If you're interested in learning more about the Russian government's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, check out this vlogbrothers video published on 3/15/2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMZYKxgc9TE

In which John Green teaches you how Russia evolved from a loose amalgamation of medieval principalities known as the Kievan Rus into the thriving democracy we know today. As you can imagine, there were a few bumps along the road. It turns out that our old friends the Mongols had quite a lot to do with unifying Russia. In yet another example of how surprisingly organized nomadic raiders can be, the Mongols brought the Kievan Rus together under a single leadership and concentrated power in Moscow. This set the stage for the various Ivans (the Great and the Terrible) to throw off the yoke and form a pan-Russian nation ruled by an autocratic leader. More than 500 years later, we still have autocratic leadership in Russia. All this, plus a rundown of some of our favorite atrocities of Ivan the Terrible, and a visit from Putin!

Chapters:
Introduction 00:00
The Kievan Rus 0:44
Trade in 11th-century Kiev (Kyiv) 1:28
Leadership & Government in Kiev (Kyiv) 2:15
Mongol Rule and the Era of Appanage Russia 2:50
The Mongols' Influence on Russia 3:19
How did Moscow become so prominent? 4:29
An Open Letter to Basil and Basil 6:11
Ivan the Great (Ivan III) Expands Moscow's Power 6:58
Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) 7:45
Credits 10:10

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