B is the answer to the question you are asking... am I at 20 characters yet??
Areas like the Indus Valley Civilization (India), Egypt and China developed advanced civilizations first. Yes, geography played an important role. All of these civilizations had large rivers to support agriculture, Indus river in Indus Valley Civilization, Nile river in Egypt and Yellow river in China.
They allowed the Americans to avoid an amphibious invasion.
B. The Rejection of religious themes
Russia maintained successful relations with long-time allies, and struggled to modernize