Reading Room

Here you can read the following sets of articles, essays and fairy tales

Brief History of Russia

Russian Fairy Tales for Children

History of Russian Humor

RUNET:  Russian Yellow Pages

GREAT EVENTS, WHICH CHANGED THE FATE OF RUSSIA 

Brief History of Russia

In history of every country one can find events, which sharply changed a fluent current of its history. Amongst such events one can find: assumption of a new religion, realization of a new model of economic or social-political development, large-scale aggressive or defensive wars, colonization of foreign territory or national liberation movements etc.

I presume that my reader has studied a course of history at school and is aware of interpretation of these events according to his textbooks. I describe the same events in my own way.

History is a delicate science, if it is possible to call it a science. Historians prefer to endlessly discuss issues of their scientific objectivity (by the way I am a professional historian too). With rare exception most of them try to please political demands of the ruling jet sets irrespective what members of the elite are or were: feudal, bourgeois, communist, nationalistic, democratic etc.

Russian writers and poets, composers and artists selected many events for their creative work from the historic periods, described below. One can easily find these events in many Russian remarkable songs, poems, dramas, tragedies, operas, ballets, pictures, sculptures and paintings. You will meet corresponding links to these historic events in next chapters.

Every described event embraces a long period of time – not less that a century. For instance, the Christening in the Kievan Rus, begun in 988, lasted for several centuries, and this process of Christening of Russians lasts till the present day in the Post-Communist Russia.

I had selected nine great events in history of Russia. They are the most important periods in the development of this country. They had influenced and continue to render a deep influence upon the psychology of a Russian man, as well as on the policy and strategy of the modern Russian state. These same events have made this country and its people such as they are today - in the beginning of the 21st century.

Many phenomena of the Russian culture, literature and arts are connected with these historical events. 

 

You find all nine articles on history of Russia and four best Russian fairy tales

 

1.        The Christening of the Kievan Rus (988)

2.        The Mongolian Invasion (11-13th centuries)

3.        Moscow: The Third Rome (14-16th centuries)

4.        Colonization of Siberia (16-17th centuries)

5.        The Window to Europe (1721)

6.        Exit To The Black Sea (1783)

7.        The Great Patriotic War of 1812

8.        The Abolition of Serfdom (1861)

9.        Bolshevist Revolution (1917) and its Aftermath  

 View a List of Essays. You can order all of them

Home ] Up ] Christening ] Mongol Yoke ] Moscow Kingdom ] Siberia ] Katherine The Great ] 1812 ] Reforms ] "Window" to Europe ] 1917 ]

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Natalya Ramras in the USA nramras@mailcity.com
Yuriy Gorbunov in the Ukraine:  yurgor@km.ru
Valentin Gorbunov in Russia:  valgor@mgn.ru

Copyright © Yuri Gorbunov, author and webmaster,  2000.  All rights are reserved.    

Last modified: 18 February 2001

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