Modern History of Russia The reigns of Peter I and Catherine the Great in the late 1600s and the 1700s marked the beginning of Russia's establishment as a major European power. These rulers attempted to westernize the traditional society of Moscow, and they ambitiously expanded Russian territories. In the early 1800s, Alexander I began to carry out further plans to westernize the government by attempting to create a Duma, or representative body. However, Russia became …showed first 75 words of 774 total…

…showed last 75 words of 774 total…Chechen and Russian leaders signed a broad agreement, bringing the war in Chechnya to an end. The agreement called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces and for any decision on Chechnya's political status to be postponed until December 2001. On New Year’s Eve in December of 1999, Yeltsin announced his resignation and was succeeded by Vladimir Putin as president. Vladimir Putin is an ex-KGB officer and is aligned with many ex-KGB officers and Communist conservatives.