In 2012, our country celebrates a significant anniversary - the 1150th anniversary of the founding of the state of Russia. The history of our Motherland goes back centuries. Once in ancient times it was called Russia, and relatively recently - the Soviet Union, or abbreviated USSR. But most of the time of its existence, our Fatherland bore the same name as now - Russia was, is and will be a great power. And not because it is the largest country in the world. The reason is different: Russia is one of the most powerful states, plays a leading role in the international arena, affects everything that happens on the globe. This book tells about how the history of Russia developed, how many pages of its past are crowned with glory, how our Fatherland gained a great destiny.