Russia: from Lenin to Putin

This course explores the tremendous changes that Russia has seen in the last one hundred years. It begins by looking at the end of the Tsarist system during the revolutionary year of 1917. The formation of the Soviet Union and the Leninist system is then discussed, after which we turn to the question of why Stalin won the power struggle after Lenin’s death. We then focus on the Stalinist system and consider the great changes that occurred in this period, questioning how the USSR under Stalin survived the Great Patriotic War. The course then examines the post-Stalinist era and the rule of Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev. Here we ask how significant the changes and continuities were in an era of ‘de-Stalinisation’, and consider the changing nature of Soviet socialism. Towards the end of the course, we look at Gorbachev’s reforms – perestroika and glasnost – and their dramatic consequences as he presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last two sessions focus on post-Soviet Russia. We assess the impact that Yel’tsin’s reforms had on Russia’s political and economic system, and then consider whether Putin’s main concern is democracy or stability in early 21st century Russia.