Geography and History of Eurasia (Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus)

The term “Eurasia” is used in three ways: first, Eurasia is used both as a part of geographical and historical discourse. The concept of Eurasia refers to states that are economically, culturally, and politically close to each other and share the samefate. The third usage of Eurasia comprises Russia, Turkey, and five Central Asian countries.

The Russian Federation is the strongest and largest country in the Eurasian region.

The Baltic Republics - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - became members of the European Union and NATO, thus avoiding being dependent on Russia.

While the North Caucasus is a part of the Russian Federation, there are three independent states in the south of the Caucasus Mountains, the region called the Southern Caucasus. While Georgia, one of these states, wants to move closer to the West, its Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions have long been under the control of separatist forces supported by Russia.

The Urals mountain range runs from north to south. This mountain range divides Russia into the west (Europe) and east (Siberia) and separates Europe from Asia.

Its political borders are surrounded by the Russian Federation in the north, China in the east, Afghanistan, and Iran in the south.

The peoples of the North Caucasus can be divided into four in general groups: Circassians, or as they call themselves, Adige communities on the north-west and the Black Sea coast, including Adygians, Circassians and Kabardians, indigenous Caucasians such as Chechens or Ingush; Descendants of the Turkish-speaking settlers such as Karachay, Balkar and Kumuks in the 13th century; there are several much smaller ethnic groups besides Iranian speakers such as Ossetians.

Tsar Peter I, the Russian Tsarist Empire, started the modernization process, first its military and then all state structure to adapt the western model.

Catherine, the Great, led the state to one of the most powerful states in her time. She expanded territories and supported new intellectual movements and reforms strongly enough to become known as an enlightened despot.

The Russian government, under the massive debt, decided to sell Alaska to the United States in 1867 for $ 7.2.

The murder of the Austro-Hungarian crown prince and his wife by a Serbian nationalist ignited the First World War.

Lenin’s ‘April Theses’ contained two slogans-‘Peace, Bread and Land’ and ‘All Power to the Soviets.’

Although the Central Asian region bears the names of Turan, Maverannahr, Desht-i Kipchak, and Turkestan in different historical periods.

The arrival of Turkic-speaking tribes to Central Asia took place between the 5th and 10th centuries.

As a result of expanding the Russian Tsarist railway network to Turkistan, the Russian settlement in the fertile lands in the region accelerated.

By 1924, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan had been formed, with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan appearing later. In the 1920s, the Khanates of Central Asia ceased to exist. Five union socialist republics of Central Asia were created.

The three central communities of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijani Turks, Georgians, and Armenians..

Another result of the Turkmenchay Treaty that is valid today is the Azerbaijani Turks’ division into north and south. With this treaty, the northern part came under the Russian Tsar’s sovereignty, and south Azerbaijan was left to Iran.

As a result of the Ottoman-Russian War of 1828- 1830, the Russians settled in the Caucasus region. The leaders of Naqshbandi and Kadiri orders’ leaders, who were active in the region, started a jihad against the Tsarist state. This struggle, also known as the Murid Wars, continued until the second half of the 19th century.

The victory achieved in the Second World War is seen as the most magnificent historical moment in the history of the Soviet Union. It is still celebrated with enthusiasm as a victory day in many post-Soviet states. It is called the Great Patriotic War.