History: Modern Russia - From Lenin to Putin

Modern Russia experienced an extraordinary set of transformations from the early twentieth century onwards; from a backward nation it developed to become a great world power. Yet despite the apparent transformation, there is a sense in which its defining feature is its continuity. Despite the upheaval of political and economic revolutions, it is arguable that Russia remains essentially the same in its key features. The characteristics that defined it in 1917 are still observable in the Russia of Vladimir Putin, a contention that will be examined under the following heads.

The End of the Romanovs, 1914-17: Impact of the war 1914-17; the February Revolution; Why tsardom fell.

The Bolshevik takeover, 1917-24: Petrograd Soviet; Lenin, the Provisional government; the October Revolution; the Civil War; the role of Lenin.

Stalin's USSR, 1927-53: Trotsky-Stalin power struggle; Socialism in One Country; the Purges; the Great Fatherland War; the 'doctors plot'.

Khrushchev's Soviet Union, 1956-64: Destalinisation; economic changes detente with the West; the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Brezhnev's USSR, 1954-82: The Brezhnev doctrine; stagnation; Sino-Soviet rivalry.

Gorbachev's Russia, 1985-91: Attempted reforms; Gorbachev and Yeltsin; collapse of the Soviet Union.

Putin's Russia since 1999: Putin's rise; the role of the oligarchs; Russian expansionism; invasion of Ukraine.