Political

Driven by the Russo-Japanese war, the Revolution of 1905 gave birth to the formation of
parliament and other reforms.
WWI aftermath included mass rioting in major cities and eventually led to the overthrow
of the imperial household (1917)
Using Marxs ideas, Vladimir Lenin gave insight and brought in the Communist state of
mind. Lenin soon gained power and shortly thereafter, the USSR was born.
Following Lenin, Stalin (1928-1953) took over as a fearsome dictator, slaughtering
millions upon millions of lives, but strenghtened communist rule and russian dominance
in the Soviet Union
General Secretary Gorbachev introduced his ideas of Glasnost and Perestroika. His
attempts to modernize communism only brought the end of the USSR, which crumbled
into Russia and other independent republics.
Post-Soviet ambitions include a centralized semi-authoritarian state, which ultimatley
grew into a federation, with Vladimir Putin as chief of state.
Economy