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How far do you suppose it is to Siberia from our country?—how many miles away would you say?—eight thousand?—ten thousand miles? As a matter of fact, it is only about fifty miles—yes, that’s right, fifty miles—for the short way is across to Alaska. Between Siberia and Alaska is a narrow strip of water called Bering Strait, and when this is frozen over, one could walk across from Asia to America. On the map there is also a long string of islands that look like stepping-stones, but one would have to be a giant to walk across that way. Some say that the Indians and Eskimos in Alaska and the United States may have come across Bering Strait from Asia long, long ago, and that they look something like the Chinese because they once came from that country.
Before World War I, when Russia had a czar, people who hated the czar or were supposed to hate the czar, or who had said anything against the czar, or even thought anything against the czar, were made prisoners, tornaway from their families and friends, and sent to far-off Siberia to work in the mines. Many of them perished before reaching there. Most of them never returned.
After World War I, there was a revolution. The people rose up and threw out the Czar’s government. The new government was taken over by a group of Russians called Communists. These Communists killed the czar and hisfamily and most of the well-to-do people of Russia. The Communists made many changes. They started schools. They killed all farmers who owned large farms and gave their land to many poor people to farm. They started factories and opened stores and built railroads and airlines. They made large dams across the rivers so theycould use waterpower to send electric current to the factories.
