Russian History
... A.D., the Varangians quickly became the rulers of northern Russia. Meanwhile, Kii, a Slavic prince, had formed the Kievan Territory. This territory was later conquered in 880 A.D. by Rurik’s successor Oleg. Oleg then made the city his capital. These two areas united, deeming Russia, whose name is derived from the Viking word “ruotsi”, meaning “oarsman”, one of the largest kingdoms in the world, which may be how Russia gained numerous victories in World War I. In 1914, Serbia sought shelter from Austria’s implied hostilities in Russia and being an idol amongst the Slavic nations, Russia responded. Czar Nicholas II began to prepare his troops for the inevitable. Before long, Germany declared war on Russia. Russia was joined in World War I by France, which quickly caused Germany to declare war on them also. France was attacked first because of Germany’s expectations of a slow preparation of the Russian armies. Though it did take some time for Russia to prepare for war, their preparation progressed much quicker than opposing forces had first expected. In a rather small amount of time, Russia had mobilized an army of nearly twelve million men, one of the largest armies in all of World War I; and with this immense of a military, Russia gained numerous victories against German troops in Prussia. In addition to these victories, they also defeated the Germans on the country’s eastern-most coast; however, they suffered a titanic loss at the battle of Tannenburg. Russia soon realized that they were experiencing an enormous shortage of artillery for such a large infantry. Some Russian troops were even at a loss of rifles, a common necessity in any war. Because of this, all soldiers who had no rifles were stationed behind those who did not have this disadvantage, and when one of these men were killed, a rifle-less soldier retrieved his weapon and reported to the frontline. Although there were solutions to shortages like this, Russia’s involvement in World War I proved to be destructive for the country. After nearly three years at war with Germany, Russian citizens were disappointed in their country and there were few differences between the Russian military and any other at that time. Consequently, Russia began to experience a number of changes that would forever change the country. This, along with many other problems within Russian borders, prompted the country to make peace with Germany and abort the war. Little did they know that they would later be involved in World War II as well. World War II began on September 1,1939 when Hitler’s troops invaded Poland from the west. A short time later, on September 17, Russia also invaded Poland, but from the east. Russian troops, who claimed that they had to protect their borders, soon occupied the area and later attacked Finland on November 30, 1939. By March of 1940, Russia had won much of Finland’s territory. The country was expelled from the League of Nations for this particular attack. On June 22, 1941, German forces invaded Russia. The country’s warplanes destroyed a colossal portion of the Russian Air Force while Hitler’s troops retreated into Soviet Territory, In September 1941, troops captured Kiev and Leningrad and by December, had come close to Moscow. This attack lasted until early1944, when German troops aborted. Great Britain, in partnership with many other countries, welcomed Russia’s participation in the war agains...