History of Russia

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/history-of-russia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the establishment of kievan rus?Circa 9th century
2. What is the mongol domination period?Mid-13th century to late 15th century
3. What was Kievan Rus' and why was it important?Kievan Rus' was an early Russian state that began in the 9th century. It united different tribes, built trade routes along rivers like the Dnieper, and became the first big city in Europe to adopt Orthodox Christianity in 988.
4. Why did Russia call itself the "Third Rome"?After the fall of Constantinople, Moscow saw itself as the next great center of Christianity. It called itself the "Third Rome" to show that it was the new leading city after Rome and Constantinople.

Varangians: Norse explorers, traders, and warriors who played a role in the early history of Eastern Europe, including the formation of the Rus' states.
Time of Troubles: A period of political crisis and civil war in Russia following the end of the Rurik dynasty in 1598.
Autocracy: A system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are not subject to external legal restraints.
Bolsheviks: A radical faction of Russian socialists, led by Vladimir Lenin, who seized power during the October Revolution of 1917.