 and 1503, which occurred when the King of Lithuania began to oppress and persecute the Orthodox Lithuanians, who escaped to Moscow. Russia, seeing an excuse to try to attack Lithuania and recover his sister, invaded Lithuania with the excuse of helping the Orthodox who were persecuted by Lithuanian Catholics. Lithuania defended himself but Russia, with experience and courage that bordered on madness, managed to beat the young Lithuania, who gave him some land and rivers, but refused to return to Russia's younger sister.
Throughout this situation many other cruel conflicts are felt between Russia, and Lithuania-Poland occurred.
-The third war was between 1507 and 1508, which occurred when the Khanate army of Crimea (Tatars), allied to Moscow, invaded Lithuania and lost. In turn, Russia looked intensely at Lithuania again, so tensions intensified again. In addition, soon the young Russia was betrayed by the Crimean Khanate who allied with Poland, who didn't fall well for Russia. Eventually the conflict developed when a wealthy Lithuanian rebelled and supported the Russians to take the city of Velma.
Even though Russia wanted to recover his younger sister from Lithuania, he had no choice but to back down when the Polish and Lithuanian armies cornered him and the horrendous Battles of Minsk and Orsha took place, even so, Russia could hear, over the screams of war and pain, over the arrows and the sounds of the swords, could hear the voice of his little sister calling him.
The war ended with the "Treaty of Perpetual Peace", where the territorial clauses imposed in the previous war were maintained, so Russia won nothing.
-The fourth war, and the longest, was between the years 1512 and 1522, while in Western Europe all were killed themselves in the Italian wars, in Eastern Europe all also did it but in the Muscovite-Lithuanian wars.
In 1512 Russia invaded the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At first the Russians didn't manage to seize what they wanted, but they succeeded two years later, in 1514 they took control of the city of Smolensk, after three months of siege. From then on, Russia suffered a series of defeats. First in 1512, Lithuania in turn sacked Severia and defeated a Russian force of six thousand men; and secondly at the Battle of Orsha on September 8, a tremendous defeat on the part of Russia, whose importance was magnified by anti-Russian propaganda in Europe.
Despite his victory, the Polish-Lithuanian army was unable to move fast enough to recover Smolensk from the Russian, although the previous year (1513), he had managed to expel the Russian troops from Vitebsk. In March 1515, Russia formed an alliance with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Catholic Order of Latvians and Estonians), who had previously been his enemies. In 1512 and 1517, the Crimean Tatars, allies of Lithuania, devastated the Russian land. In 1521 the Crimean Khan Magmet-Ghirai carried out a ruinous attack against the principality of Moscow.
Although in 1519 the Russian army had sacked the region of Kreva, none of the armies managed to impose on the enemy. Consequently in 1522 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had to give Russia about a quarter of his Ruthenia possessions, including Smolensk, but Lithuania continued to refuse to give him his sister, to the frustration of Russia.
-The fifth and last of the Moscow-Lithuanian wars occurred between 1534 and 1537, when Lithuania, taking advantage of Russia's political instability, decided to attack him and recover what he had given in the previous war.
In the summer of 1534, the big Lithuania launched an offensive with an army of twenty thousand men to recover what he had lost in the past decades and the Tartars also launched themselves against the Muscovites; the raids of both focused on the territories of,Novgorod Seversk, Radogoshch, and Briansk. The Lithuanian assault on Severia was rejected in the winter of 1534 when the young Russia began to use General Winter in his favor. These Russian campaigns are known as the Muscovites had to go with wooden skies to slide in the snow and fight. At the beginning of 1535 when three Russian armies invaded Lithuania, they came to Vilna and Navahrudak and built the fortress of Ivángorod (City of Ivan) along the river Sebezh. The following year the Lithuanians counted on the aid of the tartars of Crimea, that sacked the region of Ryazan, and the one of the Poles, whose host of seven thousand men defeated the Russians.
The five-year truce signed in 1537 gave Homel to Lithuania, while Russia stayed with Sebezh and Velizh. Despite the truce between the two, peace didn't come on good terms, and in spite of everything, from the cold of pain and all, Russia still didn't hate Lithuania.
Their rivalries were latent for the low, but nothing would stop the young Russia, who would begin to be noticed more and more.
Soon when the Byzantine Empire fell, former tutor and religious guide of young Russia, what little remained of him passed to Russia. The wife of his king Sofia Paleologa was sister of the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Constantine XI, so much of the cultural legacy passed to Russia. When the young Russian was raised to be the continuation of what the Byzantine Empire had represented, religiously, the idea of the Third Rome was born there. The concept of Third Rome is based on the fact that some European kingdom, in this case Russia, would become the third successor of the Roman Empire, in terms of political and cultural religious power. The first was the Roman Empire, the first Rome, then the Byzantine Empire, Byzantium the second Rome, and now Russia, the Third Rome. And so it was, although this concept and idea wasn't accepted by the western European kingdoms and countries out of jealousy that the heir of this conception was an Eastern without any kinship with the Roman Empire.
Still, with pride, Russia considered himself the Third Rome.
With such consolidation, expansion and conception, the personality of young Russia continued to mold him, being as proud as cheerful and naive, as brutal and sadistic, although without malice in the background, only victim of his history, his environment and how he was treated in his way through life.
And soon, Russia was the supreme authority in the easternmost of Europe.
-Ivan the Terrible and the Russian Tsardom:
The time came, during the fifteenth century, which the Grand Duchy of Moscow ended, to make way for something much larger, the Russian Tsardom.
Ivan IV, later known as Ivan the Terrible was the first lord of Moscow to use the title of Tsar (title of Slavic monarchs) and it was there that the famous Russian monarchs, the Tsars, began.
Ivan the terrible was the first and was considered one of the founding fathers of what would the Russian state in modernity. The progress of the autocratic power of the tsar reached its peak during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. This strengthened the position of the tsar to an unprecedented extent, subordinating his will to the nobility without any qualms, exiling or executing many of his members at the slightest provocation. In spite of everything, Ivan was a statesman with a long-term vision that promulgated a new code of laws, reformed the ethics of the clergy and built the great and famous St. Basil's Cathedral, which is still in the Red Square in Moscow. When he did this, young Russia got excited and loved it. A strong cultural identity was beginning to flourish in him again, a very different one from other European cultures. And young Russia loved the Cathedral deeply, and kept it in his heart. Despite this, and all the good things that Ivan the Terrible did for him, he also did countless and unimaginable things that disturbed Russia forever.
From his excessive cruelty, his crude sincerity, or those times that forced Russia to see his atrocities like drowning one of his wives, etc. Russia felt contrary feelings for him. A part of him admired him, the other felt a great horror and horror.
The worst he can stand was when he learned that his Tsar had ripped the eyes of a builder so he could never turn against such beautiful works.
He wasn't the only one, France and the Holy Germanic Roman Empire had admired but feared Charlemagne, because they had known his brutality. And so everyone.
As much as Russia never came to love Ivan the Terrible and was even relieved with his death, great advances made the young Russia.
Tsar Ivan IV defeated the Tatars of Kazan in 1552, despite the fact that the Crimean Tatars continued attacking and destroying Russian lands, enslaving their settlers.
In spite of everything, Russia was economically stable and there had been cultural and artistic advances, but all that ended with the war.
-Livonian War: as much as Russia didn't appreciate his Tsar very much, Ivan the Terrible loved him, and wanted Russia to have the best, he wanted Russia to have access and power over the Baltic Sea, and it was there that Russia met again those cousins who used to harass him in his childhood. Soon a war broke out between the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, Sweden and Poland-Lithuania, against Russia alone. Only against Russia.
When they all perceived Russia's intentions, they almost panicked. Russia was powerful, imposing, and too dangerous hewas, so they soon joined forces to face him. And to their surprise, not all together could defeat Russia quickly.
The war was long, lasted between 1558 to 1583, all for control the Baltic Sea from the area of Livonia, today Estonia and Latvia.
The tsar of Russia Ivan IV demanded enormous taxes: forty thousand thaler that the confederation of Livonia had to pay to the Order of Dorpat. The conflict ends with the Russian invasion of 1558. Russian troops occupied Dorpat and Narva, laying siege to Reval. The goal of the Russian Tsar was to have vital access to the Baltic Sea.
This action was contrary to the interests of other countries.
The war was long and bloody, cruel and full of dead and young Russia increasingly discouraged and sad. And still, alone, he can against everyone. It was there when everyone definitely knew that Russia was a real danger, too powerful and too big, even though he lost. Russia lost the long cold and horrible Livonian war and had to, for the moment, renounce his desire to have an influence on the sea. Devastated he returned home without anything, wounded, and afraid that his Tsar will rebuke him. But to his surprise the Tsar had begun a conquest that would take Russia farther than anyone else. The conquest of Siberia began.
Siberia was under the power of the Tartars, of the Khanate (Tatar state) of Siberia, and they obviously tried to defend their integrity. Russia fought with the Tartars by order of his Tsar and long was their fights until inevitably, for the first time, Siberia was of Russia. In spite of that, the Tartars were accepted by Russia and to this day belong to one of the ethnic groups of the country.
Despite his victory, more wars and quarrels awaited young Russia, who felt helpless. He had fought for his sisters and he felt more and more distant from them. Now he was fighting for him, leaving aside his expansion towards the west and slowly starting his expansion in the East, obtaining Siberia. Russia felt melancholy, when he realized that he was alone and had no ally or real friend. And the world and fate would continue to push him towards that path that would send him to power and suffering.
-Russo-Swedish War: this conflict, which occurred between 1590 and 1595, was a military conflict instigated by the Russian Tsardom, with the hope of winning the territory of the Duchy of Estonia, in the Gulf of Finland that belonged to Sweden since the previous Livonian War. In early 1590, a large Russian army led by Tsar Theodore I of Russia marched from Moscow to Novgorod. On January 18, they crossed the Narva River and besieged the Swedish castle of Narva, commanded by Arvid Stålarm. Another important fortress, Jama (Jamburg), fell to the Russian forces in two weeks. At the same time, the Russians razed Estonia until they reached Reval and Finland. Soon the Swedish local government was forced to sign an armistice, which forced Sweden to surrender the territories conquered by Russia. This peace agreement displeased the king of Sweden, who sent a fleet to seize Ivángorod, but this attempt to besiege the fortress was rejected. Tension was reduced until the summer of 1591, when the Swedes attacked Gdov, capturing the local governor, Prince Vladimir Dolgorúkov.
A group led by the Finnish peasant chief Pekka Vesainen destroyed the Monastery of Péchenga, on December 25, 1589, killing 50 monks and 65 lay brothers. He then led his troops to Kola Bay but was unable to destroy Kola's fortress, due to the lack of men. Instead, he captured and burned Kola Bay (Kantalahti) and a small Russian settlement. Once again, due to the lack of men, he was unable to capture the Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands. The government of Godunov gradually overcame these setbacks, sending Prince Volkonski to pacify Karelia, while the Russian nobles devastated Finland. Later, the war was installed in a phase of mutual skirmishes. Three years passed until Sweden agreed to sign the Treaty of Teusina in May 1595. The treaty restored to Russia all the territory ceded to Sweden, in the Truce of 1583, with the exception of Narva. Russia had to renounce any claim relating to Estonia, including Narva, and confirmed the sovereignty of Sweden over Estonia, established in 1561. All this only made Russia end the sixteenth century tired and disappointed, hurt and even furious.
Everything that happened to him, that was said to him, that he did, was marked in him, and when the sixteenth century ended, no matter how powerful and great he had become, nothing was good for him, and something from the eyes of Ivan the Terrible was shining in his eyes, as he planned his next moves now with the full help of General Winter.
- Time of Troubles in Russia:
When Ivan IV died, began a period that would torment Russia for a whole century, called the Time of Troubles, where poor young Russia would feel the most unhappy in the world. Throughout the seventeenth century, Russia was in a great instability and political, economic, social and military conflicts, and it was there when a part of him felt truly alone and hated, and from that moment on, darker became his way of life.
Definitely Russia hated and he consider the seventeenth century his worst century. Plagued by civil wars, intrigues, lies, wars of nobility, the smell of blood to Russia remained impregnated for a long, long time.
The first four years of the century, between 1600 and 1604, had terrible harvests, which caused a strong famine to occur, in addition to the rich retaining food for them. Here happened the Russian famine of 1601–1603, killing two million people, a third of the Russian people. During the famine, Russia lay in the squares of Moscow along with the hungry, allusive of hunger, dramatic and tragic, like a tragedy of Shakespeare.
During this period the autocracy began to take hold under corrupt and weak tsars, while the nobles also fought to equate power.
And all this overwhelmed and enraged Russia, hating them all, while at the same time having to face his greedy neighbors in different horrible wars.
- The Polish-Muscovite war, Dimitriads: it turns out that, the dirty trick that Russia had in his home was well known by his neighbors, and that was why, Poland, turning a blind eye, allowed the Polish nobles and tycoons, always capricious and greedy, they hired mercenaries to attack Russia and steal land from him while he was in his oppressive and devastating conflict.
This happened between the years 1605 and 16018, when Poland violently invaded poor Russia, and soon, Poland ambitioned to subjugate Russia completely, so the desperate young Russia took this cruel war even as a war to preserve his independence. They are known as Dimitriads because three Tsars masqueraded as the Zarévich Dmitri Ivánovich of Russia, son of Ivan the Terrible, but they were only impostors supported by the nobility who, while at war, were still fighting among themselves. The Zarévich had already died at age eight, stabbed or suicided.
Two times Poland invaded Russia, even reaching Moscow, but Russia, strong and resilient, managed to handle the unmanageable and, despite Poland's victory, Russia retained his independence. Something that made him cry with happiness because he knew what it meant to be completely conquered, was to be raped and possibly death.
While he had to fight against his cousin Poland, at the same time, Sweden took advantage of the internal problems of young Russia, also started a war with him.
-Ingrian War: this was a parallel war to the Polish-Muscovite war, where Sweden, taking advantage of everything, wanted to marry and then assassinate Russia by putting a Swedish duke on the Russian throne. At first Russia had asked for help, with no one else to turn to, to fight against the Poles too. Sweden came in, but while he sometimes helped him, at other times he betrayed him. The betrayals were what most hurt Russia, what most destroyed that naivety in him.
This parallel war against Sweden was between 1610 and 1617, where Sweden won, taking land from Russia near the Baltic Sea, making Russia definitely not have an outlet to the sea for a long time. Russia sighed helplessly.
The General Winter couldn't do anything against them since they were very used to the cold.
But all this cruel century would only harden the unrest that the naive Russian was generating in him for all he had lived. And soon, his destiny would be sealed.
-Of the Romanov:
Following within the Time of Troubles period of Russia, in the seventeenth century, the nobleman Michael Romanov rose as tsar, being the first Tsar Romanov of his dynasty, being elected by a National Assembly (only by the nobles), and was recognized by Sweden as Tsar of Russia. While in the West there were many dynasties, in Russia there were only two: the Rúrik, who from the Kievan Rus (Slavs and Varangians) until the seventeenth century ruled Russia, and the now new Romanov dynasty. Only these two dynasties ruled Russia.
As for young Russia, who had spent it vomiting blood because of his war wounds, he didn't care about the new Tsar, but he didn't know that it was there when his entire destiny and the destiny of the world were already signed.
In the early years, the nobles supported the Romanovs, making power centralized in the great classes and giving feudalism to the peasants, who were almost the entire population of Russia.
During the previous century, the Tsars had progressively limited the right of the peasants to move from the dominions of one lord to another. With the State now fully legitimizing servitude, the fleeing peasants automatically became outlaws. The landowners had absolute control over their peasants and could buy them, sell them, trade them as merchandise or mortgage them. Both the State and the nobles made them bear the heavy burden of taxes, whose rate was a hundred times higher in the mid-seventeenth century than a century earlier. In addition, the merchants and artisans who lived in the cities were taxed with more taxes and, like the serfs, were forbidden to change their residence. Finally, all sectors of the population were subject to military cams and special taxes.
All this horrified Russia, that excessive way of feudalism, which seduced people as objects and merchandise, as slaves, didn't like anything. It seemed inhuman, but nothing could be done in front of his bosses, not his advisors but his bosses, but this was very engraved in him, and the day would come when he would remember it.
-Rebellions among the peasantry:
It turned out that, in reaction to this setback and reduction of the majority of those who populated Russia, there began to be strong rebellions. There had always been rebellions in Russia as everywhere a class abused the majority without measure, but this is one of the great rebellions of note, and Russia would remember it too. These peasant rebellions were led by a Cossack named Stenka Razin. Cossack was a Turkic people, with a strong national identity. Cossack had asked the young Russia a long time ago to let him live and inhabit his lands since Cossack had run out of his own place, and in exchange for living in Russia he would provide services. Russia loved Cossack, many of his customs and traditions were even adapted into Russian culture, but both had a love-hate relationship.
Now, these rebellions began to make noise in Russia and the peasants began to even take and replace local governments. Therefore, the leaders of Russia quickly sent the army to suppress and crush the rebellion, in 1670. Then Stenka was captured and beheaded publicly to harass and instill fear.
The uprising and the consequent repression that ended the last of the mid-century crises led to the death of a significant percentage of the peasant population in the affected areas, including those who had not participated in the rebellion.
Before all this, Russia only observed hopeless. There was no hope.
But for more pain, for more bloodshed, however disastrous his situation, very soon, the whole world would know him, everyone would fear him, and he would be the greatest of the great.
-Imperial Russia, the Russian Empire:
In the end, all or almost all of the seventeenth century for Russia was a total torment, making him become something aseptic to anything that wasn't a harsh reality, which was his day to day.
With social, political and economic crisis, alone and without anyone, only the cold and decrepit cold of winter, Russia was beginning to think that he could never flourish again, he thought bitterly, that he would forever be a victim of wars, nobiliary wars, massacres, snow, death. He felt miserable and melancholy, especially when he thought of his poor sisters. So much that they had been taken away and knew nothing of them. He had sworn to rescue them, and he had tried, but he soon forgot about it in the midst of the massacres and wars. Hopeless, he didn't believe that one day he could be with them again. This was the poor and unhappy story that Russia had.
But in fact, irony would be destiny with him, because soon, without even assimilating, he would be the one who would change the balance of Europe, which would be the greatest, and when least expected by poor Russia, and an entire empire, and never would be the same forever.
-Peter the Great:
The life of Russia was quite murky by the time Peter became Tsar, and it was he, who took Russia, cleaned his blood and mud, and tears, and pushed him into a path of power, the Russian imperial road.
Peter the Great (1672-1725) consolidated the Russian autocracy and made Russia pay attention where he had never placed it, Western Europe.
The origin of Russia had been great, like the Kievan Rus, but then he had declined in the humblest, for now, with Peter the Great, suddenly, and to the awe and fear of all, to be the greatest nation in the world. When Russia noticed, his wounded heart throbbed again with astonishment, and Russia's pale cheeks returned to color after a long time. He was three times bigger than Europe together, he could not believe it, and suddenly, his little pride returned to him a little.
Soon, Russia strongly, as an impulsive act, recovered the city of Kiev, with the intention of recovering his older sister, but Poland made sure that even so, Russia couldn't recover her. It didn't matter, Russia suddenly was happy, something unusual in his daily lives. Soon, the "pacification" of the tribes of Siberia was also achieved. Despite his good fortune, Russia didn't have so many inhabitants despite his extension of land. Because of this, he had to dedicate himself solely to agriculture, so that Russia still couldn't compete with other Europeans.
His tsar Peter the Great had an enormous curiosity about the technological, war and political advances of the West, so he didn't hesitate to talk to him and try to dissuade Russia from taking interest in other Europeans and their lifestyles. Therefore, the Tsar studied new military tactics and reorganized the army. Russia was beginning to glimpse his future.
Finally, between 1607 and 1698, Russia, for the first time, at the initiative and enthusiasm of his Tsar, visited Western Europe, and everyone, he, his Tsar and the entourage were impressed. Tsar Peter the Great was the first Tsar to visit the West. There, in the exuberant palaces of Western Europe, Russia finished knowing the other countries. He already knew Denmark, Sweden, and his partner Finland. He also knew the unbearable Prussia, Lithuania and Poland, the Baltic's, and the Ottoman Empire, and he remembered a little the Holy Roman Empire, but he didn't know the rest of them. He had heard of England, but now he saw him in person. So much time in his things, in his own world, that when Russia arrived to the West he was stunned. He also saw that everyone had a reluctance, fear and hatred, especially England and Lithuania. England feared Russia since he saw him, and hated him because he knew he was a real danger to his interests. Russia didn't sympathize with anyone, except with the Italy brothers, whom he saw tremendously beautiful, although they feared him and wanted him away from them. He liked France, and although France also had aversion and distrust, he talked with him. The Russian nobles began to force Ivan to learn French, which at first Russia liked. He loved French, they even called him "frozen French". But when the nobles began to speak French over Russian, Rusia hated them all and began to see the West as he always did: with distrust and rejection.
Nevertheless his tsar admiration for the West, Russia continued love his own culture, which was a European-Asian style, and was very reluctant to be influenced by the West.
Soon, Russia officially became an empire, and his Tsar was named emperor and tsar of Russia.
Soon, with power, Russia began to possess a panoramic view of his conveniences and began to have an aggressive attitude towards the Ottoman Empire. And soon, his old desire returned and made his eyes shine: the Baltic Sea.
Russia had always wanted a way out to sea and his desire could never be fulfilled. The only exit to the sea in the north was in Arjángelsk, whose waters were frozen most of the year. But Russia, cunning and eager, began to consider again the possession of the Baltic. He saw then that almost all the northern countries were at war with Sweden, who was the hegemony in the north. And he also saw that his partner, Finland, was looking at him with strange eyes. Russia knew there that Finland was in love with him. There Russia proved that in the games of power even the most naive take advantage of everything. Russia, in spite of everything, had never done an act of true evil, until now. He manipulated Finland's feelings for him so that, at a certain moment, he fled from Sweden to him.
Soon, Russia carried out his plan. In secret, he summoned the enemies of Sweden and told them what to do, forming an alliance with Denmark and Norway, Poland and Lithuania.
None of them trusted Russia, but their desire for Sweden's deserts was greater, and all committed the act of allying themselves with the most dangerous of all countries. And that's how the so-called Great Northern War was unleashed, where Russia was the mastermind and where he astutely knew how to play the game.
The war began in 1699, when the Swedish Empire went into decline thanks to Russia, who wouldn't stop until he took what he wanted.
-Great Northern War and the Battle of Poltava:
The origin of the war was the clash of territorial interests between Sweden and his neighbors Denmark-Norway, Russia and Poland, which unleashed an alliance between these three states against the Swedish expansionist power. Sweden, between 1560 and 1658, had forged an empire in the Baltic through conquests of territories of neighboring countries and had become a world power with predominance in Northern Europe. His old enemies awaited the propitious moment to recover the lost territories and broaden their regional influence, and it was no one but Russia who gave him the great blow, and took away everything that Sweden wanted.
Although started winning Sweden, everything changed with the presence of Russia on the play.
While the war was going on, the Tsar had begun to build the famous city of St. Petersburg, modeled on Western European cities and planned to be the new capital of Russia. This didn't like Russia very much. He had a great affection for his melancholy Moscow, and nothing liked that idea. But when his eyes saw the brilliant St. Petersburg, he soon forgot about Moscow and went to his new capital, leaving the nostalgic Moscow under the snow. Likewise, Russia would return to that city.
While their war continued with Sweden, soon, in 1709, while all Westerners were killed each other in the War of Spanish Succession, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, the Battle of Poltava took place.
This battle began at three in the morning. Russia lamented that it was summer since General Winter could not help him, but that didn't matter, since Russia, with a larger and better armed army, had the lead in almost the entire battle, which lasted until eleven o'clock in the morning's next day. The victory of Russia was overwhelming, and he smiled with pleasure. The king of Sweden had to go into exile to the Ottoman Empire, Russia's enemy, before he could return home.
When Sweden tried to take Moscow, Russia, smart decided not to face him and instead use the burned earth so that Sweden could not be resupplied.
When the war ended, in 1721, Sweden lost more than a war and his power, but he lost important places, and lost his beloved Finland. This, following the orders of Russia, escaped to him. Then Finland would regret that. Russia felt a real malicious pleasure unbecoming him and soon reflected on Sweden that Finland was now his.
The prisoners were forced to build the city of St. Petersburg.
Russia got the Gulf of Finland, as he had wanted, and the hegemony of the Baltic Sea.
Russia completely destroyed the Swedish army with some resentment for all the evil that Sweden had done to him in the past, and it was Russia that became the master of Eastern Europe with a great influence that worried and terrorized Westerners, especially to France and England.
With his victory, he began to be called the Russian Empire and was no longer called Muscovy.
With the brilliant city of St. Petersburg over Europe, this became a big window for Russia and everyone knew that Russia was already in the game.
Peter the Great, imitating everything from the West, turned the Russian state into an even more absolutist one. And he replaced the Duma (council of nobles) with a senate, whose sole purpose was to collect taxes. Taxes rose three times in these periods. Because of this, other revolts started in Russia. In the name of the executed rebel Stenka Razin, another Cossack, Kondraty Bulavin, rose up in arms and was finally defeated. Russia observed this, and although he knew that what they did to people was wrong, nothing mattered more than his interests and above all, making life impossible for Westerners especially France and England, especially England.
All this had a brake with the death of Peter in 1725, which afflicted Russia and it would be decades before a strong and ambitious return to encourage Russia, because after the death of Peter, the euphoria of Russia calmed down and returned to his calm being.
In the times after Peter, Russia was very thoughtful. He thought about his situation, his relationship with Westerners, about eluding Finland who loved him,etc. He thought seriously about everything. He thought about the reforms that had taken place, a banner in his life in general, and at least he knew something: he hated European Westerners. He really hated them. They hated him and he was no different from them. He hated them because they had tried to impose their culture on him, he hated them because they had tied him to a game with no way out. Russia had been free and independent, doing what he really wanted in Kievan Rus but now, could only resign himself to the Western rules of the game. Fights of power, wars, fight between powers, their policies and their rules. Russia hated having to now be tied to that game with no return. But then he swore something, he would be in the game, he would play by his rules, but he would make life impossible for them, always making them against him and trying to defeat them, and Russia with this thought smiled bitterly. He was damned, he thought.
-The empire expands; Catherine the Great, Russian expansionism:
It would be several decades before Peter that again Russia would impose himself as never before. Soon his tsar's fiancée Tsar Peter III, arrived to Russia, Catherine of Russia, who was the name she adopted there, since her real name was Sofia Federica Augusta, and she was a Prussian princess. At first, Russia was reluctant and cold to this engagement as it began to emerge Pan-Slavism (political sentiment and history that puts the Slavs above all), and also since Peter the Great the nobility was not related to natives but to foreign nobles, especially Germans, so Russia, influenced by all this, felt an initial rejection towards the young princess. But all that disappeared when he realized the fervent love that she professed for him. Eager to learn Russian, and learn his culture and traditions, to the point of accepting to leave Lutheranism and convert to the Orthodox Church, Russia discovered that she was fascinated with him. And he didn't know why. What could she have seen in him, in Russia, to love him with all her being? He didn't know. But over time, he became very close to her, and recognized her superior capacity to that of her husband, his tsar, Peter III. She was Prussian, and he remembered well how Prussia had harassed and mistreated him as a child, but he was incapable of hating her while she loved him so much. She was so passionate, that she wanted her veins to be opened and that all the German blood be removed, so that only her Russian blood would remain"
Soon, Russia began to grow weary of the ineptitude of his tsar, and with the support of generals, helped Catherine to perform an act that a woman had never done, not even a man. She herself gave a coup to her husband and proclaimed herself Tsarina. Her husband apparently had no objection, and she became the head of Russia. Russia admired her from that day. And she, as she loved him so much, kissed Russia, and taught him how passionate she could be.
She took off her dress in front of him, and came close enough to whisper in his ear that the world would be his; he would be the greatest, more than England. And Russia smiled.
Under her, Russia, which was already a young adult, finished maturing, after she gave him a slap to stop his childish whims.
Catherine supported the Russian nobility and consented she greatly, until granting them power over the provinces. Because of this, another great peasant uprising arose. Again headed by a Cossack called Yemelián Pugochov, who had said "Lets hang all the lords! Although these uprisings were quickly suppressed and Yemelián was killed exemplary to harass the population. Still, there were other uprisings as a result of the growing power of the nobility. And Russia had it very much in mind: "Lets hang all the lords!"
But still, now his attention was elsewhere.
Although the uprisings were a nuisance to Catherine, she had everything under control. And what really mattered to her was favoring Russia, so it didn't take her long to lead him into a war against the Ottoman Empire to have power over the Black Sea.
-Russian-Turkish War (1787-1792): Catherine, in the company of her ally the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, annexed Crimea successfully. However, this didn't go down well with the public opinion in Constantinople (Istanbul today), and the Ottoman Empire soon declared war on Russia, at a very bad time, since Austria allied himself with Russia.
Between all this, France and England watched the panorama, attentive, supporting the Ottoman Empire for obvious reasons: they didn't want to see Russia becoming stronger.
In this war, like all thousands of cruelties were committed and thousands of innocent lives were lost. When Russia arrived after besieging it during the winter, to the Turkish city of Ochákiv, Russia and his boys massacred all its citizens, until there was none left. Such news affected Sultan Abdul Hamid I so much that he died shortly afterwards. Such acts of cruelty were all done in the war.
And Catherine, cold as always.
Finally, devastated and betrayed by his allies, the Ottoman Empire had to call for peace with Russia, and recognize the annexation of Crimea and give land to Russia. The greatest of the Slavs smiled at this.
And so, finally, Russia had another important outlet to the sea, which altered England.
And finally, he together with Prussia and Austria decided to attack and divide Poland-Lithuania. And so it was, most of both were left to Russia, to the horror of Poland and Lithuania. Russia committed cruel acts in the course, with his typical smirk.
But while he was doing it, he heard in the distance two voices calling him, saying his name. When Russia looked ahead, his soul almost fell and flew into the air when he saw how his sisters, his beautiful and beloved sisters, ran towards him, now that he had stayed with everything. Russia called them too, and both of them advanced, embracing him. Russia embraced them between laughing and crying. Centuries without seeing them, without having them, more than 400 years. And they hugged him strong. He, with his face almost with tears, kissed them both. Now, the only beings that loved him would be with him, forever, he told himself. And now, with them, he felt that nobody could face the Great Russian bear anymore.
His sisters were returned with him and that could not make him happier, however, Russia thought to keep them in their empire and not give them independence. This little thing mattered to his younger sister, but to his older sister, this fact didn't make her funny, and inside, Ukraine was harboring a grudge against his brother, one that later would play against him.
By the 1790s, what is Ukraine and Belarus were already within the Russian Empire.
With Catherine, Russia reached the most extreme of the world, up to the Bering Strait and colonized Alaska, it was there when Russia, was definitely the biggest of the great. With pride and ridicule he looked at the world. He was a Eurasian-American country now. Russia, the Great Russian Bear, occupied three continents now. Russia, therefore, wondered if his mother, Slavic, would be proud of him.
When Catherine the Great died, Russia lamented, but he didn't really feel it. He had gambled her instead his disastrous Tsar and had gambled well. He loved her because she had made him bigger. But deep down he didn't feel real love for Catherine, he had not loved her as she did, and that was because Catherine did a lot for Russia, but very badly against the Russian people.
During Catherine's time, Germans and Prussians left their home to follow their beloved princess, and Russia, with annoyance had to accept them into him, granting them a home on the Volga River, these became the famous Germans of the Volga, Germans who went to live in Russia to follow their queen and stayed there, keeping their language and traditions, for a long time. Russia never really wanted them, but he had to accept them for Catherine.
-Napoleonic War:
Among all this, while Russia was doing his thing, in Europe something really strong was happening. When Russia had plenty of time, he observed what it was happening in Western Europe, which looked like a boiling soup. France had started a revolution and that definitely impacted everyone. Russia was truly incredulous. Being so autocratic, he definitely didn't understand what France was doing, but deep down, in the depths of his being, in a place just for him, while he listened to the revolutionary shouts and saw the blood of the kings of France, Russia admired him. Not everyone had the courage and strength to try to carry out such a radical act. And Russia had always seen, impotently, the evils of his tsars, and the poor peasant.
Russia began to see the picture fun. Austria and Prussia were enraged, and Russia laughed. He didn't believe that what happened in France could affect him. When Russia looked at England, he had a strangely fascinating look at it all. But all fun was erased from the face of Russia when France, from one moment to another was stronger than anyone and began to invade and conquer them, imposing his new political currents. At this point Russia had a chilling and pale look.
From one moment to another, France had imprisoned the kings of Spain, had placed the Italy brothers as his commanders, and even, to everyone's terror, had come to assassinate the Holy Germanic Roman Empire. With this, everyone knew that this could get out of control and that France was serious. By killing the Holy Germanic Roman Empire, all those countries and kingdoms that would never ally in their lives, allied.
And Russia, as an autocratic power, declared war on France at the first moment. However, Russia lost miserably at the Battle of Austerlitz, in 1805, made Russia should sign peace with the French.
The peace that was signed with France made the liberal Frenchman and the Russian autocrat begin an ephemeral friendship. Napoleon even said that if Alexander I were not a man he would fall in love with him. Russia didn't think that France would betray him. But as it would later happen in the Second World War, Russia was betrayed and invaded.
France had almost all of Europe in his power along with his allies, and soon, along with Northern Italy, the Confederation of the Rhine (Napoleonic confederation of German states that without the Holy Roman Empire had to go to France) and the Duchy of Warsaw (Poland), they headed for the big trophy, they went to the Russian gates.
And by the time that happened, Russia jumped out of his seat in a jump of fright, and had to go alone to face them all, at the battle of Borodino, in 1812.
In the battle, Russia faced again face to face with the confident and flirtatious Frenchman, who easily won over the Russian. In the battle, as in all, many people died. This battle was the bloodiest of all the Napoleonic wars.
France beat him tactically in many ways, and finally, with concern, Russia had to withdraw and give Napoleon's army free rein to enter his lands, and that was his great mistake.
The Europeans considered his Tsar, Alexander I doubtful and indecisive, so no one would believe, that the great factor in stopping the powerful France, which would not be neighbor, would be him, Russia. Napoleon made the terrible mistake of trying to invade Russia, a mistake he had made earlier but now, everyone would know.
Soon the famous invasion of Russia began, which would be the downfall of France. Despite having lost, Russia knew what to do. While the French army advanced, Russia began to use his effective policy of scorched earth so that the French army could not be resupplied. Napoleon wrote a peace letter and sent it to St. Petersburg, but he didn't get an answer. Although Russia liked that the French army frees the serfs, he chose to fight against him. Russia would make him fall.
When the French army arrived in Moscow, Napoleon and France really believed that Russia would surrender, but the stubborn Russian would never do it. Instead, he burned Moscow from his foundations. The eyes of France saw the flames devouring Moscow, and saw Russia standing there with a smile. His beloved Moscow, Russia knew it would return. With Moscow having been burned, France couldn't resupply and defeated, had to withdraw. While he was doing it, Russia observed him and sent him his last game, raised his arm and ordered General Winter to shoot them.
For the winter, and without resupply, France returned defeated and frozen from the desolate lands of Russia.
And they all looked at Russia, who had beaten France without even facing him. With this, with the decline of the French Empire, the Sixth Coalition was formed.
At the Battle of Leipzig, in 1813, the Sixth Coalition faced the French Empire and his allies. And finally everything ended in 1815, with the Battle of Waterloo and the imprisonment of Napoleon. And in all this Russia was fundamental, although those who gave the final blow were England and Prussia, coupled with the betrayals of France's allies and the flight of Spain.
Even so, it was Russia who stopped Napoleon altogether. And for that reason, Russia together England and Prussia, the great winners, would be very rewarded by Austria in the Congress of Vienna. When France was defeated, at the Congress of Vienna, led by Austria, it was tried to return to the old absolutist regime, where England and Russia were given many privileges. Russia was completely handed over to Poland and the full tutelage of Finland. For the first time in his life, everyone surrounded him, asked him questions, and even saw him as an equal, for the first time, although for horrible reasons.
At the Congress, which seemed more like a party and a banquet than a congress, was tried to put Europe as before, but it was too late. Everything had changed and nothing of what it was would be such, after the Napoleonic wars, and during these festivities, while everyone spoke of the future and of dividing up lands and power, everyone's destiny was already woven, and Russia, observed everything attentively, since his destiny was also sealed.
-The nineteenth century, the great prelude:
While playing a leading political role during the next century thanks to the defeat inflicted on Napoleonic France, the non-abolition of serfdom mortgaged any kind of economic progress in Russia. While the European economy grew unstoppable during the Industrial Revolution, which began in the second half of the eighteenth century, Russia was left behind as he had never been with respect to the West, generating this considerable backward new and serious problems to the empire.
-The Decembrist Revolt:
Soon began the nineteenth century, where the truth about the reality of Russia would be increasingly evident and increasingly unsustainable.
It turns out that Russia's good position had eclipsed for a while the inefficiency of his government, the isolation and suffering of his people, and his economic backwardness. When Napoleon was defeated, Tsar Alexander had been willing to negotiate certain constitutional reforms but, in reality, no substantial change was actually made.
Soon this Tsar was replaced by his brother Nicholas I, soon the problems began, the first revolts of the century began.
The origin of this revolt dates back to the Napoleonic Wars, when a large number of well-trained Russian officers traveled to Europe during the military campaigns, where their exposure to the liberalism of Western Europe inspired them to seek change in their return to the extreme Russian autocracy. The result was the Decembrist Revolt, the work of a small circle of liberal nobles and army officers who wanted to enthrone Nicholas' elder brother as monarch (of a more liberal character) and to promulgate a constitution. But the rebellion was put down easily and brutally, definitively moving Nicholas I away from the process of Westernization begun by Peter the Great, impeding the adoption of a constitution (the first Russian constitution is the Russian Constitution of 1906) and championing the highest expression of "Autocracy", Orthodoxy, and Nationalism" Russia, in a certain way, began to open his eyes slowly, before such a panorama. When more changes were sought, more extreme measures became, soon, Russia began to polarize.
The repression and appeasement of these revolts was so brutal and bloody, as unjust, that they bathed the lands of Russia again. Russia can see himself reflected in the pools of blood that all he did was leave him traumatized.
Russia had liked the ideals of the revolt, and didn't like it at all as it finish everything. Such resentment, like pain, were kept in the heart of Russia by such repression and brutality, that slowl he was heading alone to his destiny. The great destiny of his life.
-Second Russian-Turkish War (1828-1829): although the attention of Russia began to settle on social issues and his own home, his bosses kept insisting on being able to have more land and a bigger influence in the Black Sea, so, with annoyance, Russia had to find an excuse to mess with the Ottoman Empire again. And he found it. Greece was trying to become independent and Russia, out of the blue, took part in a battle to help him (in fact he was only interested in disturbing the Ottoman Empire), and this didn't please Turkey. And it was so they both faced each other again. The war took place in the sea and in Asia Minor. The war ended with an important victory for Russia and one more step in the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Russia obtained most of the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the mouth of the Danube. Turkey recognized Russian sovereignty over young Georgia. Russia was allowed to occupy Moldova until Turkey paid a large compensation. Serbia also achieved autonomy.
With this victory, Russia began to settle more animated, appeasing his social feelings a little more, believing that all this was temporary, but it wasn't, and Russia could no longer escape his destiny.
-Uprising of November of 1830 and Uprising of January of 1863:
As much as Russia wanted, it was inherent in escaping what was happening in Europe, and what would happen in him.
Revolutions broke out in Europe in 1830 parallel to what was happening in France, and soon, Russia would also be involved. This uprising had its nucleus in Poland, who was under the power of Russia. This uprising was conspired by while the Polish military schools, who all they wanted was to rise to Russia and more than an uprising was practically a war between the two. Still, Russia was superior in every way and managed to appease the Poles. Because of them, many Poles fled to France or to German states. Still, Russia continued to stay with Poland.
When Russia wanted to rest from all that, soon new uprisings was forged. The January uprising was an uprising between Poland and his ex-husband Lithuania against Russia. Both protested because they didn't want the Poles and Lithuanians to be forced to join the Russian imperial army. Protestants, mostly young, were joined by politicians and high military, however, everything was crushed by Russia in 1864, and to stop giving them problems, handcuffed Poland and Lithuania a long time.
-Westernizers vs Slavophiles
Something that characterizes the Russian history of the 19th century is the almost existential debate between Westernizers and Slavophiles. The Westernizers argued that Russia should follow Europe's footsteps since Russia was a European country and should be taken as such. The Slavophiles, on the other hand, argued that Russia was an antagonist of Europe, and that he must be true to his culture and not imitate the West. This debate caches politics, social, religious, moral, and even Russian music. It was an identity dilemma, European Russia or Russia Russia. And Ivan sided with the Slavophiles, having as always an aversion to the West. Tchaikovsky is a referent of Russian western music, and The Five referents Russian slavofila music, with a tendency to Russian Orientalism.
The question of Russia's course had been gaining strength since Peter the Great began his Westernization program. Some favored the mere imitation of customs and systems while others and Russia himself renounced the West and called for a return to the traditions of the past. This last option was chosen by the Slavophil nationalists, who made continuous mockery of the "decadent" Europe. The Slavophil preferred the collectivism of the mir, or community of the medieval village, to Western individualism.
Pan-Slavism became very strong in Russia at the time, in response to the other Russian ethnic groups, such as the Tatars. Do not forget that the Russian term is not an ethnic distinction but a national one. In Russia there were many ethnic groups thanks to his incredible expansion, but the Slavic base always predominated in the official. And soon, in response, the Slavs began professing an enormous German phobia. Soon, Russia looked very bad on Prussia and his young brother German Empire.
In the end, only one would win in the end.
-Global context, ideological schisms and ideological-social movements:
Between the uprisings of nationalist nature, especially of Poland and Lithuania, between the different European revolutions, and with his inefficient autocrats, Russia was stressed and tired, and definitely his exhaustion would continue for more.
Already by the middle of the eighteenth century and by the nineteenth century there had been radical changes that modified the social and political structures of the world. The industrial revolution was one of these great changes. With the industrial revolution, economic models were completely changed, and therefore, social models were completely changed too, and it began to shape the world under a new order, so much so that even today is the result of what was happening in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The industrial revolution modified and practically created the social classes. Before there were only the nobles, and then, the peasants. There was no middle point between having nothing and having everything. But with the French revolution of France and the industrial revolution of England this changed.
Social groups were influenced by these revolutions unevenly:
The old noble elite remained the most powerful group. It was the group least affected by the changes. They were enriched enormously with industrialization since they owned about 70% of the land in general. They acquired a capitalist mentality and benefited from the passage of the railroad through their lands and the increase of agricultural production thanks to new techniques. Its political role remains predominant.
The high bourgeoisie was a very restricted group of great bankers and important merchants and businessmen, who when the French Revolution took place, were able to gain full power. The bourgeoisie were not noble even though they now possessed power, and tried to relate to the high aristocracy either by copying habits of daily life or by marriage.
The middle and lower bourgeoisie were craftsmen and owners of small and medium workshops. Entrepreneurial group that demands rights of greater political representation is the social base of the Liberal Party.
Rural workers were harmed by the precarious contracts brought by the agricultural revolution. In addition, the unpopular Speenhamland System, or Poor Law, is implanted and they lose the possibility of acquiring income through the proto-industry due to the creation of the factories.
The proletarians (together with the rural workers and peasants) were the ones who would suffer the most from the effects of an uncontrolled growth of the cities and a savage industrialization. Most of the proletarians were peasants who had been forced to leave their way of life moving to the cities to survive. They begin to suffer for the first time the tyranny of the clock, which imposes a monotonous life and long hours of work. Women and children were cheap labor. Public services were mediocre or nonexistent.
And all this began to occur with the industrial revolution and industrial capitalism. And all for the following question: the French and industrial revolution went hand in hand. The French Revolution had been financed by bourgeois who wanted to get rid of the nobles to hold power, and the bourgeoisie was just owners of companies, bankers, etc. people who would live from the industrial revolution. When this occurred, the artisans became a small middle class and the bourgeoisie could fulfill their competition of liberalism to abolish serfdom and feudalism and the peasants to move to the factories to live another different slavery. Thus they were forming these classes in the industrial Revolution, during the nineteenth century.
Among all this, political and social ideals began to emerge in response to the precarious, miserable and inhuman that the lower classes carried. Thus came the workers and peasants movements: socialism and its many variants. It was so that the class struggle began to take place and to fight stressed in Europe.
Among all this, was the Prussian intellectual Karl Marx. Karl Marx belonged to the upper class, but was very identified with the labor, humanist and intellectual movements. Against this background, Karl Marx began an analysis of society, of capitalism and its social model, of social struggles, and wrote, together with his German revolutionary friend Friedrich Engels, the Communist Manifesto, which analyzes communism, does not invent it. In the Manifesto, Marx and Engels explain how social classes work and how they have changed from feudalism, explain the proletariat, and explain how the Communist Party should be put before the world that oppresses it.
Marx explains how to make a revolution and what would happen after it, but only proposes it in front of industrialized countries and where there are these social classes: he proposes obviously thinking of Germany and England, maybe France too. That's why Russia was the last thing Marx would think about in that context. And that was because in Russia there were no such social classes, there was no industrialization. Russia was absolutist and autocratic and had not asked for changes. There were no social classes or social movements there because there was nothing of it. There were the nobles and then the serfs, the peasants, Russia was agricultural and not industrial, these changes had never occurred and he had remained stuck in feudalism. The social classes, the proletariat, socialism, were reactions of a liberal world and an industrialized world, in Russia there was none of that. And that is why, if Marx were asked where the socialist revolution, the revolution of the people, would take place, Russia would never go through it. The last thing he would say was Russia, or maybe he would not even name him. And that's why fate was ironic, it was poetic. Because in the place where least expected, the place least thought, in the most incoherent place was where the Revolution actually occurred, not in Germany, not in England, as Marx had logically thought.
Yes, the destination would be ironic and especially poetic with Russia, the place where it suffered the most.
Russia, on the other hand, knew about social movements in the West, knew Western models, but was light years away from understanding them, in his feudal world. But he was very curious. Even so, he had not been able to escape from all this as seen in the Decembrist Revolt and the harsh repression of the revolt made the "Fourteenth of December" (Decembrist revolt) a day long remembered by later revolutionary movements.
To prevent future rebellions, schools and universities in Russia were under constant surveillance and students were equipped with official textbooks. The police spies of the Ojrana (secret police of the tsarist regime) could be found anywhere. Suspects of being revolutionaries were sent to Siberia: under Nicholas I hundreds of thousands were sent to labor camps or were executed. All this happened to Russia for wanting to remain within a semi-feudal, backward and agricultural model, although he knew that even if he became liberal like his Western colleagues, everything would still be as bad. He saw it in them, not for nothing were so many social movements desperate for change.
In this situation the Russian Mikhail Bakunin would emerge as the father of anarchism. And Russia looked at him with strangeness without fully understanding him. Anarchism was the most radical idea of all times of man, more than socialism and more than communism. Bakunin was an intellectual and very critical of the world and of religion. And Russia could not even assimilate his ideas, totally surprised with his ideas too radical for his autocratic mind. When Bakunin told Russia that he admired the figure of Lucifer as a revolutionary of heaven who rose up in front of a Celestial Dictator, Russia almost choked, after all that, Bakunin had to flee from Russia. He left Russia in 1842 in the direction of Western Europe, where he exercised activism within the socialist movement. After participating in the May Uprising of Dresden in 1849, he was imprisoned and sent by ship to Siberia, but he managed to escape by heading back to Europe. There in Western Europe he collaborated with Karl Marx, despite considerable ideological and tactical differences.
In spite of everything, Russia would never forget Bakunin's words and silently hide his memory or let anyone know. Slowly Russia walked without knowing it, towards his destiny.
-The Crimean War, Alexander II and the abolition of Serfdom:
As much as the world of Russia and Europe was shaken by social movements, the old empires kept their usual interests. Soon, when Russia stuck its head towards the Mediterranean Sea, the Ottoman Empire, and the ever-present pair of France and England were already pouncing on it.
Although Russia was well known in his times as a communist to be obviously against everything they said and wanted, Russia before being a communist was always against everything. As much as Russia played their game and their rules, and was therefore functional to them, it was always against. Russia hated them forever and if he could fuck them he would. Before the United States and Russia had their poisonous feud, Russia's main enemy was England. The English hated him and feared with all his being.
The Crimean War occurred because the Western powers the last thing they wanted was for Russia to become more powerful and have power over the Mediterranean Sea as it did with the Baltic Sea.
The Crimean War began in 1853, where it was brutally confronted with France England and the Ottoman Empire. During this war, more people died than even in the First World War, in battles such as the Battle of Balaclava. Before the Franco-Prussian War, this war was considered the bloodiest of the nineteenth century. During the war the Russian ports were constantly bombed. And Russia finally had to ask for peace. By losing this war, the decline of the Tsarist regime became more evident.
In 1855 he rose as Tsar Alexander II, who was open to new reforms. At that time, in Russia, more than 23 million people who were in conditions of servitude lived many times worse than peasants during the Middle Ages. And because Alexander was something liberal, sensitive and humanistic, he decided to abolish serfdom in Russia. When the news was told to the Russian, he almost jumps with happiness.
The abolition of serfdom occurred in the year 1861, and was the most important event in Russia throughout the nineteenth century. There began the beginning of the end of the monopoly of power of the landed aristocracy. When the peasants were free, many went to the cities where the industry began to flourish a little. However, the liberated peasants had to pay a special tax on life power, so nothing really improved. Soon, revolutionary feelings began to flourish in Russia.
The time came when Russia began to fear that England would steal Alaska, and to avoid having to sustain another armed conflict, decided to sell Alaska to whoever wanted it. The one who wanted it was the oldest son of England, the United States. When Russia met the young United States in 1867, he considered it a bad version of England, and the only thing that interested him was his pay. The United States bought Alaska for what he considered a lot of money, and to which Russia considered very little. From that day Russia stopped being an Eurasian-American country and patiently waited for the United States to finish paying him. Neither the Eurasian nor the American guessed that the one in front of him would be his rival to life.
-Third Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878): despite his social problems, Russia continued with the games of his tsars and soon returned to meet the Ottoman Empire, this time alone. What happened was that the Turks had cruelly suppressed Slavic nationalists, so with the excuse of going to help their Slavic brothers (their real intention was to have influence on the Black Sea again), Russia, and their cousins Serbia, Bulgaria and his friend Rumania (although Rumania is not Slavic, is Latin), they rose against Turkey. And this time, Russia did win; he won overwhelmingly leaving Turkey more weakened. The peace agreement was made favoring Russia. However, the one always in England, who did not want Russia to become stronger, adopted an anti-Russian policy and modified the whims of the accord, disfavoring Russia. In the face of such acts, Russia fell further. Tired, he returned home without being able to do anything against the tyrant of English. With these failures and society shaking, Russian society became stressed.
-The Naródnik and Nihilist Movements in Russia:
For some time many Russian liberals were dissatisfied with the reforms of Alexander II. In the 1860s they questioned the old values, championed the independence of the individual and scandalized the Russian ruling class.
First they tried to attract the aristocracy to the reformist cause. After failing, they turned their eyes to the peasants. His campaign "go to the people" ended up being known as the Narodnik movement (Narod means people in Russian). When this movement gained in strength, the government acted quickly in its suppression and violence.
In response to the growing governmental reaction, a radical wing of the Narodniks advocated a movement known as nihilist and exercised terrorism. One after another, important personalities of the regime were killed by shots or by bombs. Finally, after many attempts, Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, the same day he approved a request from the assembly of representatives to consider new reforms that would complement the abolition of serfdom and thus appease the revolutionaries.
Before all this, Russia drew a conclusion without realizing it, terrorism is never the solution. Because even with noble intentions, it always ends up being helpful, since it justifies repression, persecution and state terrorism. This would be affirmed by Lenin in the future.
-Russia under Alexander III:
Alexander III succeeded the late Tsar Alexander II. Russia had loved Alexander II very much, and when his new Tsar rose he was not happy.
Of reactionary mood, Alexander III was very influenced by his tutor, an ultraconservative, and his reign was highlighted by the return to the principles of "autocracy, orthodoxy and nationalism" of his grandfather Nicholas. Alexander III employed the secret police to suppress any opposition. Driven by an anti-Semitic and nationalist policy, thousands of Jews had to flee and leave Russia, evicted, sought asylum in the United States where the majority fled.
In the reign of Alexander III, to improve its position, Russia established an alliance with France, which did not please both, but were forced.
The Russian industry received large credits from French banks. The development of capitalism increased the exfoliation of property in society, engendered the proletariat and led to the impoverishment of the important parts of the peasantry, which was the cause of the growth of socialist, anarchist and anti-Semitic movements in Russia. Slowly, without knowing it consciously, perhaps because he did not want to see the obvious, Russia was heading towards its inevitable destiny.
Alejandro III died suddenly in 1894, leaving the country mired in a deep social and governmental crisis that urgently needed reforms.
When he died, his son rose as Tsar, Nicholas II Romanov.
-The last Romanov:
When Alexander III died, his son Nicholas II went up, and Russia wanted the earth to swallow him for a moment. Nicholas was weak and manipulable, inexperienced in politics. So his weak character made things in Russia begin to move faster.
The Industrial Revolution, which was beginning to exert an important influence in Russia, would encourage the factors that would eventually destroy the Tsar. The liberal elements between the capitalists and the nobility believed and began to ally with each other.
While all this was happening, in Russia political-social parties began to form and to make them seen. One of these parties was the Social-Revolutionary Party, which integrated the Narodnik tradition into its doctrine, and demanded the distribution of land among those who worked it: the peasants. But the most radical group was that of the members of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the representatives of Marxism in Russia. Gaining increasing support from intellectuals and the urban working class, they advocated a social, economic and political revolution.
However, even in this game there were different branches. By the twentieth century, in the year 1013, the Social Democratic Labor party was divided into two: the Mensheviks, or moderate, and the Bolsheviks, or radicals. The Mensheviks believed that the revolution would be peaceful and that it would reach the Tsars and become a socialist republic allied with the bourgeoisie. While the Bolsheviks, more realistic, led by a certain Vladimir Lenin, knew that the revolution could only be given to the force and would defend the proletariat without ever allying with the capitalist bourgeoisie.
Russia was aware of all these movements that agitated his heart annoyingly, but it still lacked a bit for Russia to really understand what was happening, what would happen.
In all this time Russia was upset by many things. Annoyed because a part of him knew that something in his life was very bad, annoyed because the Tsar married a German, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of unbearable England. Russia never came to love his tsarina, he detested her in fact. In those days, Russia hated the Germans because of the strong anti-German sentiment that everyone had since the young Germany was the most powerful of all. But who Russia could not and could never hate was the youngest of the princesses, Anastasia. Russia adored her more than any other and she adored him. By far, Anastasia was the only one who tied him to a little love for that royal family.
When she was born, both the tsar and he were disappointed because they wanted a male heir. But over time, Russia could not hate her. That girl was the light of his life. And he loved her more than Catherine the Great even. And because of that, Russia's fate would be cruel to him again.
In those times, apart from everything, Russia, as abrupt and chilling as he was, had a huge love for dance, music and art.
When Russia heard Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake piece for the first time, he was amazed until even fine tears slipped from his eyes.
And when he saw the radical Ballet of Sergei Diaghilev, Russia definitely felt his light wing like a feather. He accompanied the Ballet company to Paris so that the world could see the wonder of the new Russian ballet, and it was definitely so beautiful, those of envy, France defenestrate him and the piece of the Swan Lake. Russia felt diminished and rejected but nothing prevented him from raising his head and showing the world that in ballet he is the best, that in artistic dances he is the best, and that on ice, he Russia, is the best on that.
Russia was the best and he revolutionized the ballet forever and the one who perfected the ballet on ice as he is known today. On figure skating, and ballet and soft music, Russia proved that like him there was no equal.
Artistically Russia had always been unique compared to Western Europeans just because his culture was very unique, being European but in a different way. He had not seen the Renaissance of Italy but didn't need it, despite his bloody existence, blood and war, Russia had a very fine artistic sense. And as much as he wanted to dance and skate, the war and his fate would not make him wait and he would not make it wait either.
-Russian-Japanese War:
By the beginning of the 20th century, everything was tense. Powers like Germany began to leave behind the great leaders of the world, France or England. Russia had been a power, but one that was always behind. Japan was a new Asian power and had an enormous influence in China besides being allied with England, and Russia, desperate for not to be left behind, made the mistake of believing that Japan, being new, would be easy.
To get involved with Japan, Russia first decided to influence Japan's rival, his older brother China. Russia had known China during the seventeenth century, in his expansionism, and ever since he met him, he didn't wait for harassed him. The truth is that China detested him but Russia felt an unmistakable attraction for the Chinese. When Russia went to see China to talk about his plan, China rejected it but Russia seduced him easily.
He told him in his ear his plan to defeat Japan: if China allowed him to influence him, Japan would declare war on him. Once Russia beat Japan, China could have an advantage over Japan. Faced with such words, China accepted the deal.
Russia began to have influence over China and in the North of Korea which slowed down the Japanese advance. However, Russia wouldn't get it right.
Without any declaration of war, the Japanese besieged and blocked Port Arthur and Vladivostok, inflicting a severe defeat on the Russian fleet, part of which was semi-sunken and locked in the harbor. The tsar, then, in a desperate effort, mobilized the Baltic fleet, composed of inadequate warships to navigate the high seas, in a great single journey in history, which led her to go around Europe and Africa, holding serious diplomatic conflicts with England. His ally France also turned his back on the course of the rugged journey and the fleet was only supplied by Germany, after almost a year and a half of sailing to reach the Tsushima Strait, where it was quickly defeated by the Japanese naval forces at the command of Hechachiro.
As much as he fought face to face with the deadpan Japan, shamefully Russia lost and felt betrayed. Betrayed by his allies, who didn't help him because they preferred Japan to have more power than him, but strangely, for whom else felt betrayed and deceived, was by his leaders, by his tsars. And soon, a strange anger and fury seized him a feeling so strong and so hot that it could easily melt the snow of General Winter.
After his defeat in the war in 1905, Russia ran to his capital St. Petersburg, with a feeling that seemed unstoppable.
-Revolution of 1905, Bloody Sunday:
The disastrous intervention of the armed forces in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was a big setback for the tsarist regime and increased the likely potential for an uprising. In January 1905, a series of events known as "Bloody Sunday" occurred when Father Gapon led a large mass of people to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to present a petition to the Tsar. When the group arrived at the palace, the Cossacks, helpful to Tsarism, opened fire on those gathered there, killing hundreds of people. The Russian people came to such outrage at the massacre that a general strike was declared demanding a democratic republic. Russia was there, with strange fire of the revolution, with anger against his leaders, but he didn't hate them yet. It was there when he saw the red flags of the communists at the marches and protests, and began to listen to them without saying a word.
In the framework of the Russian Revolution of 1905, there were the Soviets. The Soviets were organized councils of factory workers, who, led by one called Troski, appeared in most cities to direct revolutionary activity. Russia ended up paralyzed and impacted by that feeling that burned in his heart, and the government, in a desperate situation.
This revolution was the prelude to what would come to Russia, and what would happen in the world.
Realizing that the situation was disastrous, the Tsars had to yield a little to the indignant people and in misery that suffered the repression of the Cossacks by the government. Russia didn't fully understand his new feeling and was expectant that the Tsar did.
Nicholas before such revolutionary panorama signed with reluctance the famous Manifesto of October, which granted the creation of the Imperial Duma of Russia (parliament) that would summon without delay. The right to vote was generalized and no law would enter into force without the endorsement of the Duma. The moderate groups were satisfied, but the Socialists rejected the concessions and tried to organize new strikes. Finally, the first constitution of Russia was promulgated, the Russian Constitution of 1906.
Russia was satisfied, but confused, very confused. He was happy for what he had achieved but he didn't fully understand the feeling that invaded him in that way. Among the white winter landscape, Russia saw a red flag on the ground, lost. And going from not really knowing what he felt, Russia took it and put it in his pocket.
This was the first great step and great revolutionary movement that Russia would later know. And soon, the great prelude arrived for Russia and for the world, and above all, for those who had been waiting for it.
-First World War:
By the twentieth century everyone already knew of the coming of a big contest in Europe that would affect the course of history. How not to know, if they had organized it themselves.
With the emergence of powers like the young Germany, Japan, with nationalism emerging as never before, and with the colonial tensions that there were, the economic centers had organized a contest, which was supposed to be short-lived, so that it was decided who it would be the definitive colonial and industrial power, since England and Germany looked with enough tension and displeasure.
When the Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Italy was forged in the 1880s, Russia was inevitably allied with England, since his ally France allied himself with English. Russia didn't care to be on the same side of English because at that time he hated young Germany more than English. So the war was well known that it would be fought and with whom it would occur. What Russia didn't know was when it would happen, Austria was responsible for that. And when in 1914 Austria began the war by declaring war on Serbia, Russia was the third, along with the German Empire, to have to go and get involved. Serbia was his cousin and was the perfect excuse to get into the war. In addition, Russia had to get into the war on the orders of France who, with the excuse that his ally Russia entered the war, he would do too. Everything was a well-armed chain. And Russia felt pressured.
But nobody, absolutely nobody, had foreseen what would happen in Russia while the horrible war was fought.
Russia was in charge of the containment of the eastern front, where he faced his rival Prussia. However, the war, like everyone, didn't sit well with Russia, especially him. The weakness of the Russian economy and the inefficiency and corruption of the government were only very briefly hidden by the mantle of nationalist fervor. Military setbacks and government incompetence soon disappointed the population. The German control of the Baltic Sea and the German-Ottoman blockade of the Black Sea cut off the entry routes to international maritime trade and prevented the arrival of goods of first necessity.
Soon, Russia was the first of all to become disenchanted with that war. He was very and much more concerned about his own affairs, which influenced his performance in the war, and many times he returned home, where things were not going very well.
The royal family, like any royal family, didn't really know the suffering and didn't seem to be much affected by Russia's suffering. Russia only forgave the children, they didn't understand anything of what was happening. Something that greatly annoyed Russia, which caused him to leave the front to go to the Winter Palace in person was the presence of a monk named Rasputin, the favorite of the Tsarina. Since Russia saw him he felt a deep displeasure. He told the tsarina that he didn't want to see that man with the girls, but she turned a deaf ear to this. Russia hated him more for this. Definitely, the presence of Rasputin put the hair on end to Russia, in addition to the horror of the war and the bad situation in which he was.
By mid-1915, the impact of the war was demoralizing. Food and fuel were scarce, the number of casualties was scandalous, and inflation didn't stop escalating. The strikes increased among the poorly paid workers in the factories and the peasants, who demanded agrarian reforms, were restless. Meanwhile, the general discontent with the regime was aggravated at times by reports that claimed that the mystic Rasputin had gained an important political influence within the government. All this began to despair and really frustrate Russia, who almost cried, and cried of the impotence of his disastrous situation.
Finally, Russia began to absent himself sporadically from the war, having to return home because of matters of concern. In 1916, following the rumors and Rasputin, he and some others planned his murder. At a party, the conspirators poisoned him, fired and threw his body into a frozen river. Russia believed that he had rid himself of a great obstacle, but in reality, Rasputin was insignificant and had nothing to do with what was happening in Russia and with Russia.
His murder in late 1916 ended the scandal but didn't restore the lost prestige of the regime. And no matter how hard Russia struggled, cried and blew, there was nothing he could do, and when all didn't work anymore, when the suffering of decades and centuries could not go away, when the Russian people raised their voices, his destiny had arrived.
-Russian Revolution of 1917, the days that shook, moved and changed the world:
Before young Germany, before France or England, Russia was already seriously considering leaving the war. Russia was unable to sustain such a destructive industrial war and at the same time have to endure the suffering that was going on in his home. Russia had not calculated well and now he was in a situation that could end him. The army was exhausted, and not much food arrived. In his home, all of Russia died of hunger. In Russia there was misery, hunger and suffering. There was no food and the workers were not paid enough to live. In the revolution of 1905 the people had gone out to ask the tsar for a better life, but he only made them repressed and murdered, widening the snow red, the blood of Russia.
And Russia didn't know what to do. He wanted to leave that war meaningless as soon as possible, but there was an unwritten rule that practically forbade him to unchain himself from the situation. Russia was between two walls that crushed him. But he should decide, and the decision he made would change in the history of the surrounding world.
-Revolution of February: in 1917, the strikes of peasants and workers, and almost the entire population, were constant. And it all started when the strike of Putilóv's factory began, in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg with the name changed by the war), there, the revolution began. When the soviets (workers' councils) went on strike, in a matter of a week the whole city supported them and joined the general strike. Given this, Russia, who was in the war, knew that something was happening. And soon, with the strike, bloody training between the Cossack paramilitaries and the population began to take place, but nothing could stop the strikers. The situation ended up being broken and defined, when the army, the Russian army, seeing that the need of the people and seeing that they had more in common with them than with the tsars, took out a call where all military and the whole army put on the side of the strikers, now, the tsars were alone.
In the face of such a situation, desperate, the Tsar wanted to dissolve the Duma and he would have done it, if it had not been because the Duma completely refused to do so. Finally the Tsar knew the situation. Russia came to his home without understanding anything and by the time he did, he never returned to the front again. Russia looked at his incredulous tsar, looked at the army and the strikers, and again at his tsar. The world of Russia, the world he knew had just ended. His destiny had finally reached him. The strikers held mass rallies in defiance of the regime, and the army explicitly sided with the workers.
Russia understood his people, but he still didn't feel the heat of their struggle, and he was confused and tired, he didn't know what would happen to his destiny or to the war.
A few days later, the Duma appointed a Provisional Government, and a day later Tsar Nicholas II Romanov abdicated. It was there when all connection between Russia and his tsars was suddenly cut off. But Russia looked at him strangely. Then his brother Michael went up as Tsar, but he abdicated hours later. The first Tsar Romanov was a Michael, and the last one was a Michael too, the cycle was over.
Russia felt tired, demoralized by war, confused and very fearful, so he sat next to Kerensky, his new leader, leader of the Provisional Government, and explained what he wanted: bread for everyone and leave the war as of place. Kerensky said he would try. But Russia would see that none of it ended there.
At the same time, the Petrograd Socialists formed the Petrograd Soviet (council) of the Workers 'and Soldiers' Representatives to provide them with the power they lacked in the Provisional Government. The Provisional Government, which Russia was following now, was made up of moderate socialists and liberal politicians, not Bolsheviks, and couldn't handle the volatile situation in Russia. On the other hand, in the months that followed, Russia didn't return to the eastern front and stayed in the Winter Palace, confused and fearful, next to Kerensky, seeing how things were going nowhere, but without being able to do anything. While the Provisional Government led by Aleksandr Kerenski passed the time, the Marxist Soviet in Petrograd spread its organization throughout the country creating local soviets. Likewise, Kerensky made the fatal mistake of continuing Russia's participation in the war, an extremely unpopular decision among the people, and unforgivable for Russia.
For those confused and turbulent days in which Russia felt his world slowly unraveling, walking through Petrograd (St. Petersburg had changed its name fr be a German name), on a cold night, he heard voices that sang around a warm fire, and Russia approached them. It was the factory workers, the soviets, who sang with pain and hope, or without hope, a song that Russia had never heard, but that touched his heart. The International, they sang, and to Russia tears fell from his eyes, how cruel was the world for those who had nothing. The proletarians, thought Russia. The proletarian term comes from the Latin, proletarĭus, which were like in the Roman Empire people were called who had nothing, absolutely nothing, only their children. And yes, Russia thought, those people had nothing more than their families and a dream, a hope without optimism.
Russia planned to return to the Winter Palace with Kerensky when he was suddenly intercepted by people who stopped him and began to talk to him, to advise him. They were the Bolsheviks. They approached him, and began to speak to him. And Russia, although at first he wanted to leave, ended up remembering the red flags of the revolution of 1905, and started to walk alongside the Bolsheviks. Even so, Russia didn't know what to think about anything, neither about his situation, nor about the tsars, nor of the war. But then, the Bolsheviks recommended that he read a book, the Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels and Capital, with them, all his doubts would dissipate.
The Bolsheviks let him go and Russia didn't return to the Winter Palace. He went to where nobody knows and began to read the Communist Manifesto and The Capital. The Communist Manifesto explained social classes, the proletariat within historical contexts, explained surplus value and the bourgeoisie and patterns and production models. And every time Russia read more treacherous tears escaped from his eyes. He finished reading everything, completely destroyed and crying. He took his face in his hands and cried as he had wanted to do since childhood.
He was understood now, he was understood himself in his context. He understood the tsars, the domination, the evil power game in which he had been trapped, he understood the world as never before. He understood the systems of domination, and suddenly, anger, and a fury seized his heart, and he remembered France, smeared with blood and joy in the French Revolution, remembered Bakunin and his words. He recounted the peasants killed by the tsars,he felt the miserable as he had always felt. And without being able to contain it, without wanting to contain it, he shouted in a rage. What a cruel, perverse and selfish world, now Russia felt disgusted with himself. Deep down him had always known. He had always known how bad it was, and how bad his tsars were, but now he could understand it from his marrow. He was slowly, suffered a life process whose conclusion was there, in the revolution that would change everything.
Russia got up and with fury and hope and sadness, knew what he should do.
While the February Revolution was taking place, the abdication of the Tsars, the Provisional Government of Kerensky, and the Petrograd Soviet, the revolutionary Lenin, exiled in Switzerland since the revolution of 1905 had studied and studied exhaustively in his exile. He came into contact with other socialist groups' equivalent to the Bolsheviks, as Spartacist were in Germany. Forged friendship with the German Spartacist leader Rosa Luxemburg, although both disagreed in some respects, both planned transcendental revolutions in their respective countries, but only one would eventually emerge. The least expected that place where no one would deposit an ounce of confidence, Russia, the devastated and melancholy Russia.
And when Lenin learned of the February Revolution, of the abdication of the Tsars, of the Provisional Government, of the Russian people rising up against those who oppressed and murdered them, and of the Soviets, he knew that the time had come, he would return to Russia.
But to do so, enemy territory had to pass, he had to pass Germany and that was not easy since they were at war and he, at the top was Russian and communist. So the thing went to Lenin, but he made a very dangerous play, but that worked. He met with the High German generals and with Prussia and made a deal: if they let Lenin and his revolutionary intellectuals pass and they won the revolution, they would get Russia out of the war, which was very convenient for Germany. Prussia doubt, he didn't like the idea. But to save his brother, he let Lenin do his thing in Russia, and let him pass through Germany by train without being stopped.
So secretly, the Germans let it pass to Lenin and forty revolutionaries on a train in the middle of the war, to get Russia out of the war, thing that Germans wanted.
And in that train, with Lenin and the forty revolutionaries, was the history of the twentieth century.
Lenin, like Trotski, both exiles, returned to Russia in April 1917. Thus Lenin returned to Russia, with the help of the Germans, who only wanted Russia to come out of the war.
And when Lenin arrived, when the train left to the Finland station, when he came down, Russia was waiting for him. Peasants, workers and military went to receive him. And Russia was eager to talk to him. Lenin spoke with Russia, in private and with the Bolsheviks, and told him what Russia needed to hear, because after his strong speeches, his words, Russia fully supported the Bolsheviks.
-October Revolution; the red October:
Russia supported the Bolsheviks, because he wanted to get out of the war and they would take him out, because he loved his people, the Russian people, what they were him, and he wanted to they to had right, roof and food, and also, because he understood society better than ever and everything that wasn't social was suddenly repulsed.
Now, Russia, together with the Bolsheviks, would try to seize power, and so began the Russian quarrel of Russia, where with clamor and ardor in his heart, he sang songs of liberation with his citizens. Soon the October revolution began.
Russia no longer considered Kerensky as his minister since he had not fulfilled the promise to get him out of the war.
And Russia began to go through the streets calling people, and even warned his sisters, that the whole tin for change. Even so, everything that Russia started doing didn't like anything to England, much less to those who were close to him, Poland, the Bastics, Finland, etc. But nobody knew how things would end up in Russia, or if Russia, in that act of rebellion, would live.
The October revolution began at dawn on October 25 / November 7. The Bolsheviks seized the train stations and the post and telegraph offices. The military garrisons were placed under their control. They cut off communications with the Winter Palace, which was isolated. All this without finding hardly any resistance, since the Russian people supported them. People continued with their jobs and their activities; the trams worked; the streets were quiet, except for the central districts.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, the Military Committee drafted a proclamation in which it announced the overthrow of the provisional government of the Russian republic, announcing that the power passed to the Soviets of workers' deputies and soldiers of Petrograd. And Russia smiled.
In the center, the Winter Palace was isolated. Kerensky and several ministers of his government remained trapped there. Meanwhile, the Aurora cruiser, which had received the order of the Bolsheviks to remain anchored in front of the Winter Palace on October 23 / November 5, aimed its guns at the Palace. At 9:00 this cruise ship fired the Palace with blanks, giving notice to its occupants that it was a matter of time before they fell. Kerensky, seeing the disaster, managed to escape disguised as a nurse, seeing that Russia was now on the side and defending the Bolsheviks.
Meanwhile, the Congress of Soviets, which would give power to the soviets (workers), had already begun.
With Kerensky fled and the Palace surrounded, the fall of the Government was a matter of hours. The assault on the Winter Palace took place at dawn on October 26 / November 8. The assault was easy and no reprisals were taken against the defenders of the Palace or against the ministers present there. The Bolshevik Ovséienko was in charge of declaring to the ministers that they were being detained in the name of the Military Committee. The assault on power had been a success and had not caused casualties. The October revolution had triumphed. Red flags and shouts and songs of fury and happiness were felt in the cold Russian air.
The Bolsheviks, who were non-revisionist communists and socialists, proceeded to give power to the Soviet (factory workers), and to organize a Congress.
In this way, a new government was formed, led by the Soviet of workers and soldiers, which was Bolshevik majority.
The October revolution had triumphed. But not everything was solved for Russia, a lot of things he had to attend to and do. "The revolution is not to take up arms only", he said. And maturely Russia knew that what destiny would bring would be hard.
And so it was, the revolution triumphed in Russia. A socialist revolution, therefore, the most radical revolution in the history of mankind, was carried out by Russia. And it was poetic, because it was the last place in the world where they would have expected it. And why such a revolution triumphed in Russia? because nobody suffered more than in Russia. Nobody died of hunger more than in Russia. Nobody knew misery better than Russia, and there, with the cutting cold of General Winter, only dreams give warmth. And Russia suddenly had a burning dream. Russia was extreme. He loved or hated with depth, there was no middle ground. Everything took him to the extreme, as he had done with his political form, and everything that is extreme one day breaks down. And Russia broke down, broke to free himself.
And finally Russia fulfilled his desire to leave the war. So much happiness he gave that he even cried. But then he knew it was to a big price. Without wanting to leave the war, he had to pay a price. And Russia, wanting to leave more than ever, did it. He gave his sisters to Germany. They cried and begged him not to leave them but Russia had no choice. He also lamented that, but vowed to return them to him. He also renounced to Finland, Poland, and the Bastics for happiness of these. All passed into the hands of the young Germany.
Soon, in January 1918, by formalities were the elections of Constituent Assembly where different parties were voted. Russia believed that democracy would speak for itself but he disappointed. The Bolshevik party was in second place and Russia was enraged. People were idiots, he told himself. The Bolsheviks fought for the people and the people voted for the executioners. It was there that Russia realized that Marx was right: after a revolution there must be a strong government, there cannot be elections automatically since people are confused and uneducated. For this, he supported Lenin in the decision to dissolve the assembly. When the Provisional Government ended and the Bolsheviks, the majority, reached power, the royal family was imprisoned in a palace by orders of Russia himself.
And so the revolution that marked the history of humanity forever, the most transcendental of all revolutions triumphed. And Russia, with a serious look, with tears in his eyes, his heart heavy with war, and his red soul burning for the truth, rose like Bolshevik Russia.
But before he self-baptized and said goodbye to his past, everything he knew, he walk through the Winter Palace, observing luxury, remembering the miserable of those who had nothing. And suddenly he looked in the mirror. He had been hypocritical when he didn't defend the Russian people that he existed for them. He had been evil for favoring a few while the majority died in front of him. He remembered his life bitterly. But he wasn't that anymore, all that seemed pointless. And he raised his voice, and swore for the poor, and looked at himself in the mirror again. The White Empire, they told him. But that no longer. He would never be an empire again, that was based on power pyramids, no, he was now another, he was of the people and for the people, he was of the proletariat, he was now the Red Comrade.
And he remembered Peter the Great, and as he had tried to westernize him, but Russia was proud of what he was, and he reminded Moscow, his poor and melancholy Moscow. And he knew what he should do, to erase all image of the tsars, and to honor his identity, and his comrades rose up and shouted: "Vsem, poydem v Moskvu!" * And everyone marched towards Moscow singing as if it were the last day. And Moscow was once again the capital of Russia. And with all this, Russia shook the whole world. Russia moved the foundations of the whole world. Many historians claim that the true 20th century began in 1917, with Russia, and ended in 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union. And that's how it was, with such a revolution that changed everything and marked what would be history for all, Russia marked the twentieth century. Russia was the twentieth century. And there, with his revolution, his strength, his euphoria and his revolutionary frenzy, Russia became a beacon over all. A red beacon of hope for those who wanted a better world for all, strange at the time. Russia was transformed suddenly, in the twentieth century and in the lighthouse of the surrounding world.
-Russian Civil War, the White Guard and the Red Guard:
When communism triumphed for the first time in Russia, he became the beacon and the pioneer of those who wanted the same thing as him.
When the war ended, Russia discovered that apparently everyone saw him as the devil himself coming out of hell. After the abusive Treaty of Versailles, Russia went to see his former allies, but England, seeing him, began to shout and bark insults, with the hair standing on end, trying to push him away and saying that they would take care of him later. Russia was incredulous, but not so much, he knew that an idea like communism attacked everything that they were, imperialists, capitalists, and elitists, that's why he understood why they hated him.
While Russia was trying to carry out communism in his home, he waited for more to be added. Socialism and its branches are not nationalist movements, but on the contrary, a internationalist movements and ideas that not recognize nations but people, for them, Russia waited for communism to triumph in Italy and Germany, where it was very strong. But he felt alone as always, because in Germany the Communists were betrayed by the Social Democrats, and in Italy, the Fascists won over time. And for that, Russia sadly, was alone, but always waiting. What Marx talked about was for countries like Germany or England and Russia had to carry out a communism in his own way, under his own culture.
But he had to wait, since apparently no one liked the idea and they soon invaded him. The White movement was those Russians who wanted to restore the tsars, and were supported by all the powers. Soon, Poland and Lithuania sent their armies to take down Russia. France and England and Japan did it too. And the United States invaded Russia too. To cope with all this, the Red Army, the army of peasants and workers, was forged.
All those who tried to put an end to Russia made the terrible mistake of attacking him in the midst of a revolution. Serious error. The ecstasy and frenzy of struggle and courage in a revolution makes people fear nothing, not to die, and because of that they fought even harder against "whites", Russia was unstoppable. When Russia saw what they were trying to do, he became angry, considering them false and hypocritical.
When so many powers and the White Guard began to stalk and attack him, trying to restore Tsarism, Russia created, to maintain the movement and integrity of the achieved, the Cheka, the political police. The Cheka was what the KGB would be in the future.
What worried everyone at that time was that the whites could rescue the royal family and restore Tsarism at least as a figure. For this reason, the family was detained in Yekaterinburg. In spite of everything, Russia was worried of what would be to the family, so he went to talk to Troski about it. Both agreed to make a trial for Nicholas for his crimes and that of his family towards the Russian people and all the peoples they hurt. Russia intended to make the trial so that everyone would be clear about the bad of the tsars, and with regard to the small children of Tsar, Russia wanted to teach them communism and to be common citizens, as it should be. But none of it came out as he wanted. When the white army had come too close to Yekaterinburg to rescue the royal family, everyone was alarmed. If the family was rescued would be a big blow and symbol for the whites over the red ones, reason why the decision was taken.
On the night of July 17, 1918, the family was shot dead.
Russia found out a few hours later, and in the first seconds he could not assimilate what he was listening to. In general it didn't matter to him because while they had lived as gods families died of hunger or wars, but he could not think the same for the children. And suddenly, he ordered that they take him with the bodies.
When he saw the lifeless body of the children he felt repulsion and pain. Why the children, they didn't understand anything of what was happening, they were innocent of everything. He looked at the body of the Zarévich with pain, but his real suffering was when he saw her, his beautiful Anastasia. He approached her and wept. He took her in his arms while he lamented and caressed her face, softly kissed her dead lips, screamed and lamented for her, the one he loved the most. And he hugged her tightly. When suddenly something was cut. He looked back, without crying now, and again caressed, but different. She must die, he told himself. It was better that she was dead to him, because if not, if his beautiful Anastasia lived, he would always be tied to his Tsarist past. If she lived, something in him would always love of all that, and that's why, for him, suddenly, it was better that way. He took her body, and ordered that all the bodies be hidden. Russia would not allow anyone to destroy his revolution.
Neither Poland, which was the most confronted, generating the Russian-Polish war, nor Lithuania, nor any army financed by powerful could stop Russia and her sisters who came back to him and supported him. Russia, with euphoria and pain, would defend their revolution or prefer to die. And nobody could face him, his whole soul had a dream, an internationalist dream for all, and soon, the Red Guard defeated the White Movement, and with a cry of pain and relief, the revolution of the people, the communists won. And loudly, with his voice that resounded in the surrounding world, Russia shouted: "Proletarii vsekh stran ob" yedinyayutsya! "* And when he said it, the world dawned red. The Red Guard, the Army of workers and the soviets in the factories won the war and all Russia sang.
-Changes in Russian society after the revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union:
So, with the crash of artillery, in the dark, with hatred, and fear, and reckless daring, new Russia was being born.
—John Reed
The whole world looked at Russia, either with fear or admiration, because he had achieved what many had dreamed and died without seeing it. He had achieved a revolution that changed the concepts of society completely. And only Russia, because he was the perfect one for that. And when communism triumphed and he became the Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of Russia, everyone came out to sing, had dawned in Russia after many centuries.
And Russia came out among people to sing too. And he attracted those who didn't sing yet, and they sang, and he walked along with the children, and all sang to the world, which watched them stunned, the International.
And Russia, with his strong tenor voice sang:
Get up, the whole world of hungry and slaves!
They all followed him in singing.
We are ours, we will build a new world.
Who was nothing, today will be everything!
The Russians sang and sang, as if calling for everyone to join, and the other countries listened either hatefully or with tears of happiness.
Russia sang for him and for them:
With the International
The human race will rise.
Nobody will give us redemption:
Neither god, nor king, nor hero
We will achieve the liberation
With our own hand.
And the International, became his anthem and the anthem of the Soviet Union until 1944, because Russia, as a communist now, believed in Internationalism, he would wait until everyone became one, and therefore the international was his most important song.
Russia waited for socialism to triumph in Europe, but instead, fascism emerged, and he was horrified.
Even so, Russia had to attend too many political and social issues, everything was just beginning.
The history of Russia between 1922 and 1991 is essentially the history of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or, more briefly, the Soviet Union. This nation united by ideology, established in 1922 by the leaders of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, roughly superimposed territorially with the former Russian Empire. At that time, the new state was constituted by four republics: the Soviet Socialist Federative Republic of Russia, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR and the Transcaucasia Soviet Socialist Federal Republic (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan).
The Constitution of the Soviet Union of 1924 established a federal system of government based on a succession of soviets located in towns, factories and cities in the larger regions. These soviets in each integral republic culminated in the Congress of the Soviets of the Soviet Union.
As the Russian economy was transformed, the social life of the people underwent equally drastic changes. From the beginning of the revolution, the government tried to weaken the patriarchal domination of the family. The divorce would not require more judicial intervention, and to completely free women from the responsibilities of motherhood, abortion was legalized as early as 1920. As a side effect, the emancipation of women increased the labor force. Girls were encouraged to secure an education and build a career in the factory or office. Community nurseries were set up for the care of young children and efforts were made to change the center of people's social life from home to the educational and recreational groups, the Soviet clubs.
In the revolution many women participated, and Russia supported them in their feminist struggle as well, which was part of communism. Kommunistka was an important Soviet feminist magazine that was published until 1930, when Stalin banned it. Great women of the Russian revolution were Inessa Armand and Alexandra Kollontai, among many others, such as working women, etc.
The regime abandoned the Tsarist policy of discrimination against national minorities in favor of a policy of integrating the more than two hundred minority groups into Soviet life in Russia, since he had always wanted to recognize that there were Slavs, Tatars, and others in it ethnicities. Another feature of the regime was the extension of health services. Campaigns against typhus, cholera and malaria were promoted; the number of doctors increased as fast as infrastructures and training could allow; and the infant mortality rate decreased rapidly while life expectancy rose with equal speed.
Contrary to what many people think, the Bolsheviks and the Soviets decriminalized sodomy, that is, homosexual masculinity, being in Russia the first place in modern history to accept homosexuality. This then had a setback with Stalin.
The government also promoted atheism, which formed the basis of theoretical Marxism. It opposed organized religions, especially with the aim of breaking the power of the Russian Orthodox Church, an old pillar of the old regime and a great barrier to social change. Many religious leaders were sent to internal exile camps. Party members were prohibited from attending religious services. The educational system was immediately separated from the Church. Religious education was prohibited and emphasis was placed on atheistic instruction in schools.
Russia fought and tried to appease the Church, which is considered an institution of domination. He remembered his religious past and assumed all his evil to that, the Third Rome he was, but no longer. Russia entered the churches and transformed them into bakeries or workshops. He disliked the idea of a celestial dictator. "If you can justify a king in heaven, you can justify thousands on earth", Russia knew. And he held a dramatic conversation with a figure of Jesus, until he came to the conclusion that, if there really was a god, and if he came down to earth in front of him, Russia would spit in his face. That was his verdict.
Religion was forbidden, because, in the words of John Reed. "I suddenly realized that the devout Russian people no longer needed priests to pray to them. On earth they were building a kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer, and for which it was a glory to die ... "
That is how Russia started his journey as no one had ever done before. And everyone hated him to death for doing what he did. Communist, feminist and atheist, it was too much for the time, but he didnt care. He would do what was clearly there that was best for the people and for a society. Russia became the role model of many and the greatest threat of others. And Russia determined the course of history from that moment on, and did so at will.
During the revolution, Russia not only revolutionized society in the social and economic political arena, empowering the people and eliminating private property, as well as the bourgeoisie, not only revolutionized the role of women in society and that of non-Slavic peoples in it, but also revolutionized art. During the 1920s, art flourished as never before in Russia. He revolutionized ballet forever, dances, music, both classical and folk, and revolutionized cinema. Before him, the cinema talked about fantastic, epic, or romantic stories, but he gave it a personal approach. Russia created the political cinema, also known the genre as social realism, with his masterpiece the film Battleship Potemkin.
Russia revolutionized everything, including the calendar, establishing the Revolutionary Calendar, he revolutionized absolutely everything, and that is why he will never forgive, never. But soon Russia would say goodbye to the perfection of those days, when sometime after the death of his beloved Lenin, in 1924, a strange named Stalin came to him.
-The fight for Russia, Troski, Stalinism and the Great Purges:
When Lenin had retired from politics, and died, in his will he made it clear that he wanted Troski to be his successor and to be careful with Stalin.
Russia always had it in mind. He wanted Troski to succeed Lenin, but apparently it was not so easy. Stalin didn't like him and Russia felt an enormous reluctance to him. Troski was an intellectual and a true revolutionary, while Stalin... Russia felt that he only wanted power. Stalin came to power by allying himself with different parties and betraying them, destroying them inside, and it was there when Russia saw his true self. Another thing he didn't like about Stalin was his vision of socialism. Socialism and its variants is an internationalist political-economic and socialist thought, but Stalin wanted to take it to nationalism. That Russia didn't like anything.
The years between 1929 and 1939 were a turbulent decade in Russian history, a period of massive industrialization and internal strife when Iósif Stalin established almost total control over Russian society, boasting an unrestricted power unknown even to the most ambitious tsars.
After the death of Lenin in 1924, Stalin fought with other rival factions of the Politburo, especially Leon Troski, for the leadership of the Soviet Union. In 1928, with the Trotskyists exiled or expelled from power, Stalin was able to implement a radical program of industrialization.
Russia supported the Bolsheviks, his old comrades, and he supported Troski until the end. His heart was still naive and he really didn't believe that someone like Stalin came to power and that the Russian people would allow it. But it happened, and his soul fell to the ground. Without even assimilating it, Stalin was already in power.
While in the capitalist countries the factories and mines were inactive or functioning below their peak performance during the Great Depression and millions of workers went on strike, the Soviet people worked six hours a day, six days a week in a strenuous attempt to revolutionize the economic structure of Russia.
Russia, under certain parameters the poorest nation in Europe at the time of the Bolshevik revolution, industrialized now at an unprecedented rate, surpassing long the German industrialization of the nineteenth century and that of Japan in the early twentieth. The Soviet authorities declared in 1932 an increase in industrial production by 334 percent with respect to 1914, and in 1937 a growth of 180 percent by 1932. Moreover, the survival of the USSR in the face of the imminent Nazi attack was possible in part thanks to the production capacity obtained with this industrialization. And despite of all that, Russia was very badly.
Stalin was strengthening his personal power. The secret police gathered thousands of Soviet citizens for their execution. Of the six original members of the 1920 Politburo who survived Lenin, all were purged by Stalin. The old Bolsheviks who had been Lenin's loyal comrades, high officers of the Red Army, and directors of industry were liquidated in the Great Purges. Russia was tortured, and Stalin enjoyed it. He broke him to the point that Russia was submissive to him, and his revolution died ... but Russia never forgot, between tears, pain and blood.
The Great Purges were called to the thousands of Russians faithful to true communism and to the Bolsheviks, who were killed by Stalinism. On Moscow nights, thousands of bodies were burned and the air smelled of burned flesh. Russia wanted Stalin's death from that moment.
The Stalinist repression led to the creation of an enormous system of internal exile, of dimensions considerably greater than those disposed in the past by the tsars. Draconian sanctions were put into effect and many citizens were prosecuted for fictitious crimes of sabotage and espionage. The work done by the prisoners in the work fields of the Gulag system became an important part of the industrialization effort, especially in Siberia. Maybe some 14 million people would have gone through the Gulag.
Russia felt that the world was gray again and colorless. Secretly, he hated Stalin and wishes to kill him with his own hands. He never forgave him as he betrayed Communism and the Bolsheviks and how he murdered them, but there were many other things that Russia hated about Stalin.
His new leader was glorified as a god. He used a personalist policy that Russia hated. Marx himself condemned personalism, but Stalin seemed less and less communist to him, no, he wasn't, Russia had said at that time. Stalin only used the communist image as a convenience and betrayed them all, when he agreed with the West. When Russia became Bolshevik Russia and Soviet Russia, they all hated him and considered him lost. But someone had been able to capture him. Stalin betrayed the revolution when he dragged Russia to sign agreements with imperialist and capitalist countries such as England and France. When Russia did that he wanted to break all and cry of impotence. He had betrayed himself. And more he hated Stalin. And the most obvious proof that Stalin betrayed the revolution and the true communists was when he sent Russia to help Spain in his civil war, but in reality his mission was to sabotage him so that the fascists won. The communists and socialists didn't win the Spanish Civil War because of the Stalinists, because none of that suited the new ally of Russia, England, because if the left won in Spain, France, also leftist at that time would ally with him. And for that, they used Russia to sabotage Spain. He never forgave himself. He cried and put his head in the snow to forget everything. Neither vodka could calm his guilt. Russia's only consolation knew that one day Stalin would die, and when he did he could continue with his life and his communism.
Stalin called all those who didn't agree with him as "enemies of the people". He said that they wanted to restore the old order, and for that, "the enemies of the people" had linked themselves with the forces of international reaction. As a result, hundreds of thousands of honest people perished. Everyone lived with fear in those days. Everyone thought that at any moment they would knock on the door in the middle of the night and that this blow would be fatal ... The people who did not like Stalin were annihilated, honest members of the party, impeccable people, loyal workers and in favor of our cause they had gone through the school of revolutionary struggle under the leadership of Lenin. This was an absolute and complete arbitrariness. And now all this must be forgiven and forgotten? Never! Said the future Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
-Second World War:
While Russia was under Stalin's personalist dictator, Germany was under Hitler. Although unlike Germany, Russia hated his leader. Germany still not. Discouraged and saddened by his situation, Russia would soon be involved in a large-scale event that would change the course of everything again, and without Russia's knowledge, would put him on top of the world.
Russia was worried about what the fascist Germany and his allies did, and unfortunately for him he was allied with England and France, Russia was on his side. Russia saw very little difference between fascism and countries like England or his American son, but he had to be with them on the orders of his horrible leader.
Even so, Russia, with much disgust, signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany in 1939. Even so, something in Germany make him fell bad feeling about him and Russia didn't trust him a bit. When Germany invaded Poland by initiating the war, Russia also invaded Poland, invading Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and a part of Poland, remaining in contradiction with his Western allies. On the other hand, Russia also invaded Finland, an ally of Germany.
Everything was completely defined when, suddenly, Germany invaded him and began attacking him. Even though Russia was aware that Germany was not to be trusted, he never imagined that he would. He, innocently, really believed that Germany would keep his promise. And as had happened in the Napoleonic Wars, history repeated itself. And there he was, invading him, attacking him. Everything was repeated, Russia knew.
Now he was definitely allied with England, France and the United States, and China, with whom Russia felt a rather strong attraction.
The Soviet Union, with his best generals and officers eliminated during the Great Purge, with a deficient war machine, and with an inoperative Stalin on which all orders depended on the front, suffered a collapse in front of the Wehrmacht troops. The Soviet disaster was immense: in five months, the Soviets had suffered more than 4 million military casualties, and the Germans were at the gates of Moscow and besieging Leningrad (name of St. Petersburg during the Soviet Union), and Russia, emaciated, wounded, deranged and demoralized, he would face Germany, he was his rival in the war, nobody else.
When the United States entered the war, Russia was upset. He little tolerated the American, considering him idiotic and uneducated as well as annoying and could not support his leadership. In fact, it was Russia who always questioned his authority, and without knowing it, both planted their future rivalry.
When Germany invaded and entered him, Russia observed him for a long time, and in a certain way understood him. Germany made the great mistake of invading Russia, and staying in winter. When Germany seemed to have the full front in the war, Russia called General Winter, his loyal servant, and one of the bloodiest and most inhuman battles of the 20th century took place, Stalingrad.
-Battle de Stalingrad, the battle that decided the course of the war:
In the snow, in the cold of Russia, Germany sought and fought against the forces of the Red Army, believing defeat them, but what happened in that battle, was nothing more than the condemnation of thousands of people, and it was when Russia looked at the eyes to Germany, and they knew that they were more similar than they thought. And both suffered like no one. In the snow, all white, they found themselves. Germany was abandoned by his superiors and he had to remain with his to perish, and Russia, by orders of Stalin, could not go back, and was also condemned. Germany made atrocities to the Russians, and Russia, the Great Russian bear confronted him. He looked into his eyes, and they faced each other. Blood stained the snow and bodies were embraced by it. Russia felt sorry for the German, who was condemned. He even understood him. He remembered the abusive treaty of Versailles and understood the rancor of Germany. Tears slipped from the eyes of Russia to see that horrible situation in which they had seen so many times. And tears escaped through Germany's eyes too. In the small truces from time to time they spoke, Russia sang and Germany accompanied him. Sad songs caressed the air of Stalingrad, a mutilated city. And nothing would calm the pain in their hearts. As if dancing in the snow, body to body decided fate, and Germany perished, and that was his downfall.
During the Battle of Stalingrad stands out the Russian hero and sniper, Vasili Záitsev, also known as Nievi.
The situation took a drastic turn after the Battle of Stalingrad, where the Soviet victory prevented the Germans from seizing the oil wells of the Caucasus.
And soon, with pain and the smell of death, Russia was at the front of the war. As he was pushed by the strong wind of General Winter, he devastated the German forces and liberated his sister Belarus and the Baltic's, putting them under his power.
In 1945, the Soviets had already advanced through Eastern Europe and Russia had in mind to recover Poland from Germany. When Prussia, Austria and Germany already knew of their imminent defeat, and they knew that Russia would arrive soon, Russia advanced like never on Poland and rescued him. Poland felt a bittersweet happiness, because he knew that now he should be accountable to Russia.
And soon, the imminent thing would happen. While in the Pacific and in the air the United States fought with Japan, and while England and France tried in vain to end the western front, Russia was unstoppable. Germany, anguished and desperate, did his best to resist. Until finally, in March 1945, the Russians arrived at the gates of Berlin. Everything was shaken; Germany was up to his leader, who had committed suicide. Everyone went out or hid, their eyes rested there, everyone's heart stopped for a moment, the Soviet Union had arrived.
Germany came out to defend himself, for him everything was dark, and there were shouts in the distance, he looked for his brother Prussia, but suddenly he didn't find him anymore, and suddenly, someone took him from behind and put a tube in his neck, and trailed a boyish but manly well-known voice that whispered in his ear in the most dismal way: "Privet, Germaniya" * and for Germany everything was over, the war in Europe was over. On Berlin the Soviet flag was raised.
When he beat Germany, he declared war on Japan and went to help his Chinese partner. Although China didn't show it, he felt grateful.
The Russians entered Berlin and occupied the entire eastern area. When Germany was defeated, England and France soon occupied it, and the American forces too. In the first days, as was the custom, Russia mistreated and outraged the German, and made him listen to his hymn by force. He wounded him and made him cry, until suddenly, the United States beat Russia and demanded Germany. Russia didn't feel that the United States had authority over him, and because of that, he always looked at him from above and ignored his orders.
When the United States beat Japan with the Atomic Bombs, Russia didn't feel scared, but he did consider the United States total dangerous.
The United States had triumphed over Japan and was suddenly extremely powerful and influential. That Russia didn't like this anything. But Russia had the merit of having defeated Germany, and was as strong as or stronger than the son of England. By the time the war ended leaving Europe destroyed, the United States and Russia were already throwing unfriendly looks.
-Cold War, the bipolar world:
Europe was dismembered and wounded, Germany under the hands of different countries, half of Europe was under the Soviets and the other half under the power of the United States.
The Cold War began as such when disputes arose between Harry Truman and Stalin over the future of Eastern Europe. The United States wanted to have power over everything and Russia was in the middle of his path, and not only that, but Russia was something that everyone, from the first moment they hated, he was a communist. Russia intended to annex the Baltic's to him, which he did, and practically, as they were indebted to him, most of the eastern states became communists and allies to him. This bothered the West and the United States considerably. Ideological, social and political tensions began to exist between them, but the real tension was because both were powerful, very powerful, and both wanted to impose their will.
Soon the UN was created, which replaced the useless League of Nations, and then the European Union emerged. When the Marshall Plan was proposed, the United States' plan to rebuild Europe under his interests, the one that completely opposed was Russia, because he saw the true intention of the United States. When the United States saw that obviously Russia would be a real obstacle for him, he created NATO. Faced with such a semi-provocative act, Russia went to talk to Poland. As Poland was indebted to him, he agreed to sign a mutual military agreement with him and the other Communist states of Eastern Europe and the Warsaw Pact arose before the eyes of the West.
Europe was polarized and ideologically divided as politically, and this polarization would soon take place in the global sphere, which would mold everyone and make the world chess of power between two powers in dispute.
Tension in the whole world arose when, unexpectedly, in 1949, communism arose in China. Now the polarization was coming from Europe to Asia in an instant. Communism had reached Asia.
When China emerged in communism with his revolution and his new leader, Mao, Russia erupted with joy. He had always felt an unmistakable attraction for China and that in the coincidences of the universe he became a communist was like a gift. Communism was internationalist and Russia had always waited for many to join, but soon he would discover that it would play against him.
Before, in communism Russia was somewhat alone. And since he was alone without wanted it, he transformed the communist party into a dogma and everything was done as he said and the communist countries of Eastern Europe followed his rules, but now he was not alone anymore. Now China was a communist and his communism was as China said, not as the Soviet Union said it must be. This caused tensions to occur between them and their leaders, Stalin and Mao, when they came together to celebrate.
Russia brusquely kissed China, welcoming him, but China didn't see him as his boss but as his communist comrade, and wouldn't follow his orders. This bothered Russia.
In addition to these tensions, the leader of China didn't like Stalin too muhc. Russia understood him, he hated Stalin too. Russia spent time with China, teaching his culture and art, showing him how he skated majestically on the ice and China watched him. Russia had always felt an identity crisis, whether he was European or Asian. His culture was European and he was born in Europe, but his culture was the most Asian of Europeans and a large part of him was in Asia. In addition, Europeans had never treated him as such completely. But suddenly, China took his face in his hands and looked at him, with tears in his eyes. Russia was neither European nor Asian, and he was both at the same time. His culture was a middle point that made him unique like few others. And China finally could understand Russia.
As much as there was a progressive approach between him and China, there was always something that divided them and that was because not only China followed what he wanted and doubted the authority of Russia but soon, they began to discuss which the best communism was. China called Russia a revisionist and Russia got offended. China didn't want to pardon capitalist imperialist Westerners while Russia was a little more flexible with them because of Stalin who had agreed with the West. And soon, the Sino-Soviet rupture occurred, where their courtship ended. From that moment they became rivals, although friendly.
That China emerged in communism alerted and annoyed the United States, who soon got in to put his influence there.
When Russia foresaw what would be the future from then on, he tried to make all his allies and members of the Soviet Union feel united. "The Soviet Union is all of us", Russia told them, and he took them by the hand. But Russia could never win the Baltic's, Hungary, or Poland's hearts completely. The answer was simple: they had all hated him in the past and they had tried to kill him, and now that he forgave them, it bothered them. All of them were ultra Catholic and conservative countries, so the radical change to communism didn't went well with them. All this would bring problems to Russia. Meanwhile, the Russian bear was already beginning to compete with the "capitalist pig".
-The proxy Wars: these wars are a type of war that occurs when two or more powers use third parties as substitutes, instead of facing directly. This style was widely used during the Cold War and examples of this type of war were the Korean War and the Vietnam
When after the Japanese occupation (Japan now an ally of the United States), Korea was divided for ideological reasons, being the north influenced by communism and the south by capitalism, the cruel Korean War was soon unleashed, where both the United States like Russia they got a hand. Both used the little brothers to fight against each other, if won the communist north, Russia had a point in his favor, and if it was the other way around, the United States had it. It was cruel on both sides. The North remained for life under the tutelage of China and Russia while the South under the tutelage of the United States, making that remote place the most one of the most tense in the world.
When the cruel Vietnam War broke out, Russia tried to help her and make her his ally, but the United States got involved as always. This was a proxy war, but one that personally affected the American and made Russia observed everything from the outside. Russia liked Vietnam a little, and would not let the United States take her away from him. And didn't do it. The United States, demoralized and wounded and ashamed of himself, returned to his home, where he had to attend to important matters.
This kind of proxy wars was very common in history and more in the cold war.
-The Cuban Revolution, the Berlin Wall, the Missile Crisis and Nikita Khrushchev:
When Stalin died in 1953, Russia went to his funeral with tears, but in reality, he could not be happier. It was a year of rejoicing for him deep in his heart.
During the struggle for power that took place after Stalin's death, his closest collaborators were defeated. Nikita Khrushchev strengthened his position in a speech before the XX Congress of the Communist Party detailing the atrocities of Stalin and attacking him for promoting a cult of his personality, something that communism does not allow. As the details of the speech became public, Khrushchev accelerated the implementation of a broad package of reforms. Diminishing the emphasis of its predecessor for heavy industry increased the production of consumer goods and real estate, in addition to stimulating agricultural production. The new policies improved living conditions. The intellectuals had bigger freedom of expression during the thaw of Khrushchev than during the Stalinist period. Russia was vigorous.
Russia felt that he had the lead, half of Europe was communist, in Asia communism arose as never before, and therefore the world situation could soon be tenser than ever. When the United States suddenly came forward asking him to abandon his occupation in Germany, Russia knew what to do. Russia gave a blow that hurt and annoyed everyone. He turned the old and dead Prussia into a German socialist state, East Germany. This gave a low blow to everyone and Russia smiled, he was moving forward. And soon, communism would go even further.
In 1959, the Cuban Revolution occurred. Russia slept peacefully when the news was given to him, and he could not believe it. Communism had triumphed at the doors of the United States, in his own backyard. And Russia at this, burst out laughing. Like a slit, he and his boss went to visit Cuba as soon as possible, before the rabid eyes of the United States. Russia congratulated and praised Cuba, and admitted that Cuba was carrying the flame of the revolution, one that he had carried but had become extinct. Russia became very close to Cuba and vowed to protect him.
When the tension became unbearable, Russia and East Germany raised a wall, the Berlin Wall, which sadly became the ultimate symbol of the Cold War.
The Cold War was a very stressful period for everyone, especially for the countries of the second world. The first world was the two powers, the United States and Russia, the second world the respective allies of these, and the third world, the neutral countries.
In 1962, there was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which alerted the entire world, where everyone had their hair standing on end, and where Russia and the United States, with Cuba in between, almost led the world to another war. Luckily, none of that happened, and everyone relaxed.
When President Kennedy was assassinated, president which Russia felt a bit of respect, he went to give his condolences to the United States, although Russia was half joking with him.
Russia had a rivalry with China over which communism was better, had an unhealthy enmity with the United States, and had many subordinates, but few were his friends. In reality, few sought his friendship. Russia believed that Lithuania was his best friend but that feeling was not reciprocated at all. Ironically his only true friend was East Germany, who was once Prussia. By ironies of destiny, and cruelties of fate, both from their own side of the wall and the Iron Curtain, they forged a strange but strong friendship, and Russia would miss him forever.
As much as the United States called himself a hero, the real hero was Russia in many aspects, especially in 1983. On September 26, 1983 (still 25 in the United States, since Russia uses the Julian calendar not the Gregorian), the Russian Stanislav Petrov avoided what could have been a world catastrophe when the so-called Incident of the autumn equinox occurred, which would place the world a few seconds away from the atomic apocalypse. At 00.14 a Soviet satellite gave the alarm: a US intercontinental ballistic missile would have been launched from the base of Malmstrom (Montana, United States) and in 20 minutes it would reach the Soviet Union. Stanislav Petrov was in charge of the bunker Sérpujov-15, the command center of the Soviet military intelligence from where the Russian aerospace defense was coordinated. Its mission was to verify and warn of any attack on its superiors, which would begin the process to counterattack the United States with nuclear weapons.
In principle, Petrov thought that it must be an error, because it would not make sense for the Americans to attack with a single missile. Later computers indicated that four more missiles were heading towards the USSR.
Petrov was well aware of the peculiarities of the Russian early warning satellite system and believed that it could be wrong, so he considered again that they were very few missiles, only five, when the United States had thousands. He decided to wait and it was discovered that it was a false alarm caused by a rare astronomical conjunction between the Earth, the Sun and the specific position of the satellite. That was the day where, effectively, Russia saved the world.
The cold war was an arms race between powers, where you should join as teams and if not, you didn't play. It was an ideological shook too, was a war dance for the hegemonic world power, and it was a world divided into different positions. In a certain part of him, Russia loved those times, but then he would remember them horribly.
This was the era of spies, red buttons, red phones, it was the time of the Red Terror, and the time when being a communist was synonymous with being Lucifer or being a hero. Era of revolutions and missiles, it was the time when the competition on earth was too small for them, and they had to go to space to continue it. Russia was the first of all to go into space, and it felt great. Surely his ancestors were proud of him, and he saw from the sky as if from his home, East Germany greeted him. Yes, they were bittersweet and hard times. But as it was said before, Russia committed the most unforgivable act in the world: His revolution was something for others, unforgivable. They would never forgive him, and soon Russia would know his destiny is to climb to the top, only to be frustrated again.
-Fall of the Berlin Wall, at the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union:
Soon it was not very sustainable for Russia to keep his allies. Poland, Hungary and the Baltic's had always hated him and now they could not stand it anymore. Soon, they broke the Iron Curtain and escaped. Russia was hurt, he was always alone. But what hurt him the most was when he left. When East Germany had to leave him to join with his returned brother, Russia officially knew that his end was approaching. Realistically he knew. When the Berlin Wall was broken in 1989, Russia knew that everything was lost. Even so, East Germany wanted to return to him, asked him not to surrender. But Russia was already broken. Russia felt enormous pain and loneliness. He remembered his past and wondered if everything was in vain, but he refused, he refused completely. If he was going to fall, he would fight until the end. And he looked for the last time at his German socialist friend, whom he would never see again. But Russia would fight until everything was over.
-The Fall of the Soviet Union:
Why the Soviet Union fell, and why fate was so hard with Russia, it had to do with many reasons and one in particular. By the 1980s, the United States, which was not very lucid but possessed an instinctive intelligence, knew that if he put pressure on Russia in the arms race, that if it accelerated he would make him spend more than Russia could afford. In addition, the United States began to support countries that wanted to leave communism, which meant that by the end of the 1980s, Poland, Hungary and others broke the Iron Curtain and left Russia. All this did not sit well with Russia, but the coup de grace, the one that made it see his destiny, was the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was symbolic in every way.
Russia had too much military spending and unnecessary losses and made their situation worse. But what really destroyed the Soviet Union, what made it fall, was something from within. In 1985, a certain Gorbachev came to Russia, that what he did, whether on purpose or not, was to start implementing capitalism in Russia, and this did not sit well. From the moment Russia met him and knew what he was doing, Russia considered him a revisionist, but he still did not know what would happen. Introducing capitalism from within was not good and the situation worsened. From the outside, the United States and his allies were expectant, he knew what would happen and they had everything prepared for Russia.
To give the final touch, Gorbachev and his support nationalism, both Russian and others, and this fractured the Soviet Union. The United States also supported the nationalists to break the Soviet Union. When Russia was aware of that entire he became desperate and stopped obeying his leaders and began to make desperate acts of survival. To calm Russia, a referendum was held for all citizens of the Soviet Union and they were asked whether or not they wanted the Soviet Union to continue. Demonstrating what Russia felt, the Yes won for the Soviet Union with 74.6% of the vote. And still, seeing what the people wanted, the plan to destroy the Soviet Union continued. The spontaneous smile of Russia disappeared and again almost died of a heart attack when he knew that everything continued. When it was voted for the same thing but with the leaders of the different Soviet nations, Ukraine betrayed her brother by voting for the dissolution, Russia looked at her with a heart destroyed and she could not face him. Belarus vowed to continue with the Soviet Union, and Russia was pleased with his faithful younger sister.
However, everything continued, and in 1991, when the New Union Treaty was going to be signed where the Soviet Union ended, Russia completely refused, and the Coup d'état attempt arose. This coup attempt was made in August 1991 by the Communist Party, the Red Army and the KGB, supported by the Russians and Russia, who tried to stop the Soviet collapse and stop Gorbachev who was selling Russia to capitalism. Russia believed that now everything would turn as before, but he did not know that if defeat was already signed. The blow only lasted three days and could not occur. When Russia realized, him and his comrades, the Soviet Union had fallen.
It did not exist anymore. The twentieth century really ended in 1991, historians say, with the fall of the Soviet Union. And Russia did not have time to cry. At first he did not understand. His soul escaped with a sigh and his heart shattered in a second.
-The Dark Years, Russia after the Soviet Union:
When the Soviet Union fell, the whole world of Russia broke up with him. What little remained of him was torn when his sisters had to leave him. When he could assimilate it, he refused to believe it. He fought, foraged and insulted and wanted to rebel, he would never accept such a cruel reality. When the Soviet Union fell, Russia, with his soul on the ground said: ""Mne prisnilsya son, no eta mechta byla ubita"*" And Russia fought against the mere idea, but everything went dark when the United States came up to him suddenly and it hit the stomach until it was incessant. Yes, everything was definitely over.
When he woke up, everyone was around him, with strange looks and smiles, even his former Baltic comrades, and next to him was his life rival, the United States, who seemed to be overjoyed to see him like that. Unable to resist, he let them grab him and take him to a table. When Russia, impotent, looked at it, he saw that there was a line of white powder in it, and, surprised, he looked at his captors, who seemed to be in a celebration. When he understood what was and what was happening, he wanted to cry but could not. The American, he took it from the newer and encouraged him to do so, while he said: "Welcome, to capitalism." * Russia fell into a dark pit that had him trapped for a long time, after his days as a Soviet.
When the Soviet Union fell, not only fell the only obstacle of capitalism and the United States to do what he wanted, but this one, he gave a special gift to Russia. The United States had planned it and with great pleasure, he presented Russia for the first time to Neoliberalism, the monster that devours everything, and it was thrown on him. Luckily Russia lived after that. During the 1990s, after the Soviet Union, Russia experienced his worst crisis in life. The capitalist reforms immediately devastated the quality of life of the vast majority of the population, especially in those sectors benefiting from the controlled wages and prices, subsidies and the welfare state of the communist era. Russia suffered in the nineties a more severe economic recession than the Great Depression that hit the United States or Germany in the early 1930s. Capitalism consolidated a semi-criminal upper class. For the first time, the United States, with the help of these new criminals, introduced drugs to Russia, increasing his consumption and criminality in the 1990s. And poor Russia was abused anyway by its new "allies". He was no longer a power; his opinions did not matter and only served to buy drugs and had to say yes to everything they said.
Russia, plunged into a dangerous depression, tried to commit suicide many times, locked himself up and hid his communist flags, photos and things so that they would not be taken away. He cried indefinitely and was outraged when television began to play soap operas and pornography, something that did not happen before in dreams.
Every time Russia had to pass near a statue of Lenin, he would cover his eyes so as not to decay further. Taking all the authority of the world, the United States ordered the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to privatize and bring the greatest poverty to Russia. The international mafias and the United States denigrated Russia in the worst way so that she would never rise up against them again in her life. Definitely that was the consequence of having done something like what Russia was capable of doing. Russia surrendered and in total depression returned to Vodka as never before and let himself be, never return to anything and no longer cared about that gray world. Neoliberalism devoured Russia but there was a moment when its ordeal ended, and the sun shone again on Russia.
-Actuality:
Russia was lying lifeless, completely devastated and with his only pleasure, imagined a thousand ways to kill Gorbachev. For him, the world hated him, he had always hated him, and now it beat him to exhaustion. But what he would never expect was that he would have another chance to get up. After the financial crisis of 1998 Yeltsin was in the twilight of his career. Only a few minutes before the first day of 2000, he resigned by surprise leaving the government in the hands of his prime minister, Vladimir Putin, a former KGB official and member of the Communist Party. When Russia saw Putin as his new president in reality, so beaten up, he didn't know what it meant, but it would not take long to do so. President Vladimir Putin took Russia out of the crisis and strengthened he as never before in those dark years. He protected his interests for the first time since the Soviet Fall and nationalized Russian oil and currency. By the time this happened, neoliberalism was slowed down and Russia rose again. With tears of happiness and pain, the warm sun kissed Russia's face again. And besides, since he was still not strong enough, he was allied with the next world power, China. Going back to China, and being his partner and ally, Russia was filled with a happiness that he never thought he would feel again.
While Russia had not been present, the United States and his allies had assassinated Yugoslavia, invaded Iraq and done many other things to which Russia would have opposed. But now, Russia was allied with China and under his orders, he was strong again, and with a very definite position. Russia would not forgive anything they did to him, and he would be the same Russia again. When NATO wanted to return his claws to the Middle East, someone put himself in the middle, and everyone opened their eyes. The United States erupted in rage. Russia was a power again, for horrors of all, Russia was Russia again. The United States had believed to beat him forever, but apparently his rival would always be there. This annoyed everyone, mostly to England and the United States and to Israel, since Russia, began to support Palestine, and to defend Syria from all of them. Russia, along with China, began to take a policy of his own, supporting new powers, allying himself with left leaning countries, and creating the Eurasian Union to counter the European Union, and reuniting with his former Soviet comrades, like Armenia, Kazakhstan, his sister Belarus, etc. Moscow's desire to maintain his influence by creating a Euro-Asian Union in the ex-Soviet space has logic in economic and security terms. With or without reasons, Russia feels surrounded by the West, threatened in his borders and interests. An economy and a backward demography are the biggest impediments to the projection of his power.
By the time everyone looks at the bright, sad eyes of Russia again, look at the marks left when they trapped him when the Soviet Union occurred, they feared some revenge, but Russia only said: "Ya snova v igre, suki." * And everyone knew that the game started again.
During his painful restoration after the nineties, Russia, without ever overcoming the fall of the Soviet Union, together with many delegates asked Gorbachev to be prosecuted for treason. Russia hated him and would never forgive him anything, just as he would never overcome the fall, never in his life would he.
But Russia really got into the game, he really came back to his fights with the United States and with the EU, when he realized that they would never forgive him for getting in his way, and they got involved with his sister, Ukraine.
-Crisis of Ukraine and Crimea 2014, and Russia intervention in Syria, the memory of cold war:
The fact that Russia was recovering, becoming a power again, defending his national interests, defending certain countries and his alliance with China bothered the whole West. And more to the United States and his father. And because of that, they started their move in a place where hurt Russia, where it really hurt, his sister Ukraine, the weaker of the two.
"History does repeat itself, and it has rhyme.". Western countries threatened with sanctions against Moscow. The international press has recovered a language of cold war.
The United States and the European Union began to fund protests against the president of Ukraine, and began to raise extreme anti-Russian and Far-right parties. Before his eyes, Russia saw how the United States manipulated his sister and told her lies of any kind. It finally happened, and in Ukraine raised a pro-American neoliberal right-winger government with intentions against Russia and with its eyes on Crimea. His beautiful and beloved sister now seemed to hate him.
His sister suddenly wanted Crimea and hated Russia. The de facto government of Ukraine intended to seize Crimea, but the population of that place was Russian and pro-Russian. Ukraine's ultra-rightists threatened to send "friendly forces" to quell any opposition to Ukraine and the West. Russia, seeing this, went to the aid of Crimea which was judged by his controlled sister and the West.
The conflict was a memory of cold war and horrible for Russia, with whom he was at odds was with his sister. From that day Russia swore not to forgive the United States, for having used and put his sister against him for his own benefits. Crimea was a strategic and rich place that everyone wanted, and everything that happened there was to stay with the place. But Russia annexed it, after a referendum that allowed him to do so.
And so is the destiny of Russia, thinking of his sister and their broken relationship, her other sister and her convenient fidelity to him. Thinking on China and his play, in the United States and his new leader, with soviet nostalgia, thinking and lamenting for his destiny. He, the country of frustration. His ambiguous stance on North Korea, his strong friendship with Iran and his help to Syria makes him take sanctions from time to time, but he doesn't regret it.
Russia wonders, after going through a transforming revolution, why the world is like this? with inequality, extreme nationalism, intolerance and sexism, so much suffering, and his answer is always the same: because people allow it. They believe in it, but deep down, as he walks towards his next destination, Russia continues to believe, in the hidden part of his heart, that the hope is always in the proletarians.
Russian phrases:
-Feel the Slavic steel.
-Everybody, let's to Moscow.
-Proletarians of all countries, unite!
-Hello, Germany
-I had a dream, but that dream was killed.
-I'm back in the game, bitches.
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Sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter, but I did not have time, with many things, and New Year, I did not have time for anything. Furthermore, this chapter was unbearably difficult to do, really.
As always, the chapter is very long, I know.
When I organize myself I will upload every two weeks, but not now.
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I don't know how and why much people put Russia as malevolent. It is true that he is a bit more disturbing than others, but if one studies history realistically, you realize that they are all bad and have done unforgivable things, everyone!
Bibliographic sources: Wikipedia attachments , documentaries, the book The days that shook the world by John Reed (I totally recommend it) the Communist Manifesto and Marx's Capital, and a lot of Russian literature.
Movies that I saw to contextualize myself: The fiddler on the roof, October, The Ballad of the Soldier, Here dawns are quite 1972 (best russian movie I've seen) The Way Back (although today we know that it was not really based on real events, it's a good movie), Stalingrad 1993 (the best war movie I've seen in my life), 12 Chairs (soviet serie), the Battleship of Potemkin, etc.
Music that inspired me: the International in Russian, a lot of the Red Army Choir, Opera N 2 of Vitas (although I hate Vitas), themes Katyusha, Kalinka, Moscow Nights and Moscow theme (Dschinghis Khan), Russian Lullaby toy box, Soviet march, Jazz Suit n 2 (I love this Russian waltz), the Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, Moskva theme by Oleg gazmanov, Russian theme Тёмная ночь, Dark Eyes song, songs like polyushka polye, smuglianka, korobeiniki and My Army; Russian Folk music (Russian Winter song and The Bogatyr song), Panzerkampf song, theme from the War and Peace serie, and of course, the song The Sacred War (Svyashchennaya Voyna), etc.
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As a curious fact, the name in English of Ivan is John. I find this very funny.
I imagine Ivan with a stronge tenor voice, like the Red Army singers.
Well, we're already in 2018, how fast. The Chinese are in the year 4715, the Jews in the 5778, the Muslim Arabs in 1439, the Buddhists in 2559, and the Hindus I believe that more than 6000. Obviously humanity has more than 2018 years, so I like investigate about the year in other cultures.
I have to say that it will take the same time to upload another chapter but I will try.
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Well, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of Russia. Soon I will upload another chapter of another country.