From the last Tsar to the first Soviets: Russia 1894-1924

Between Nicholas II becoming Tsar in 1894, and the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, Russia experienced extraordinary upheaval, suffering, hope, and despair. This course focuses on the last decades of Tsarism and considers how the 300-year old Romanov autocracy crumbled so quickly. It assesses how the stability of the Tsarist Empire was shattered by war and revolutions, examines the early years of the Soviet state that led to the formation of the USSR, and discusses the nature of Soviet Russia at the time of Lenin’s death.