The mountains that run through
01 Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Review on Section
1 Mercury is the closest planet to
the Sun and the smallest one in 02
our Solar System
are called the Urals
The steppe is a flat grassland
that is Russia’s most important
farming area.
The large, dense forest in Siberia
03
that is covered with snow most of
the year is called permafrost.
 Strict rule, unrest, and ethnic diversity have shaped Russia’s history and

01 culture.

The Russian Empire grew under powerful leaders, but unrest and
02 war led to its end.

03 The Soviet Union emerged as a Communist superpower with

rigid government control

Objectives 04
Russia’s history and diversity have influenced its
culture.

of the lesson
 The Slavs
The Slavs settled in Eastern Europe, including
what is now Ukraine and western Russia.
Developed towns and began trading with other
areas
AD 800s—Viking, or Rus, traders from
Scandinavia invaded the Slavs.
Shaped the first Russian state, Kievan Rus,
centered around the city of Kiev
Who were the Rus?
Missionaries introduced the Orthodox
Christian faith and Cyrillic, a form of the
Greek alphabet.
 In the 1200s Mongol invaders called
Tatars came from Central Asia and
conquered Kiev.
Allowed Russian princes to rule over local states.

Muscovy became the strongest state

 After about 200 years
Muscovy’s prince, Ivan III seized
control from the Mongols.
In the 1540s Ivan IV crowned himself czar,
or emperor, and became known as
Ivan the Terrible for his cruel leadership.
What does it mean by
czar?
The Russian Empire grew
under powerful leaders, but
unrest and war led to its end.
 Strong czars such as Peter the
Great and Catherine the Great
built Russia into a huge empire and
a world power.

This empire included many

conquered peoples
 Czars and
nobles
Had most of the wealth
Inspit of its growth ..

Farmers
Very poor