Catherine had to keep the nobility pleased at all times because if she didn't she could be dethroned easily. Because of this she carried out very few social reforms. Russia continued to follow an economic growth that Peter that Great had started. She tried to remove trade barriers, and assisted in expanding the middle class, which helped trade. Catherine II's great addition to Russia was the land she gained, she was able to add more territory to Russia than had been in nearly a century before her.

While nothing very important was achieved during Catherine's rule, she acquired valuable friends that proved to be useful in the future of Russia.

Alexander I. The successor of Paul I and the grandson of Catherine the Great, Alexander I spent the early part of his rule attempting to reform the administering body of the government. The reforms he initiated here brought about a much better trained group of officials.

After the Napoleonic Wars, Alexander I was in char

and the Soviet Union. If he had not taken such radical steps towards a future that had never been considered in Russia, the Soviet Union and Communism may have still existed in Russia today. A Russian leader never before held tenets similar to Gorbachev's after the Bolshevik Revolution. When Gorbachev came into power in 1985, Russia was in a going through hard times, technologically, economically, and agriculturally. He decided that the only way to save Russia was to stray from Bolshevik ideals. In essence, he attempted to create another United States out of the Soviet Union, which turned out to be a horrible mistake.

4) Narodnichesto means "to the people". Since most of the people in Russia are peasants it means going to the peasants. This idea was originated by Alexander Herzen in the 1840's and 1850's. Herzen was a critic of the tsarist regime. He lived in exile. When he was in London he published a newspaper called the The Bell, in which he set forth reformist positions.

6) The March Revolution: Food riots broke out in Petrograd, and when the Czar ordered the Duma to dissolve and they did not obey. Soldiers were not able to stop rioting in the cities. Workers and soldiers in Petrograd organized radical legislative bodies called Soviets. The rebellion spread throughout the country and to the troops, who deserted by tens of thousands.

During his reign many technical institutes were founded. By the end of his rule, there were a large number of trained professionals in Russia. His government also successfully completed the codification of laws, which led to better economic development, the stabilization of the currency, and the creation of protective tariffs.

When an election decreed for a Constituent Assembly by the provisional

The fall of the Soviet Social Republic has also presented harsh military realities. When USSR was a united state, it had but one army, this created major problems following its break-up. Each newly independent nation wishes for its own slice of the military pie. The nations wish to divide the arms of the Soviet army to suit themselves, as well as to divide up the soldiers so that they owe sole allegiance to their soil.

"Perestroika" is a term that means "restructuring," which was the goal

8) Russian leaders Stalin and Lenin had many differences and similarities. The major similarities and differences involved the role of party, use of terror, economic priorities, and nationalism.

Gorbachev renounced the Brezhnev Doctrine, which allowed Russian involvement in other Communist countries. This encouraged the nationalist sentiment to overthrow communist governments, because once the local governments did not have the support of Russia, thousands of people in Communist countries began to call for democracy. Gorbachev not only contributed to the break up of the Soviet Union, but also other Communist countries.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Alexander Herzen, Nicholas II, European Marxism, Brezhnev Doctrine, Soviet Union, Alexander II, Catherine II, Populism Students, Port Arthur, Social Democratic, soviet union, communist countries, alexander ii, nicholas ii, economic policy, provisional government, economically politically, russia soviet union, reforms initiated, secret police, communist countries revolutions, stalin lenin, renounced brezhnev doctrine, break soviet union, gorbachev renounced brezhnev,
Approximate Word count = 3708
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)