1.
Olga Chekhova
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Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova, born Knipper (Russian, Ольга Константиновна Чехова was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the lead in Alfred Hitchcocks Mary. Born Olga Knipper, she was the daughter of Konstantin Knipper, a railway engineer and she went to school in Tsarskoye Selo but, after watching Eleonora Duse, joined the Moscow Art Theatres studio. There she met the great actor Mikhail Chekhov in 1914 and married him the same year and their daughter, also named Olga, was born in 1916. During the year of the 1917 October Revolution, Chekhova divorced her husband and she managed to get a travel passport from the Soviet government, possibly in exchange for her cooperation, which led to permission to leave Russia. She was accompanied by a Soviet agent on a train to Vienna and her first cinema role was in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau silent movie Schloß Vogelöd. She played in Max Reinhardts productions at UFA, the studios where Fritz Lang directed Metropolis. She made the transition from silent film to talkies. In the 1930s, she rose to one of the brightest stars of the Third Reich and was admired by Adolf Hitler. She appeared in films as Der Choral von Leuthen although she preferred comedies. A published photograph of her sitting beside Hitler at a reception gave the leaders of the Soviet intelligence service the impression that she had contacts with Hitler. She had more contact with the Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels and she is also rumored to have been a communist spy in a Russian conspiracy. Also, the controversial Argentine theater book Hotel Berlin 1933 by Pablo Sodor shows a relationship between Chekhova and Karl Heinrich von Stülpnagel, during World War II her acting career was less successful, her one film made in Hollywood was unpopular, largely because her accent was too strong. After the war she lived in the Soviet sector of Berlin, in 1949, she moved to Munich, Bavaria, and launched a cosmetics company. At the same time she continued acting, and played supporting roles and she largely retired from acting in the 70s, after publishing a book of memoirs. Her correspondence with Russian actors Olga Knipper and Alla Tarasova was published posthumously, beevor, Antony The Mystery of Olga Chekhova, was Hitlers favorite actress a Russian spy
2.
People's Artist of the USSR
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Peoples Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union. The term is used to translate two Russian language titles, Народный артист СССР, awarded in performing arts and Народный художник СССР. Each Soviet Republic, as well as the Autonomous Republics, had an award held previously by virtually every receiver of the higher title of Peoples Artist of the USSR. As this title was granted by the government, honorees were afforded certain privileges, accordingly, artists and authors who expressed criticism of the Communist Party were seldom granted such recognition, if not outright censored. The title was bestowed for exceptional achievements in the arts in the Soviet Union. Its recipients included many of the composers, dancers, singers, film. In all, there were 1010 recipients of the award, the title was introduced in 1936, replacing the earlier title of Peoples Artist of the Republic. The first recipients of the title were Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Ivan Moskvin, Antonina Nezhdanova, Boris Shchukin, Kulyash Baiseitova, the last persons to be honoured with the title were Sofia Pilyavskaya and Oleg Yankovsky. Originally, the title was bestowed on theatre actors, ballet dancers, gradually, it came to be bestowed upon film actors, composers, violinist, pop singers, comedians, and even circus performers such as Natalya Durova and Oleg Popov. Normally, a person was named the Peoples Artist of the USSR after 40 years of age, the youngest female persons to receive this title were Kazakh opera singers Kulyash Baiseitova and Halima Nasyrova. The youngest men were Uzbek singer Batir Zakirov, followed by the Azerbaijani baritone operatic, among the actors, the youngest recipient was Sergey Bondarchuk. The youngest actress to receive the title was Yuri Andropovs daughter-in-law, Lyudmila Chursina, as of 2009, the earliest living recipient is Turkmen opera singer Maya Kuliyeva. The title of Peoples Painter of the Soviet Union was awarded for achievements in certain visual arts, painting, sculpture, drawing. The lesser title of Meritorious Painter of the Soviet Union was also awarded for achievement in these fields
3.
Glazov
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Glazov is a town in the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located along the Trans-Siberian Railway, on the Cheptsa River. It was first mentioned in the 17th century chronicles as a village, during the Russian Civil War, the town was of considerable military importance. It was taken by Kolchaks general Anatoly Pepelyayev on June 2,1919, within the framework of administrative divisions, Glazov serves as the administrative center of Glazovsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the town of significance of Glazov—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the town of significance of Glazov is incorporated as Glazov Urban Okrug. The town is known for Chepetsk Mechanical Works, Russian main producer of uranium, zirconium, and calcium metals for nuclear plants, military. Apart from machine-building, there are wood-working, clothing, and food industries, there are five establishments of higher education in the town, notably Glazov State Pedagogical Institute named after Vladimir Korolenko and the Glazov branch of Izhevsk State Technical University. Закон №46-РЗ от19 октября2006 г, «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Удмуртской Республики», в ред. Закона №60-РЗ от12 октября2012 г, «О внесении изменений в отдельные Законы Удмуртской Республики». Вступил в силу через десять дней после официального опубликования, Опубликован, Известия Удмуртской Республики, №185,12 декабря2006 г. Закон №56-РЗ от12 ноября2004 г, «Об установлении границы муниципального образования и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципального образования на территории города Глазова Удмуртской Республики», в ред. Закона №8-РЗ от23 марта2015 г, «О внесении изменений в отдельные Законы Удмуртской Республики в части уточнения описания границ муниципальных образований город Глазов и Глазовский район». Вступил в силу с1 января2005 г, Опубликован, Собрание законодательства Удмуртской Республики, №5,25 июля2005 г. Закон №75-РЗ от30 ноября2004 г, «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципальных образований на территории Глазовского района Удмуртской Республики», в ред. Закона №8-РЗ от23 марта2015 г, «О внесении изменений в отдельные Законы Удмуртской Республики в части уточнения описания границ муниципальных образований город Глазов и Глазовский район». Вступил в силу с1 января2005 г, Опубликован, Собрание законодательства Удмуртской Республики, №5,25 июля2005 г. Official website of Glazov Unofficial website of Glazov
4.
Vyatka Governorate
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Vyatka Governorate was a governorate of the Russian Empire and USSR, with its capital in city Vyatka, from 1796 to 1929. In the governorate’s area were situated most parts of modern Kirov Oblast, Vyatka Governorate was bordered with Vologda Governorate, Perm Governorate, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan governorates, and Kostroma Governorate. Its area was approximately 169,629 km2, Russian people composed 77. 4% of the population, Udmurt people –12. 5%, Mari people –4. 8%, and Tatar people –4. 1%. According to 1958 data, the population was 2,123,904, detailed map of Vyatka Governorate by A. A. Ilin,1876
5.
Russian Empire
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The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until it was overthrown by the short-lived February Revolution in 1917. One of the largest empires in history, stretching over three continents, the Russian Empire was surpassed in landmass only by the British and Mongol empires. The rise of the Russian Empire happened in association with the decline of neighboring powers, the Swedish Empire, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Persia. It played a role in 1812–14 in defeating Napoleons ambitions to control Europe. The House of Romanov ruled the Russian Empire from 1721 until 1762, and its German-descended cadet branch, with 125.6 million subjects registered by the 1897 census, it had the third-largest population in the world at the time, after Qing China and India. Like all empires, it included a large disparity in terms of economics, ethnicity, there were numerous dissident elements, who launched numerous rebellions and assassination attempts, they were closely watched by the secret police, with thousands exiled to Siberia. Economically, the empire had an agricultural base, with low productivity on large estates worked by serfs. The economy slowly industrialized with the help of foreign investments in railways, the land was ruled by a nobility from the 10th through the 17th centuries, and subsequently by an emperor. Tsar Ivan III laid the groundwork for the empire that later emerged and he tripled the territory of his state, ended the dominance of the Golden Horde, renovated the Moscow Kremlin, and laid the foundations of the Russian state. Tsar Peter the Great fought numerous wars and expanded an already huge empire into a major European power, Catherine the Great presided over a golden age. She expanded the state by conquest, colonization and diplomacy, continuing Peter the Greats policy of modernisation along West European lines, Tsar Alexander II promoted numerous reforms, most dramatically the emancipation of all 23 million serfs in 1861. His policy in Eastern Europe involved protecting the Orthodox Christians under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and that connection by 1914 led to Russias entry into the First World War on the side of France, Britain, and Serbia, against the German, Austrian and Ottoman empires. The Russian Empire functioned as a monarchy until the Revolution of 1905. The empire collapsed during the February Revolution of 1917, largely as a result of failures in its participation in the First World War. Perhaps the latter was done to make Europe recognize Russia as more of a European country, Poland was divided in the 1790-1815 era, with much of the land and population going to Russia. Most of the 19th century growth came from adding territory in Asia, Peter I the Great introduced autocracy in Russia and played a major role in introducing his country to the European state system. However, this vast land had a population of 14 million, grain yields trailed behind those of agriculture in the West, compelling nearly the entire population to farm. Only a small percentage lived in towns, the class of kholops, close to the one of slavery, remained a major institution in Russia until 1723, when Peter I converted household kholops into house serfs, thus including them in poll taxation
6.
Moscow
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Moscow is the capital and most populous city of Russia, with 13.2 million residents within the city limits and 17.8 million within the urban area. Moscow has the status of a Russian federal city, Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the largest city entirely on the European continent. Moscow is the northernmost and coldest megacity and metropolis on Earth and it is home to the Ostankino Tower, the tallest free standing structure in Europe, the Federation Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, and the Moscow International Business Center. Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia, the city is well known for its architecture, particularly its historic buildings such as Saint Basils Cathedral with its brightly colored domes. Moscow is the seat of power of the Government of Russia, being the site of the Moscow Kremlin, the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square are also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both chambers of the Russian parliament also sit in the city and it is recognized as one of the citys landmarks due to the rich architecture of its 200 stations. In old Russian the word also meant a church administrative district. The demonym for a Moscow resident is москвич for male or москвичка for female, the name of the city is thought to be derived from the name of the Moskva River. There have been proposed several theories of the origin of the name of the river and its cognates include Russian, музга, muzga pool, puddle, Lithuanian, mazgoti and Latvian, mazgāt to wash, Sanskrit, majjati to drown, Latin, mergō to dip, immerse. There exist as well similar place names in Poland like Mozgawa, the original Old Russian form of the name is reconstructed as *Москы, *Mosky, hence it was one of a few Slavic ū-stem nouns. From the latter forms came the modern Russian name Москва, Moskva, in a similar manner the Latin name Moscovia has been formed, later it became a colloquial name for Russia used in Western Europe in the 16th–17th centuries. From it as well came English Muscovy, various other theories, having little or no scientific ground, are now largely rejected by contemporary linguists. The surface similarity of the name Russia with Rosh, an obscure biblical tribe or country, the oldest evidence of humans on the territory of Moscow dates from the Neolithic. Within the modern bounds of the city other late evidence was discovered, on the territory of the Kremlin, Sparrow Hills, Setun River and Kuntsevskiy forest park, etc. The earliest East Slavic tribes recorded as having expanded to the upper Volga in the 9th to 10th centuries are the Vyatichi and Krivichi, the Moskva River was incorporated as part of Rostov-Suzdal into the Kievan Rus in the 11th century. By AD1100, a settlement had appeared on the mouth of the Neglinnaya River. The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 as a place of Yuri Dolgoruky. At the time it was a town on the western border of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality
7.
Soviet Union
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The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a union of national republics, but its government. The Soviet Union had its roots in the October Revolution of 1917 and this established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and started the Russian Civil War between the revolutionary Reds and the counter-revolutionary Whites. In 1922, the communists were victorious, forming the Soviet Union with the unification of the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, following Lenins death in 1924, a collective leadership and a brief power struggle, Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s. Stalin suppressed all opposition to his rule, committed the state ideology to Marxism–Leninism. As a result, the country underwent a period of rapid industrialization and collectivization which laid the foundation for its victory in World War II and postwar dominance of Eastern Europe. Shortly before World War II, Stalin signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact agreeing to non-aggression with Nazi Germany, in June 1941, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, opening the largest and bloodiest theater of war in history. Soviet war casualties accounted for the highest proportion of the conflict in the effort of acquiring the upper hand over Axis forces at battles such as Stalingrad. Soviet forces eventually captured Berlin in 1945, the territory overtaken by the Red Army became satellite states of the Eastern Bloc. The Cold War emerged by 1947 as the Soviet bloc confronted the Western states that united in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. Following Stalins death in 1953, a period of political and economic liberalization, known as de-Stalinization and Khrushchevs Thaw, the country developed rapidly, as millions of peasants were moved into industrialized cities. The USSR took a lead in the Space Race with Sputnik 1, the first ever satellite, and Vostok 1. In the 1970s, there was a brief détente of relations with the United States, the war drained economic resources and was matched by an escalation of American military aid to Mujahideen fighters. In the mid-1980s, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, sought to reform and liberalize the economy through his policies of glasnost. The goal was to preserve the Communist Party while reversing the economic stagnation, the Cold War ended during his tenure, and in 1989 Soviet satellite countries in Eastern Europe overthrew their respective communist regimes. This led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements inside the USSR as well, in August 1991, a coup détat was attempted by Communist Party hardliners. It failed, with Russian President Boris Yeltsin playing a role in facing down the coup. On 25 December 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the twelve constituent republics emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as independent post-Soviet states
8.
Anton Chekhov
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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics and his best short stories are held in esteem by writers. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his career, Medicine is my lawful wife, he once said. These four works present a challenge to the ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a theatre of mood. Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain, but as his artistic ambition grew and he made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them. Anton Chekhov was born on the feast day of St. Anthony the Great 29 January 1860, the third of six surviving children, in Taganrog, a port on the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. His father, Pavel Yegorovich Chekhov, the son of a serf and his Ukrainian wife, were from the village Vilkhovatka near Kobeliaky. A director of the choir, devout Orthodox Christian, and physically abusive father. Chekhovs mother, Yevgeniya, was an excellent storyteller who entertained the children with tales of her travels with her cloth-merchant father all over Russia and our talents we got from our father, Chekhov remembered, but our soul from our mother. Despotism and lying so mutilated our childhood that its sickening and frightening to think about it, remember the horror and disgust we felt in those times when Father threw a tantrum at dinner over too much salt in the soup and called Mother a fool. Chekhov attended the Greek School in Taganrog and the Taganrog Gymnasium and he sang at the Greek Orthodox monastery in Taganrog and in his fathers choirs. In 1876, Chekhovs father was declared bankrupt after overextending his finances building a new house, to avoid debtors prison he fled to Moscow, where his two eldest sons, Alexander and Nikolay, were attending university. The family lived in poverty in Moscow, Chekhovs mother physically and emotionally broken by the experience, Chekhov was left behind to sell the familys possessions and finish his education. Chekhov remained in Taganrog for three years, boarding with a man called Selivanov who, like Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, had bailed out the family for the price of their house. Chekhov had to pay for his own education, which he managed by private tutoring, catching and selling goldfinches and he sent every ruble he could spare to his family in Moscow, along with humorous letters to cheer them up. Chekhov also enjoyed a series of affairs, one with the wife of a teacher. In 1879, Chekhov completed his schooling and joined his family in Moscow, Chekhov now assumed responsibility for the whole family
