Serfdom is a labor system under which most European agricultural workers lived during the Middle Ages. ... Serfdom was distinguished by the severely limited civil and economic rights of the peasants (Great Soviet Encyclopedia, v23, p.361). ... Meat was limited and had only been hunted during the late fall to carry them through the winter and was usually only consumed during special occasions (Vuinich, p.13). ... This ever increasing exploitation of the serfs reduced them by the end of the seventeenth century and had so impoverished serfs that they were forced to give up many of their former a...

• Word Count: 3296
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Lenin had introduced a new economic policy, or NEP to help boost Russias economy, even though it went against the fundamentals of their party. The NEP had a small-scale production with a small state of capitalism to quickly boost agriculture in the economy. ... In trying to do this; a so-called, Bread war broke out with several kulaks, wealthy, rural landowners who were against the communist party during the revolution, revolts throughout Russia. After the Civil war, Russia was hit with a devastating famine. ...

• Word Count: 998
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

During his years in Switzerland he rose to a position of power in the Social Democratic party. ... He refused to take Russia out a war in which they were suffering severe losses and causing brutal hardship at home. ... The war with Germany was ended immediately. ... There was opposition and this led to a civil war in 1918 between the Mensheviks (Whites) and the Bolsheviks (Reds). ... This plan embraced some capital ideas (limited private industry) in order to revitalize the falling economy. ...

• Word Count: 1184
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

During the last decade the country has greatly advanced in building new civilized market relationships and certainly, the Russian market nowadays is not a "virgin land" ready to receive an immense quantity of any goods at any price. ... The recent arrest and jailing of one of Russia's wealthiest men Mikhail Khodorkovsky, head of oil giant Yukos has caused a ripple in the Russian economy, and Russia's economy is still facing the backlash of the arrest. ... During World War II, openly expressing Christian beliefs was allowed, since the government wanted to gain support of Christian na...

• Word Count: 4632
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School

At this time, war with Japan was impending. ... The defeat in this war and the expense it incurred were direct causes of the revolution which occured just a few weeks later. ... Peasants and workers revolted in an elemental and anarchic rebellion, ultimately turning a large-scale strike and bringing the government, economy, and all public services to a complete halt. ... Moreover, during the very first stages of the revolution, the workers themselves posed in practice not merely democratic problems but also purely socialist ones. ... First, it granted basic civil liberties to all,...

• Word Count: 1882
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School