Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
14
And Make It Snappy!
The term “bistro” is purported to have come from hungry Russian soldiers
descending on Paris in 1814, who demanded their meals fast—
bystro
in Rus-
sian—from harried servers in Montmartre's cafes.
husband to attain the throne. She greatly
expanded Russia's territory to the east and
south, and her foreign policies won her and
Russia great respect in the rest of Europe.
Russia's aristocracy came to speak French
better than Russian, a trend that continued
for generations.
Russia's love affair with France collapsed
under Napoleon, who gave Russia its big-
gest military challenge in centuries. The
French made it into Moscow in 1812—
but only after the Russians had set fires in
the city, stripped it bare, and fled, leaving
Napoleon's army without food and shelter
on the eve of winter. The
Grande Armée
retreated, and the Russians' victorious
drive into Paris 2 years later was immortal-
ized in poems, songs, and children's
rhymes.
led to greater support and recognition of
local composers, writers, and choreogra-
phers in the emerging art of ballet. Alexan-
der Pushkin became Russians' best-loved
poet, with his direct, melodic use of the
Russian language—and his liberal political
leanings, which ran him afoul of the czars.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky's fiction delved into
innermost existential depths in response to
repression from without. Pyotr Tchai-
kovsky's symphonies gave voice to the ter-
ror and triumph of war with France.
Writer Leo Tolstoy, playwright Alexander
Griboyedov, and artist Isaak Levitan were
among the legions of cultural heroes who
found success in their uniquely Russian
ways of expression.
READYING FOR
REVOLUTION
Much of Russia's 19th century was defined
by pre-revolutionary struggle, as radicals
studied the revolutions in the United States
and France, and the czars sought to stamp
out dissent even where it didn't exist. The
2
RUSSIA'S ARTISTIC APEX
Until the 19th century, Russia's artistic
developments were little known abroad
and underappreciated at home. That
changed after the Napoleonic Wars, as
Russia's confidence in its place in Europe
■
1917-19
Civil war ravages
Russia, ending in victory for
Lenin; capital is moved back
to Moscow.
■
1922
Union of Soviet Social-
ist Republics (USSR) officially
founded, eventually growing
to 15 republics.
■
1924
Death of Lenin.
■
1930s
Stalin's collectiviza-
tion kills millions; purges of
party and military leadership
take place.
■
1948
Soviets develop
atomic bomb.
■
1953
Death of Stalin.
■
1956
Nikita Khrushchev
denounces Stalin's policies in
a secret Politburo speech;
Hungarian uprising crushed.
■
1961
Soviets send first man
into space (Yuri Gagarin);
Berlin Wall built.
■
1962
Cuban Missile Crisis.
■
1968
“Prague Spring”
quashed by Soviet troops.
■
1939
Nazi-Soviet nonag-
gression pact divides eastern
Europe into spheres of influ-
ence.
■
1941
Hitler's army invades
the Soviet Union; Nazi siege
of Leningrad begins, lasting
900 days.
■
1943
Battle at Stalingrad
proves turning point in
World War II.
■
1945
Soviet army liberates
Auschwitz; Hitler defeated;
war ends; Yalta conference.
