INTRODUCTION

Hook/ Lead-In Statement – Introduction of Topic:

Russia! Russia… Everything in you is open, desolate and level; your squat towns barely
protrude in the midst of the plains like dots, like counter; there is nothing to tempt of enchant the
onlooker’s gaze. But what is this inscrutable, mysterious force that draws me to you?
- Nikolai Gogol

Thesis Statement:

Discover Russia: A land rich in history, culture, and fine arts.

Three Main Points:

1. History
2. Culture
3. Fine Arts

FIRST POINT

First Point:

The history of the name of Russia is just as convoluted as the history of Russia itself: it
involves conquest, power struggles, dissolution, and reunification. Most importantly, it involves
a medley of languages, cultures, and peoples. Russia’s name truly is a mirror in which Russia
itself is reflected.

Evidence:

Modern Russia derives its name from the Kevian Rus’, the ancestors of Russia, Ukraine,
and Belarus. The name Rus’ comes from an Old Norse word for ‘the men who row.’

Historical sources from the period are scarce, so it is impossible to state anything with
absolute certainty. That said, it is now commonly believed that ‘the men who rowed’ were
Vikings who arrived from the territory of modern-day Sweden and became dominant in the
region for at least a few centuries. The Vikings rowed from Sweden to the now-Russian
territories and down the rivers all the way to Ukraine.

The earliest human settlements in Russia arose around A.D. 500, as Scandinavians
moved south to areas around the upper Volga River. These settlers mixed with Slavs from the
west and built a fortress that would eventually become the Ukrainian city of Kiev.
 Kiev evolved into an empire that ruled most of European Russia for 200 years, then broke
up into Ukraine, Belarus and Muscovy. Muscovy’s capital, Moscow, remained a small trading
post until the 13th century, when Mongol invasions in the south drove people to settle in
Moscow.

In the 1550s, Muscovite ruler Ivan IV became Russia’s first tsar (Russian emperor) after
driving the Mongols out of Kiev and unifying the region. In 1682, Peter the Great became tsar at
the age of just ten, and for 42 years he worked to make Russia more modern and more European.
In 1917, Russians, unhappy with their government, overthrew the tsar and formed a new elected
government. Just a few months later, however, a communist group called the Bolsheviks seized
power. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(U.S.S.R.) from Russia and 11 other countries.

The U.S.S.R. fought on the side of the United States in World War II. But soon after the
war ended in 1945, relations between the two powers and their allies became strained, leading to
what’s known as the Cold War. After decades of conflict, the Cold War ended in 1991 with the
breakup of the Soviet Union.

Discussion:

We grow accustomed to the names we frequently use. They become such an integral part
of the way we perceive the world that we rarely ponder their origins. But all words come from
somewhere and tracing their ancestry can turn into a fascinating journey into the most remote
past. It’s especially true with respect to the names of countries: their histories reveal a lot about
the countries themselves.

This brief history of why Russia is called Russia; a history of war, conquest, and the
Vikings, proves the statement of Winston Churchill – “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery
inside an enigma”.
Modern Russia derives its name from the Kevian Rus’, the ancestors of
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The name Rus’ comes from an Old Norse word
for ‘the men who row.’

Historical sources from the period are scarce, so it is impossible to state

anything with absolute certainty. That said, it is now commonly believed that
‘the men who rowed’ were Vikings who arrived from the territory of modern-
day Sweden and became dominant in the region for at least a few centuries.
The Vikings rowed from Sweden to the now-Russian territories and down the
rivers all the way to Ukraine.

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy was able to emerge from over
200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and
absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty
continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under Peter I (ruled
1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed
the Russian Empire.

During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia.
Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905,
which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating
defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities
of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The
Communists under Vladimir Lenin seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The
brutal rule of Josif Stalin (1928-53) strengthened Communist rule and Russian
dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives.

The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General
Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika
(restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently
released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other
independent republics.

Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favour of a
centralized semi-authoritarian state whose legitimacy is buttressed, in part, by carefully
managed national elections, former President Putin’s genuine popularity, and the
prudent management of Russia’s windfall energy wealth. Russia has severely disabled
a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North
Caucasus.

The earliest human settlements in Russia arose around A.D. 500, as Scandinavians
moved south to areas around the upper Volga River. These settlers mixed with Slavs
from the west and built a fortress that would eventually become the Ukrainian city of Kiev.

Kiev evolved into an empire that ruled most of European Russia for 200 years, then
broke up into Ukraine, Belarus and Muscovy. Muscovy’s capital, Moscow, remained a
small trading post until the 13th century, when Mongol invasions in the south drove
people to settle in Moscow.

In the 1550s, Muscovite ruler Ivan IV became Russia’s first tsar (Russian emperor) after
driving the Mongols out of Kiev and unifying the region. In 1682, Peter the
Great became tsar at the age of just ten, and for 42 years he worked to make Russia
more modern and more European.

In 1917, Russians, unhappy with their government, overthrew the tsar and formed a new
elected government. Just a few months later, however, a communist group called
the Bolsheviks seized power. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, created the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) from Russia and 11 other countries.

The U.S.S.R. fought on the side of the United States in World War II. But soon after the
war ended in 1945, relations between the two powers and their allies became strained,
leading to what’s known as the Cold War. After decades of conflict, the Cold War ended
in 1991 with the break up of the Soviet Union.