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	Russia and Communism

Russian Leaders

    Ivan the Great is remembered as Russia's first czar. The word czar is from the latin word "Caesar" and is the Russian word for king. Ivan was a Muscovite or a citizen of Moscow in an era when the Mongols controlled Moscow and most of Russia. The Mongols were warriors from Central Asia who forced the Russians to pay tribute. Tribute is a payment for protection. Ivan proclaimed himself czar and announced that Moscow would no longer pay tribute. The Mongols did not attack and the era of the czars had begun.

    Peter the Great helped to modernize Russia. Peter traveled throughout Europe disguised as an ordinary traveler. He wanted to learn about the rest of the world. He discovered that the rest of Europe was far more advanced than Russia. Peter began to change that. He built many factories and schools. He also expanded Russia's borders by conquering new lands.

    Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks, a violent group of Russians who overthrew the government in 1917. Lenin was a Communist. He believed in the ideas of Karl Marx. Lenin made many great changes in Russia. He divided farmland among peasants and signed a peace treaty with Germany that ended Russian fighting in World War I. Lenin united several republics under his rule and named it the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Lenin was a firm ruler. Those who opposed the revolution were expelled to Siberia and often murdered.

Lenin died in 1924 and was replaced by the ruthless Josef Stalin. Russia had been mainly an agricultural nation, but Stalin built huge factories. He forced Russian peasants to work on huge collective farms. Stalin arrested anyone who was not loyal and often had his opponents murdered. Stalin ruled Russia until his death in 1953.

Russia and Communism

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike., "The Electronic Passport to Russian Leaders," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/707-leaders.html; Internet; updated