This course surveys Russian history from the origins of the Kievan state to the period of the Great Reforms of Alexander II, ending with his assassination in 1881. Although studying roughly a millennium of history seems daunting, the segmented character of Russian history facilitates our task. These are some important demarcations: Kievan Rus (c.900-1240), the Mongol period (c.1240-1480), the Muscovite period (including its rise under the Mongols and its emergence as a great power before Peter the Great), and the greater part of the St. Petersburg period (c.1700-1917). We focus upon the factors that shaped Russian culture (including its political culture) and gave modern Russia a history punctuated by desperate but futile upheavals from below and costly changes forced from above.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-24-2000
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459