The Story of Russia

Conditions and Terms of Use PREFACE Copyright © Heritage History 2009 Recent events have drawn the attention upon Russia, a Some rights reserved country of which but little is known here, because the intercourse between it and the United States has been limited. In This text was produced and distributed by Heritage History, an organization my frequent journeys to the Far East, I found it often difficult to dedicated to the preservation of classical juvenile history books, and to the comprehend events because, while I could not help perceiving promotion of the works of traditional history authors. that the impulse leading to them came from Russia, it was The books which Heritage History republishes are in the public domain and impossible to discover what prompted the government of the are no longer protected by the original copyright. They may therefore be reproduced czar. I felt the necessity to study the history of Russia, and found within the United States without paying a royalty to the author. it so fascinating, that I resolved to place it in a condensed form before the students in our schools. They must be the judges of The text and pictures used to produce this version of the work, however, are the property of Heritage History and are licensed to individual users with some how I have succeeded. restrictions. These restrictions are imposed for the purpose of protecting the integrity R. VAN BERGEN. of the work itself, for preventing plagiarism, and for helping to assure that compromised or incomplete versions of the work are not widely disseminated. In order to preserve information regarding the origin of this text, a copyright by the author, and a Heritage History distribution date are included at the foot of every page of text. 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Permission to use Heritage History documents or images for commercial purposes, or more information about our collection of traditional history resources can be obtained by contacting us at [email protected] Original Copyright 1905 by Robert Van Bergen 2 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 ALEXANDER III, THE PEASANTS' FRIEND ........................... 94 TABLE OF CONTENTS RUSSIA UNDER THE PRESENT CZAR, NICHOLAS II ............ 98 THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE ASIATIC EMPIRE ...... 101 PREFACE ................................................................................ 2 RUSSIAN METHODS: THE WAR WITH JAPAN .................... 104 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................ 2 RUSSIA LOSES HER PRESTIGE .......................................... 107 THE REALM OF THE CZAR .................................................... 4 EARLY RECORDS OF RUSSIA ................................................ 7 THE NORSEMEN (OR VARINGIANS) IN RUSSIA ................... 10 SAINT VLADIMIR AND IAROSLAF THE GREAT .................... 14 A RUSSIAN REPUBLIC ......................................................... 17 TROUBLOUS TIMES ............................................................. 20 THE YELLOW PERIL ........................................................... 23 RUSSIA UNDER THE MONGOL YOKE .................................. 26 LITHUANIA AND MOSCOW .................................................. 29 DECLINE OF THE TARTAR POWER. DMITRI DONSKOI ....... 32 IVAN III, THE GREAT .......................................................... 36 RUSSIA BECOMES AN AUTOCRACY .................................... 40 IVAN IV, THE TERRIBLE ..................................................... 42 RUSSIA UNDER IVAN THE TERRIBLE .................................. 46 FEODOR, THE LAST OF RURIK'S DESCENDANTS ............... 49 MICHAEL FEODOROVITCH (MICHAEL, SON OF THEODORE), THE FIRST ROMANOF ......................................................... 52 EARLY YEARS OF PETER THE GREAT (PETER ALEXIEVITCH) ..................................................................... 56 PETER THE GREAT AND HIS REIGN .................................... 59 PETER THE GREAT AND HIS TIME ...................................... 63 THE SUCCESSORS OF PETER THE GREAT ........................... 67 RUSSIA UNDER CATHERINE II, THE GREAT ....................... 71 RUSSIA DURING THE WARS OF NAPOLEON ........................ 76 AN EVENTFUL PERIOD ........................................................ 81 ALEXANDER II, THE LIBERATOR ........................................ 85 GREAT EVENTS DURING ALEXANDER'S REIGN. NIHILISM 90 Original Copyright 1905 by Robert Van Bergen 3 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 Europe is about twice the area of Illinois. Among the great nations of the world, aside from outlying possessions beyond the CHAPTER I Grand Division, our country stands third, and should occupy the second place, because China, the next larger, owes its greater area to territories over which she has little or no control, and THE REALM OF THE CZAR which she seems destined to lose. When we think of our country, we feel proud of it for other and better reasons than its great size. We know how its extent compares with that of other nations; we know that the United States covers an area almost equal to that of Europe, and, more favored than that Grand Division, is situated on the two great highways of commerce, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Europe is as far from the latter, as Asia is from the former; and these highways, powerful means toward creating prosperity, remain at the same time barriers whereby nations that find greater delight in the arts of war than in those of peace, are restrained from disturbing our national progress. At the beginning of this twentieth century the nations upon which depends the world's peace or war, happiness or misfortune, are the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Russia, Japan, and in the near future China. Here we see that Europe, although little larger in area than the United States, is represented by seven nations, Asia by two, and the Western Hemisphere by one which by its institutions stands for peace and progress, for law and order. Hence we, its citizens, are known all over the world as Americans. If we compare the area occupied by the several European powers with that covered by the main body of our republic, that is, not including Alaska and other outlying territories, we find that Austria-Hungary has four thousand square miles less than Texas, while Germany lacks forty thousand square miles in comparison with the Lone Star State. France is four thousand square miles less than Germany, and Italy is only a thousand square miles greater than Nevada. The British Kingdom in Original Copyright 1905 by Robert Van Bergen 4 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 The largest country is Russia, covering as it does one- Russia in Europe, however, with the exception of Poland sixth of all the land on the earth. This empire, although inhabited and Finland, is a country with one religion and one language; by people differing in race, religion, and customs, is one that is, the czar and his government recognize and admit no compact whole. It embraces in Europe 2,113,000 square miles, other. That is the cause of the persecution of the Jews, four fifths or more than all other European nations combined; its area in of whom dwell in the southwest of Russia in an area covering Asia is 6,672,000 square miles, making a total of 8,785,000 356,681 square miles, which is sometimes mentioned as the square miles, or 2.8 times as many as the main body of our Jewish territory. Every succeeding czar has tried to make all his country. All the people living in this immense empire, whatever subjects think and act in the manner prescribed by him. The their race, religion, or language, obey the will of one man. We, process is known as "Russianizing," and goes on incessantly in who dwell in our beloved country, yield obedience only to the its different stages. Immediately after the conquest of a country, Law; but the laws are made by ourselves, and they allow us to its people are assured that their religion, institutions, and do as we please, so long as we do not interfere with others who language, shall be respected; the only difference is that the have the same rights; and those laws are ever ready to protect us. native officials are displaced by Russians. This continues until In Russia laws are made or unmade at the will of one person Russian rule is firmly established, and no one dreams of resisting who is himself above the laws. Every man, woman, or child, the czar. Then the Russian language displaces the native tongue, born and living in that country, is at his mercy. Mere suspicion is and if disturbances occur, the military is called in to inflict a sufficient to drag a man from his family and home, perhaps to terrible punishment. The loss of the native language carries with disappear without leaving

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