At its peak, the land area reached 30 million square kilometers. At the end of 19, the land area reached 22.4 million square kilometers, with a population of 1 100 million. Moscow, the capital, moved to St. Petersburg after 17 12 years until 19 17 years.
The history of tsarist Russia
Peter the Great and the Russian Empire
At first, Russia was only a small country near Moscow, and its imperial status was not recognized by the West. 1696, the young Peter I became czar. At first, in order to protect the southern border, he began to fight Tatar and the Ottoman Empire. In order to continue the war with the Ottoman Empire, Peter began to look for allies in Europe, studied western science and technology, and visited Brandenburg, the Netherlands, Britain and the Holy Roman Empire.
In order to increase the opportunities of communication with the West and find Russia's estuary in the Baltic Sea, Peter stopped the war with the Ottoman Empire in 1700 and declared war on Sweden, one of the strongest countries in Europe at that time. At Narwa in the Gulf of Finland, the Swedish army proved that the Russian army was no match for them. Fortunately, Sweden was involved in the battle for the throne in Poland at this time. During this respite, Peter established a new westernized army; 1709 When the two armies met again in poltava, Russia defeated Sweden. The Northern War lasted until 172 1. Sweden agreed to the Nista Treaty, and Russia finally got a port in the Baltic Sea and a window to communicate with the West.
Russia's expansion and maturity
The era of Catherine II was the second prosperous period of the Russian empire, and the empire got quite a new version in the south and west. 1768, the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire broke out and ended with the signing of the Kenaga Lake Treaty in 1774. According to this treaty, Russia gained access to the Black Sea, Crimean Tatars became independent from the Ottoman Empire, and yekaterina annexed Crimea in 1783. 1787, the second Russian-Turkish war broke out, which ended in 1792, and Russia extended its influence to the Balkans. Although the Ottoman Empire was not completely driven out of Europe by Russia, it was no longer a serious threat from Russia. In the west, Russia used Poland's declining national strength to carve up Poland with Prussia and Austria.
Napoleonic wars
As a big European country, Russia also inevitably participated in the war with Napoleon France. 1865438+In June 2002, Napoleon led 600,000 troops to invade Russia, which was more than twice the size of the Russian regular army and better equipped. But when Napoleon advanced, he also faced the problem of over-expansion. Russia adopted the strategy of scorched earth war, and met the cold winter in Russia, which caused Napoleon to suffer catastrophic failure: less than 30 thousand people could return to their motherland. When the French army retreated, the Russian army advanced to Central and Western Europe and finally reached the gates of Paris. After the anti-French alliance defeated Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I was regarded as the savior of Europe.
Reform and revolution
/kloc-The late 9th century and the early 20th century were the crisis periods in Russia. The industrial revolution in Europe has widened the development gap between Russia and the West. Although the population of the empire is larger than that of any developing country in Europe, most of them are poor serfs. 1905 The failure of the Russo-Japanese War caused people to lose confidence in the imperial power, and bloody revolutions continued to occur in Russia. World War I was the last straw to crush the camel. 1965438+In March 2007, the citizens of St. Petersburg, the capital, launched an anti-hunger March, which triggered the February Revolution. On March 2nd, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated to his younger brother, Archduke Mikhail, but he refused, so the Romanov Dynasty perished and was replaced by the Russian interim government led by alexander kerensky.
The Historical Significance of the Russian Empire's Existence
Russian Empire is a country established by Russians to save backward nations and awaken new ideas and new cultures in Russia. His existence is less than 200 years. During this period, Russia developed from a backward and poor country into a powerful military empire, but it failed to really solve the poor living conditions of Russians. In addition, during this imperial rule, serfdom was not really abolished. Although the reform of Alexander II in 1862 laid a legal foundation for the freedom of Russian serfs, the tradition of discriminating against serfs for hundreds of years could not be changed.
As the last feudal country in Russian history, Russian Empire failed to complete the task of transition from feudal system to capitalist system. Therefore, it was not the Russian bourgeoisie that ultimately destroyed the Russian empire, but civilians and serfs. However, the establishment of the Russian Empire, to a certain extent, reflects the changes in Russia's international status and military strength. Since the establishment of 172 1 Russian Empire, any international political problems in Europe cannot be separated from Russian interference.