Russia

This was very important because Tsarist did not want any participation or choice of the citizens living in the country. Due to this reason, it is quite clear that the only way this au... ... middle of paper ... ...re; it maintained its seat on the Security Council. Many of the old Soviet States still maintained close economic ties with each. The new countries that were made, some of them elected to maintain their autocratic government and others preferred democratic Government. Russia after Soviet Union Collapse Hugh Seton Watson in his analysis of the Russian Empire stated one factor has ways been common through the Russian history and that has been the principle of autocracy.

McDonough argues that "The only other possible candidate for an alliance was the Soviet Union", but the Soviet Union was perceived in a worse light by many Tories then the Nazis themselves. The Tory MP at the time, Sir Edward Grigg explained that "most Conservatives prefer the German system to the Russian because it is nationalistic in spirit and does not seek to unbalance...class lines." The League of Nations was far less popular in Conservative party circles then it was amidst those of Liberals and Labour party. "Tories saw European issues "through the narrow prism of British self interest and doubted whether collective security could deter military aggression." ... ... middle of paper ... ... of a driven man, full of a blinkered determination for peace such as Chamberlain, for he held such a powerful influence in parliament and government.

He took control of Russia, and additionally, was able to change the way of life in Russia during the time he ruled. Before Peter the Great took control of Russia, it differed drastically from the states and societies that lye further west. During the seventeenth century, Russia was a highly firm and restricted society; one in which people did not have rights and/or control of their own lives. Around the area of Moscow, Peter inherited a huge territorial aggregation. At the time, Western Europe was sparsely populated, and the level of economic development was too low for European standards.

Trotsky and Stalin never really seemed to be friends; however, they were both friends of Lenin wh... ... middle of paper ... ... Lenin never would have imagined to what extent the General Secretary would go to assume control over the State as a whole. The policies implemented during the Stalinism era were great; however the way in which they were enforced was harsh. The Bolshevik party should be held responsible for Stalin’s time and especially Lenin for giving that much power to one individual. During the entire period of terror it became more vindictive while others were favored greater and led to the demise of many individuals including Sergei Kirov. Finally Stalinism was not worth the brunt of trauma that Soviet citizens faced and he should be held accountable for the millions of lives lost through terror.

The Caucasus is one of the most complicated and sensitive regions in the world: with many different ethnic groups, religious allegiances, and conflicts. It consists of three independent republics: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia; and Russian parts of Caucasus. Russia became a significant player in Caucasus after it conquered Astrakhan region in 1556. But complete control of Caucasus by Russia was achieved only in the nineteenth century after its conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan. The Tsarist Russia did not pay much attention to the needs and desires of the people who lived in the region and hoped to Russianize them.

The Tsarist System of Government of Russia I believe that throughout history, the Tsars felt threatened. They then reformed in order to stay in power, and to stay in for power alone. However, this mindset only had an effect when the Tsar's power was threatened. Nevertheless, I believe that to find the factors that had an effect on the Russian system of government, one must look for the reason why felt threatened. Here war was an important factor, however it was not the only factor.

To provide for all this expanding of his military, Peter the Great introduced many new taxes, including a soul tax—a tax for simply being alive. Peter preferred to live comfortably, and didn’t have a need for extravagance as much as Louis XIV did. But that didn’t mean he didn’t think big. Peter’s main goals were to modernize Russia, and to make it a major European power—a force to be reckoned with—and also to gain control of the church. He tried to achieve these in many different ways.

The government struggled with running a country with such enormous human potential successfully. The use of a strong, central government to implement change seemed to be the easiest way to implement sweeping reform across the expanse of Russia, but it often kept the government detached from the public opinion, and thus fostered a constant grumbling across Russia of unsatisfied citizens that would occasionally escalate and take matters into their own hands “from below” and try to use the mass of human potential to force the desired change “from above.” However, all reform attempts failed to be fully successful due to Russia’s inability to compete and grow in the global sphere that it was prematurely thrust into by many forced and rapid attempts at modernization.

Tsar Alexander I, Tsar at this time, had a genuine wish to reform, but because of the desire for order instilled in him by his Father Tsar Paul, his good intentions came to nothing. His military victories against Napoleon played a vital role in the eventual defeat of Napoleon's forces. Consequently, these victories brought power and prestige to Russia and increased her standing as a great power. La Harpe, a French liberal, had tutored Alexander and this had resulted in him having some very liberal ideas. However, despite his positive attitude towards reform in other European countries, its implementation of these reforming tendencies in Russia was limited.

Despite the considerable effort put in by Russian Monarch Peter the Great, Russia remains to this day in many ways separate from modern Europe. This is mainly because of the influence of prominent Slavophiles, who were deeply concerned with the preservation of Russian culture in the aftermath of a time when Peter and the Monarchs who followed after him were concerned with the Westernization of Russia. These Slavophiles came into direct conflict with people known as Westernizers who felt that the best way to improve Russia was through the enlightenment teachings, which were at this time popular among scholars in Western Europe. The differences in the opinions of Westernizers and Slavophiles can be seen through their treatment of Religion and