Prior to 1989, the Communists indirectly controlled the government of the Soviet Union. It was during the Mikhail Gorbechev era in which his "openness" measure of reform was challenged by the explosion of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986. This incident brought about ch...

By early 1918 in Russia, the Bolsheviks controlled only the north-western area of the Russian Empire (Petrograd and Moscow) together with the areas between and around them. Various opposition groups were formed against the Bolsheviks, under the new Provisional Government. The provisional governmen...

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

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

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

Russian cyberculture. Does it exist? How does cyberculture develop in a country, which was isolated from the west for the entire cold war era? Mother Russia has been on the ropes lately. Still having the Soviet habit to insulate its people from the \"evil West,\" the Russian government was very care...

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

The relationship that exists between capitalism and democracy is one that contradicts itself. It is obvious that the nations that follow the ideology of both capitalism and democracy are the nations that tend to be more industrialized and more economically stable, for example, the United States and ...

Russia Russia, country in eastern Europe and northern Asia, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean and on the east by the Pacific Ocean. Formerly the largest republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Russia as it is today was established in 1991, but the history of the Russian...

Tsar Nicholas the 2nd was the last Russian Emperor, born on May 6, 1868. He caused a lot of controversy and changed history dramatically as a result of his poor preparation for the position. He ruled his country during the Revolutions, and led Russia into World War 1, all of which radically changed ...

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

What were the main characteristic features of the first Bismarckian Alliance system 1879-1883 During the 1870's in the aftermath of the creation of the German Empire, the main issues to vex the Great Powers were Austro-Russian rivalry in the Balkans, and German fear that such a rivalry migh...

Timothy S. PalkoWorld History IIDr. Skaff MWF 2:00-2:50World power can be seen today in two very different but extremely vast empires. They are the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire. To contrast these empires in order to predict their futures, it is necessary that I observe and analyze key factor...

Why did it take so long for the European Nations to defeat Napoleon With Napoleon beginning his military career in 1796-7 with victories in the Italian Campaign, a new form of an old threat was realised in Europe. It was obvious that Napoleon was a general to be feared, as the leader of the mo...

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

World War I started in the summer of 1914. Most of the war took place in Europe. The war was long and lasted four years. World War I was unlike any previous wars. New weapons such as machine guns, tanks and poison gas made fighting deadlier than ever. Also, the civilian population was no long...

Siege of Berlin By Christmas 1944, Berlin was in ruins, and still being bombed around the clock. The Nazis still talked about wonder weapons and the Führer's genius turning the tables, but in the city canny and cynical Berliners made grim jokes about giving each other coffins as C...

History Essay What caused World War I? What made World War I spark? What where the events leading up to it? Who is responsible? These are some of the questions that people think of when they think about the road to World War I. Most wars have a "trigger" that really starts them...

The Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century and ended in the deaths of 1.5 million inhabitants of Turkey, specifically of the Armenian ethnic background. This number is so astonishing because it accounts for almost 10% of the population of the entire c...

Devils in Disguise "Under idealism nothing exists except the mind. Whoever controls the mind controls everything. Therein lies the secret of absolute power" (Rapoport 1989) Has this method been used by most of the well known bloodiest dictators in history? The answer is most definitely...

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

The Effects of Nationalism from the Napoleonic Era The period of 1799-1815, otherwise known as the Napoleonic era, was one of great change both physically and ideologically. The entire continent of Europe and many of its colonial holdings were completely reshaped and/or united against ...

Nicholas II held, evidently, the greatest responsibility for the collapse of the Romanov Empire in 1917, but not entirely. His main offence was himself, the fact that he was not suited for the position of tsar. However, many occurrences, such as Bloody Sunday, the damaging influence of Rasputin, his...

The Causes of World War I The murder of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on the 28th of June caused the lead up to World War I. The Archduke heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated in his car during a drive in Sarajevo. The assassination was the work of a terrorist group known ...

Calm Like A Bomb Throughout time music has been used to express the way a musician feels. Sometimes a musician will sing about love, sometimes hate, and sometimes he or she will go as far as singing about current political issues involving war and injustices. In 1797, Jozef Wybicki wrote the Po...