History of Russia in 100 Minutes

By Tanel Vahisalu

"History of Russia in 100 Minutes" is a crash course for beginners. Here you will find the complete history summarized and retold in simple language with accurate dates, the most relevant names and essential concepts. After finishing the course, you will know:

- The basic characteristics of Russian history in different epochs
- The 54 most important rulers and 106 historical persons in Russian history
- 126 key dates and events in Russian history
- The basic terms and concepts of Russian history

The text is accompanied by numerous online resources:
- 20,000 pictures
- 700 videos
- 3,500 songs
- 100 podcast episodes

All that is available via the smarthistories.com website.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tanel Vahisalu
• Release date: Jun 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998491707

Book preview

Table of Contents

History of Russia in 100 Minutes

People Behind the Book

Introduction

Dates and Names

Early Russia

Medieval Russia

Kievan Rus

Mongol Invasion

Grand Duchy of Moscow

Ivan the Great

Tsardom of Russia

Ivan the Terrible

Time of Troubles

The First Romanovs

Peter the Great

Empire of Russia

Palace Revolutions

Catherine the Great

Alexander I

Nicholas I

Alexander II

Alexander III

Nicholas II

Russia in World War I

Russian Revolution

February Revolution

Provisional Government

October Revolution

Russian Civil War

Soviet Russia

New Economic Policy

Joseph Stalin

Russia in World War II

Cold War

Khrushchev Thaw

Brezhnev’s Stagnation

Gorbachev’s Perestroika

Russian Federation

Boris Yeltsin

Vladimir Putin

Chronology

List of Russian Rulers

List of Historical Figures

List of Illustrations

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

History of Russia in 100 Minutes

A Crash Course for Beginners

Author and Art Director: Tanel Vahisalu

Honorary Reviewer: Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard Pipes

Honorary Guest Editors: Dr. Helen Rappaport,

Dr. Mark Galeotti, Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard S. Wortman,

Professor Emeritus Dr. Rex A. Wade and Rupert Colley

Editors: Dr. Madis Maasing and Kerry Kubilius

Proofreader: Tony Burnett

Voice Over Artist: Sammi Bold

Graphic Designer: Mehak Zaib Suddle

Copyright © 2017 by Tanel Vahisalu

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, or used in any manner whatsoever, without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN 978-0-9984917-1-4

Published by Cademy

smarthistories.com

I find History of Russia in 100 Minutes an authoritative source and I hope it will enjoy much success

Dr. Richard Pipes

Baird Professor Emeritus of History at Harvard University

Author of Russia Under the Old Regime, Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime, The Russian Revolution and The Three Whys of the Russian Revolution

People Behind the Book

Tanel Vahisalu

Author and Art Director

I am a Slavophile, a graphic designer, and a melomaniac from Tallinn, Estonia. For the last five years I've been working on a book that retells the complete history of Russia, simply and clearly, in less than 100 minutes. Currently based in Helsinki, Finland, I completed studying history at the University of Tartu in 2004, and have been working as a professional graphic designer ever since.

Dr. Richard Pipes

Honorary Reviewer

Dr. Richard Pipes, Baird Professor Emeritus of History at Harvard University, is one of the world's best-known historians of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union. He has espoused a strong anti-communist point of view throughout his career. In 1976 he headed Team B, who analyzed the strategic capacities of the Soviet political leadership. His works include: Russia Under the Old Regime, Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime, The Russian Revolution, and The Three Whys of the Russian Revolution.

Dr. Helen Rappaport

Honorary Guest Editor

Dr. Helen Rappaport is an award-winning British author, influential historian and Russianist. She specialises in the Victorian era and revolutionary Russia, studied Russian at Leeds University and is a specialist in Russian and nineteenth-century women's history. Her best-selling books include: Joseph Stalin: A Biographical Companion, A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy, The Last Days of the Romanovs, Conspirator: Lenin in Exile, The Romanov Sisters, and Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917.

Dr. Mark Galeotti

Honorary Guest Editor

Dr. Mark Galeotti is senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague and principal director of the Mayak Intelligence consultancy. He specialises in the murky subjects of modern Russian politics, history and security affairs, and transnational and organised crime. He has published widely, with 14 authored and edited books to his name and numerous articles in the academic, professional and popular press.

Dr. Richard S. Wortman

Honorary Guest Editor

Dr. Richard S. Wortman, James Bryce Professor Emeritus of European Legal History at the Harriman Institute of the Columbia University specializes in the history of imperial Russia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He taught at the University of Chicago, and Princeton, before coming to Columbia. His publications include The Crisis of Russian Populism and The Development of a Russian Legal Consciousness. His more recent books are Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy, and "Russian Monarchy: Representation and Rule.

Dr. Rex A. Wade

Honorary Guest Editor

Dr. Rex A. Wade joined the George Mason University faculty in 1986, after having taught at the University of Hawaii (1968-86), Wisconsin State University, LaCrosse (1963-68), and as visiting professor at the University of North Carolina, University of Nebraska, and Portland State University. He is the author of The Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War, The Russian Revolution, 1917, Red Guards and Workers' Militias in the Russian Revolution, and The Russian Search for Peace, 1917.

Rupert Colley

Honorary Guest Editor

Rupert Colley was a librarian in Enfield for 22 years until September 2011. A history graduate, he launched the original History In An Hour in 2009 with a website, blog and World War Two In An Hour as an iPhone app. He then expanded it to Kindle, iBooks and into the USA with a series of titles, and enlisted new writers by encouraging guest bloggers on the website. History In An Hour was acquired by HarperCollins in 2011.

Dr. Madis Maasing

History Editor

Dr. Madis Maasing is a researcher of the political history of the Late Medieval Ages, with the emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe, and especially Medieval Livonia. He defended his PhD thesis in June 2016 on, The Role of the Bishops in the Livonian Political System (in the first half of the 16th century).

Kerry Kubilius

History and English Editor

A genuine Slavophile, Kerry lives and breathes Eastern Europe. As an undergraduate, Kerry studied at The Ohio State University. She earned her B.A. in Russian, with a focus on literature, and her B.A. in History of Art, with a focus on Eastern European art. Kerry also attended Tomsk State University and participated in a language and culture immersion course. Currently, Kerry is a graduate student at the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and is based in Vilnius.

Tony Burnett

Proofreader

Tony is a lover of literature and of the power of written language. After gaining his degree in English at Bristol University, he has been a professional writer, editor and proofreader for over 30 years, working in South America, the Falkland Islands, and Europe. Today, he calls the majestic mountains of the Scottish Highlands home. From there he edits and proofreads for his clients from all over the world.

Sammi Bold

Voice Over Artist

I grew up on cartoons and video games. When I was four years old watching a Donald Duck short for the hundredth time, I decided I was going to grow up to be a voice actor. I want to pass on the happiness and entertainment that other voice actors have given me in times of darkness.

Mehak Zaib Suddle

Graphic Designer

Creativity is an expression that simply interprets me and just by then I knew, what I wanted to be! Mehak gained degree in Computer Engineering from Fatima Jinnah Women University and completed a graphic certification from Steps online institute. She is currently freelancing as a graphic desiger and a web developer from Pakistan. Aspiring to excel in her field, she is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Multimedia leading to be a creative animator with the motivation of, Striving for Excellence.

Viikki Campus Library

Location

The main bulk of this book has been written and edited on a daily basis in the friendly and quiet atmosphere on the third floor of the Viikki Campus Library that is part of the Helsinki University. The creation of the book ties together Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, the United States, Pakistan, United Kingdom and Czech Republic. People from Philippines and Germany were involved.

Introduction

History of Russia in 100 Minutes is a crash course for beginners. Here you will find the complete history summarized and retold in simple language with