This small-scale rule continued until the late 1800s when the Russians entered the region, first taking lands from the Turkmen in 1869. This invasion was not well received by the Turkmen and soon wars had begun. However, the Russians held much larger and more powerful weapons and after tens of thousands of Turkmen deaths, in 1894 the Russians took full control over the Turkmen people.
The Russians quickly established military bases and transportation networks in Turkmenistan to secure power. They also encouraged ethnic Russians to settle the region as larger cities developed under Russian rule. This tension escalated in 1916 when the Russians decided that the Turkmen could be drafted to fight in the Russian army, leading to more revolts.
Russian rule came to an end in 1917 when the Soviets took power, however this only flared more violence as the Turkmen proved to be staunchly anti-communist and fought the Bolsheviks until the final hold outs fled to Afghanistan and Iran in 1923.
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1924 and it became a destination for Russians and political exiles soon after. The land has numerous natural resources, including vast amounts of natural gas, causing a great influx of Russians and industrialization. This also created an effort by the Soviets to settle the primarily nomadic Turkmen people to work in factories and in fields, a task that was not welcomed. The Soviets also deported numerous people to the region in order to prevent revolts by these minorities, most notably the Tatars and other Muslims from the Caucus region.
Under Soviet rule the Turkmen faced many hardships and a massive earthquake in 1948 didn't help matters as up to two thirds of Ashgabat's population died from the event, something that will always be remembered by the people as it remains an important moment in the country's history to this day.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Turkmen leader, Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Turkmenbashi) took the reins of the country as he sort of turned the country into his personal playground. He wrote two books (Ruhnama) defining Turkmen culture and lifestyle along with creating some of the world's most bazaar laws, like banning lip synching and recorded music at weddings. Like a needy child, Turkmenbashi led his country with corruption and some violence; however was truly a slave to the people and their opinion of him. Turkmenbashi died in 2006, but left his Cult of Personality behind for all to enjoy, including a gold statue of himself that rotates to always face the sun.
Since independence, Turkmenistan has remained neutral and has sustained its economy almost solely through the export of natural resources. The country's new president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has proven to be as corrupt as Turkmenbashi, however has not been as successful in building his cult of personality as of yet.