THE TEXT IS FLY WITHIN THE BOOK ONLY Summary of Events from Earliest Times With Chronological Table, Maps, Charts by Walther Kirchner .$1.75 94? K58h 62-16563 i -f Kirchner, Walther A history of Russia. 2d ed, N.I. , Barnes & Noble [1955] 329p. illus. (College outline series, 66) Kansas city ||i| public library Kansas city, missou Books will be issued only on presentation OT imrary cara. Please report lost cards and change of residence promptly. Card holders are responsible for all books, records, films, picti or other library materials checked out on their cards. 2 2 1963 ! A M Q COLLEGE OUTLINE SERIES RUSSIA WALTHER KIRCHNER Second Edition BARNES & NOBLE, Inc. New York PUBLISHEKS BOOKSELLERS S I N fc E 1873 SECOND EDITION, 1950 COPYRIGHT, 1948, 1950, 1955 BY BARNES & NOBLE, INC. All rights reserved Tenth Printing, 1962 L. C Catalogue Card Number: 55-11358 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In his recent Geschichte Russlands, Professor Valentin Gitermann of Zurich, Switzerland, refers to the "special charm and attraction of the broadly flowing stream of Russian history." It has been my en- deavor to preserve this very attraction in a book that by its nature must limit space and must treat only the factual information essential for an understanding and for a balanced judgment of past and present- day events in our great neighbor country, Russia. In order to assure brevity and clarity without missing the spirit of Russia or losing a sense of the complexities of life (ever-present com- plexities which can be unraveled only in retrospect by historians), par- ticular care has been taken to supplement the text with appropriate ap- pendices. The chronological table, for instance, divulges by the very sequence of events the logical and sometimes illogical course of his- tory and its influence on our lives. The maps reveal better than any description the causes and results of major trends. The index provides a biographical dictionary and a glossary of foreign terms, particularly useful, the writer hopes, in a book which cannot afford to identify per- sons or explain terms more than once. The bibliography directs atten- tion to easily accessible material for more bibliographical information and for further study. The book owes much to the untiring help of my friend Dr. Harold Bierck, of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and of my wife. Neither of them being a Russian scholar, both have perused the manu- script from the point of view of the reader, leaving the responsibility for accuracy of information and fairness of emphasis to the author, but criticizing unsparingly and improving fundamentally the presentation of the material, its organization, and its comprehensibility. Thanks of the author are due also to Dr. W. O. Sypherd, University Professor of the University of Delaware, and to Dr. Raymond Lindgren of Vanderbilt University, who have offered many helpful suggestions. The assistance of Mr. Laurin Johnson, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, who has contributed much research in iii the compilation of a number of historical maps, is herewith gratefully acknowledged. The book does not intend either "to promote friendship'* or "to voice warnings." It has no ulterior motive, good or bad. By a pres- entation of facts, it does hope to reduce ignorance and thereby preju- dices of all shadings, and to enable the student of Russian affairs to arrive at conclusions and judgments of his own, based not on propa- ganda but upon investigation. CHAPTER PAGE I Beginnings and Foundations of Russian History 1 Earliest Inhabitants. Geographic Influences on Russian History, The Russian People. II Formation of the Russian State 7 Cyril and Methodius. The Northmen. Organ- ization of Russia. III Introduction of Christianity 12 The Faith. Causes for Catholic-Orthodox Schism. Church Organization. IV Decline of Kiev-Russia 19 Problems. The Princes. Dissolution and Migra- tion. Effects of Northeastward Migration. V Russia under Tartar Domination 25 Coming of the Tartars. Tartar Rule. Decline of the Tartars. VI The Era of Ivan the Great 32 Significance of Ivan's Rule. Internal Changes. External Policies. Basil III. VII Emergence of Modern Russia 39 Ivan the Terrible. Internal Accomplishments. External Accomplishments. VIII Siberia 46 Geographical Factors. Exploration of Siberia. Government of Siberia. IX Time of Troubles 52 The Coming of the "Troubles." Civil War. Re- construction. X Consolidation under Romanov Dynasty . 58 Conditions at End of the "Troubles." Reorgan- ization. Peasant Risings. XI The Ukraine 64 Conditions under Lithuanian Rule. Incorporation of Eastern Ukraine. XII The Schism 71 Church and State. Nikon's Patriarchate. The Split. VI Contents CHAPTER PAGE XIII Emergence of Russia as a European Power 77 Early Part of Peter's Reign. Northern War. Summary. XIV Domestic Reform Work 83 Basic Factors. Social Reorganization. Adminis- trative Changes. Significance of Peter's Reform Work. XV Political Trends and Social Progress in the Middle Eighteenth Century 89 Rulers. Social Progress. Foreign Policies. XVI Life and Activities in the Eighteenth Cen- 94 tury Court and Town Life. Industrial Life. Agricul- tural Life. Clerical Life. System of Autocracy. XVII Internal Conditions in Catherine's Times 101 Catherine II. Catherine's Rule. Pugachev Re- volt. Catherine "The Great." XVIII Growth of Russia's International Role . 106 Relations with Central and Western Europe. Relations with Neighboring Countries. XIX The Turn of the Century 114 Paul I. The Domestic Scene. Russia's Interna- The Murder of Paul. ^^^ and France ..................... 119 Alexander!. Napoleon's Ascendancy. Napoleon's Invasion of Russia. XXI The Post-Napoleonic Period ............ 126 Failure of Liberalism. Economic Conditions. Death of Alexander L XXII Era of Suspense ........................ 131 The Dekabrist Rising. Struggle against Revolu- tion. XXIII Slavophils and Westernizers 135 Philosophies of Slavophils and Westernizers. Leading Thinkers. t CXXIV/Emancipation 142 Accession of Alexander II. Act of Emancipation. Aftermath of Emancipation. XXV Era of Reform 147 Significance of Emancipation. Reform Legisla- tion. Shortcomings of Reform Work. Contents VIE CHAPTER PAGE Intelligentsia and Parties , 151 Social Currents. Reaction and Progress. Forma- tion of Parries. XXV Revolution of 1905 156 Nicholas II. Industrialization. Revolution. Con- stitutional Regime. XXVIII The Arts in Russia 162 Architecture. Painting, Music, Ballet. Litera- ture. Russia and Europe 169 Near Eastern Problem. < rimean Waj>> Poland. International Reorientation 175 War with Turkey. Rapprochement with France. Expansion in Asia 181 The "Frontier." Caucasus. Far East. Central Asia. Russo-Japanese Rivalry 18& Trans-Siberian Railroad. Russo-Japanese War. Russia and the United States 192 Relations up to the American Civil War. Rela- tions since the American Civil War. XXXIV Road to World War I 197 Internal Conditions. External Conditions. In- j^olvement in World War I. _ XXXV World War I 205 War. Revolution. XXXVI Introduction of Bolshevism 211 October Revolution. Peace. Construction of Socialist State. XXXVII Civil War 217 Parties in the War. Reds and Whites. Effects of Civil War. XXXVIII Reconstruction 222 Lenin. Conditions at End of Civil War. New Economic Policy. XXXIX The Struggle for Power 22S Theory and Reality. Party Policies. Constitution and Government 233 /L Stalin Constitution. Communist Party. Finances. XLI Industrialization 241 End of N. E. P. The First Five-Year Plan. Sec- ond and Third Five-Year Plans. Summary. Vlll Contents CHAPTER PAGE XLII Agriculture and Trade 247 Soviet Agriculture. Soviet Trade. Life in the U. S. S. R 253 The Family. Education. Living Conditions. Summary. Science, Religion, and Arts 259 Science. Religion. Arts. XLV Foreign Relations I : Europe 266 Soviet Objectives. First Phase: Isolation. Sec- ond Phase: Reopening of Contacts. Third Phase: International Collaboration. Summary. : XLVI Foreign Relations II Asia and America . 274 Central Asia. Far East. United States. XLVII Road to World War II 281 Collective Security. Collapse of Collective Se- curity. XLVIII World War II 287 Russian Army. The War. XLIX The Postwar Era 293 Preparations. Soviet Attitude and Action. L The Era of the "Cold War" 300 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 306 BIBLIOGRAPHY 317 INDEX 321 MAPS AND CHARTS U. S. S. R Frontispiece Map for History of Early Russia 18 Expansion in Europe 76 Invasions of Russia 120 Expansion in Asia 182 -^Russia in 1914 202 Present-Day Governmental Structure of Russia 234 Economic Map of U. S. S. R 240 Anglo-Russian Relations since 1856 267 German-Russian Relations since 1870 271 /United States-Russian Relations since 1860 .... 279 Significant 'Dates Prehistoric Civilization 8th-6th Cent. B.C. Invasions of Cimmerians, Scythians, Alans . 5th Cent. B.c.-lst Cent. A.D. Invasion of Goths . 2nd-4th Cent. A.D. Invasions of Huns, Avars, Magyars .... 4th 7th Cent. A.D. Slavs in Possession . 8th Cent. A.D. CHAPTER I TIONS OF RUSSIAN HISTORY On the steps of the National Archives in Washington are engraved these words : WHAT is PAST is PROLOGUE. Taking such a premise very literally, historians have investigated the remotest past, delving back ten, twenty, or thirty thousand years into periods which witnessed climate and geographic conditions in no direct way related to histor- ical times. True, the strata formed in early ages have exercised an economic influence ; but the "history" of a people begins properly with the appearance of man, and still more properly with his activities as known by us. EARLIEST INHABITANTS Primitive Man. The oldest traces of human life found in pres- ent-day European Russia date from the early Stone Age from a time after the violent heat and cold of the Tertiary Period and the Ice Ages had given way to equable weather. Such traces occur in the regions of Kiev, in the Crimea, and on the banks of the Don River. In the later Stone Age, man, accompanied by his friend the dog, existed also farther north on the Oka River, on the shores of Lake Ladoga, and even as far north as present-day Archangel.