The Isolation of Russia

At the time of the Age of Democratic Revolutions,

Russia had become isolated from Europe. The
isolation of Russia is a major factor in
understanding the behavior of the Russian people
and the decisions of the Czar at the time of the
Russian Revolution.
http://sheppardsoftware.com/Europeweb/snapshot/Russia.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Partition_of_the_Roman_Empire_in
_395_AD.png
 Byzantine Influence on Russia
Cyril and Methodius of the Eastern Orthodox
Church went as missionaries to Russia in the 800's.
In order to convert the slavic people there, they
created the cyrillic alphabet, which allowed them to
translate the Bible into the common language. The
cyrillic alphabet is unique and made it difficult for
Europeans to learn the Russian language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_using_Cyrillic
 Baroque Architecture
The St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kiev,
although started in 1113, represents one of the most typical
examples of Ukrainian Baroque architecture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Baroque
 The Influence of the Mongols
The Mongols were horseman who swept across the
plains as invaders in the 1200's. They ruled Russia
for approximately 300 years. At the time of their
invasion, Russia had been on a clear course towards
the development of democracy. Due to the
suppression of the Mongols and their strong
autocratic system, the Russians fell at least a century
(perhaps two) behind Europe. Russians did not
experience the European movements of the
Renaissance and Reformation.
 Russian Rulers
A combination of Mongol influence and Byzantine
influence may be seen in the Russian government.
Russia rulers were more powerful than other
absolute rulers due to the lack of a powerful noble or
middle class. Russian rulers were called Czars, after
the Roman title of Caesar.
The Russian Czar or Czarina, during the Romanov
reign, was the wealthiest person in the world.
 The Romanov Dynasty
The Romanov Dynasty was the oldest lineage of
absolutism in the modern world. The Romanovs had
ruled Russia since the 1600's. In 1917, at the dawn
of the Russian Revolution, Nicholas II was the ruler
of Russia, a Romanov, and the last of this line of
kings.
 Poor Peasant Population
Recall that the Third Estate in France made up 98%
of the population of France. Peasants made up a
similar percentage of the Russian population.
However, unlike the Third Estate, this group
included no wealthy middle class merchants. Most
of Russian was poor, uneducated and highly
suppressed.
The Lack of a Warm Water Seaport
By far, the most damaging and isolating condition of
Russia was the lack of a warm water port. The
Russian people had no access to the Mediterranean
for trade and the diffusion of culture with Europe.
They fell behind in industry and trade. Most of the
decisions made by this nation in the 20th century
reflect the desire for a warm water port.
 You should be able to...
● Discuss the unique features of Russian
Geography
● Give a detailed description of the reasons

for Russia's isolation (the “east-west

gap”).