The Russian Federation has a rich and vast history; and has made a long journey to become a democratic state — from monarchical rule of the tsar, the Russian Revolution that stretched from 1917-23 and led to the overthrowing of the monarchy and the rise of Communism, to the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was finally in 1991 that the country established itself as an independent Russian Federation.

The immediate cause of the Russian Revolution of 1917 was the government’s poor handling of World War I. Lacking in terms of both leadership and equipment, the Russian army suffered major losses in the War. A Russian Provisional government, comprising members of the Parliament, was appointed to take place of the monarchy. However, the common people believed that those in the position of authority in Russia during the early 20th century were more supportive of capitalism. As the Revolution prevailed, there was a shift towards Communism due to the domination of the communists and the left-leaning ideologies of the middle class. This was marked by the formation of a number of Communist political organizations, such as the Bolsheviks (the Russian Communist Party) led by Vladimir Lenin, which overthrew the provisional government, thus establishing a Soviet state.

Known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the one-party state was the largest country in the world (by area), spreading across 11 time zones. Over a period of time, various republics were incorporated into the Union, including a large part of Eastern Europe and Asia. Establishing its capital in Moscow, the Communist Party focused on Marx and Lenin’s ideology of a state-controlled economy and countering capitalism. First under Lenin, and later under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union underwent a number of changes in the process of establishing itself as a Socialist state.

The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 as a result of unrest by various republics. One such protest was the Baltic Way (Chain of Freedom), a peaceful protest for liberation that began on August 23, 1989, in which an estimated 2 million people formed a human chain across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Russia celebrates June 12 as Russia Day. On this day, in 1990, the Declaration of Sovereignty, which announced Russia “independent” from the USSR was formally adopted. The Russian Federation has been established as a federal, semi-presidential, constitutional republic; and has had four Presidents till now. Boris Yeltsin, Dmitry Medvedev, and Vladimir Putin (first elected in Dec. 1999, re-elected in 2012), who is the current President.