History of Russia (Members Only)

Colorful onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, stands against a clear sky, with crowds of people gathered in the foreground at Red Square.

History of Russia

Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man drawing, depicting a nude male figure with arms and legs outstretched, illustrating ideal human body proportions within a circle and square.

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Perspective

Our digital history of Russia begins with the founding of the Rus’ state in the north in 862, ruled by Varangians. The towns of Staraya Ladoga and Novgorod grew into cities of immigrants from Scandinavia along with Slavs and Finns. In 882, Prince Oleg of Novgorod conquered Kiev and the lands of the Eastern Slavs, and brought them under one authority. The state absorbed Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, which accomplished the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic culture. Kievan Rus’ disintegrated as a state due to the devastation of the Mongol invasions in 1237–1240. Russia has alternately looked for its cultural inspiration to Western Europe and to the absolutism and terror of the Mongols to inspire its governance. This paradox has defined Russian culture ever since.

After the 13th century, Moscow became a political and cultural center that unified Russian lands. By the end of the 15th century, it had united the northeastern and northwestern Russian principalities. In 1480 it finally overthrew its Mongol oppressors, and the lands of the Grand Duchy of Moscow became the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. In 1721, Peter the Great inaugurated the Russian Empire, hoping to take its inspiration from historical and cultural wellsprings of Western Europe. The empire now extended Poland to the Pacific, a great power that dominated post-Napoleonic Europe. Peasant revolts broke out and were brutally suppressed. Emperor Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861, but the peasant unrest worsened and revolutionary sentiment grew. Reforms such as the Stolypin reforms, the constitution of 1906, and the State Duma (parliament) tried to liberalize the economy and government, but Alexander resisted sharing his autocratic power… resulting in his and his family’s deaths and the outbreak of Russian Revolution of 1917.

That said, here’s our assortment… please enjoy! When you’re done perusing a map, click the ⇠ back arrow link in the upper left of your screen (not the < link), and you’ll be back here. Any problems, please get in touch at terrence@wisdmmaps.info.

Abstract artwork featuring overlapping brown and beige shapes with bold curved lines, resembling stylized leaves or feathers, set within a square frame on a white background.

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Index

Russia and the Mongol Khanates | Russia and the Byzantine Empire | Russia in the High Middle Ages | 17th Century: Society | 18th Century | Peter the Great: Bureaucracy • Military • Modernization | Catherine the Great | Russian Revolution: Bolsheviks • Lenin • First Spontaneous Revolution | Civil War | Soviet Union | Stalin: Background • Terror • Society • Economy | Khrushchev: Cold War: Cold War in Cuba • | Brezhnev: Proxy Wars | Gorbachev | Modern Russia

A group of soldiers on horseback approaches a large wooden fortress on a snowy path, with leafless shrubs and overcast sky in the background.

Russia and the Mongol Khanates

Illustration of several rowboats with soldiers and rowers in armor on the water, some engaging in combat with spears and shields. Ancient Greek text appears above and below the scene.

Russia in the Byzantine Empire

A group of people in colorful traditional Russian clothing gather outside wooden buildings in a rural village; some stand on a porch, others converse nearby, with farm animals and a dog in the foreground.

Russia in the High Middle Ages

A large crowd of people in winter clothing gathers in a snowy square in front of a grand, fog-shrouded Russian cathedral with onion domes, possibly St. Basil’s, under a hazy, overcast sky.

Russia in the 17th Century

A snowy street scene in old Russia, with people in traditional clothing walking among wooden houses and shops, church domes in the background, and crows flying in the sky.

Society in the 17th Century

A winter scene of a snowy Russian city with people walking and riding horses near a fortified wall, colorful onion-domed buildings, and a wooden bridge over a river; historic architecture dominates the landscape.

Russia in the 18th Century

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A man in ornate silver armor and a fur-lined cape stands confidently with one hand on his hip and the other holding a staff, beside a crown and in front of a window showing ships at sea.

Peter the Great

The photo shows the ornate courtyard of the Palace of Versailles, featuring grand classical architecture, tall windows, gold details, and a checkered black-and-white marble floor under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Peter the Great: Bureaucracy

A historical painting showing military officers in blue and yellow uniforms, with one on a white horse. Other soldiers and horses are visible in the background, set outdoors near trees and an army formation.

Russia: Power: Peter the Great: Military

A fleet of large wooden sailing ships with multiple masts and billowing sails engaged in a naval battle under a dramatic, cloudy sky, with cannons firing and flags flying.

Russia: Power: Peter the Great: Modernization

An ornate oval portrait in a gold frame shows a crowned royal woman in elaborate attire with lace sleeves, pearl jewelry, and a blue sash, holding a scepter and wearing a calm expression. A gold ribbon decorates the top of the frame.

Catherine the Great

A painting of a giant worker holding a red flag strides above a snowy city filled with crowds, with domed and colorful buildings below and bright, dramatic lighting in the sky.

Russian Revolution: Bolsheviks

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Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit raising his hat, addressing a large crowd of people gathered outside a grand building with arched windows and doorways.

Russian Revolution: Lenin

A large crowd gathers in a city square in front of a mounted horse statue on a snowy day. Many people are wearing winter clothing, and buildings with Russian signage are visible in the background.

Russian Revolution: First Spontaneous Revolution

A group of armed soldiers, some kneeling and others standing, aim rifles beside and on top of an armored vehicle in a snowy, urban environment with bare trees in the background.

Russian Revolution: Civil War

Two men in military uniforms walk along a wet promenade with ornate railings, with Moscow’s Kremlin towers and cityscape visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Soviet Union

Two men in historical Soviet-era clothing stand together in front of a large red flag, with one pointing forward; dramatic lighting and sky suggest a sense of leadership and vision.

Stalin: Background

Black-and-white photo showing several men pushing wheelbarrows up a wooden ramp at a labor camp, with a forest in the background and others working across the site.

Stalin: The Terror

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A festive crowd of children and adults greets uniformed sailors by a riverside with a large bridge in the background, under a bright, blue sky. The scene is lively and full of joyful expressions.

Stalin: Society

Black and white photo of a large concrete dam with multiple spillways, framed by tree branches in the foreground.

Stalin: Economy

A man wearing a suit raises his clenched fist while speaking passionately at a podium, with microphones in front of him and people in the background.

Power: Khrushchev

A cartoon shows Uncle Sam and John Bull in front of a blue globe, facing Lenin and Stalin against a red globe with a star and sickle, symbolizing the Cold War divide between the West and the Soviet Union.

Cold War

Two men stand side by side, smiling and holding their raised hands together in a gesture of solidarity. One wears a military uniform and the other is dressed in a suit with medals.

Cold War: Cuba

A serious older man with gray hair wearing a dark suit, red tie, and several medals, including stars and ribbons, against a plain gray background.

Power: Brezhnev

A large hand with an American flag sleeve moves a suited man holding documents onto a chessboard, facing opponents with missiles and guns as chess pieces, symbolizing political or military strategy and conflict.

Cold War: Proxy Wars

Two men in suits sit side by side at a table, both signing official documents. One is balding with glasses, the other has dark hair. They appear focused and serious, with flags and a white wall in the background.

Power: Gorbachev

Colorful onion-shaped domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square, surrounded by crowds of people and trees under a partly cloudy sky at sunset.

Modern Russia

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Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man drawing shows a nude male figure with arms and legs extended, superimposed in two positions, inside a circle and square, illustrating ideal human body proportions.