About this course: In this course, Peter Kenez, Professor Emeritus at UC Santa Cruz, explains the events of modern Russian history and introduces its most significant actors—from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin.
Created by: University of California, Santa Cruz
Taught by: Peter Kenez, Professor Emeritus
History
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Spanish |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The 9th Century to the 1920s
12 videos
- Video: Formation of the Russian State
- Video: The Industrial Revolution
- Video: The February Revolution
- Video: The Provisional Government
- Video: The October Revolution
- Video: Consequences of the Revolution
- Discussion Prompt: What if the revolution had happened somewhere else?
- Video: The One-Party State
- Video: Economy, society, & culture of the 1920s
- Video: Collectivization
- Video: Industrialization
- Video: Terror
- Discussion Prompt: What made Russia what it is today?
Graded: Quiz 1
WEEK 2
The Great Patriotic War: Before and After
8 videos
- Video: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
- Video: German Invasion of the Soviet Union
- Video: Partisans, Collaborators, & Racial Distinction
- Video: The Soviet Union and the Allies
- Video: Dissipation of Hope
- Video: Material Devastation
- Video: Life without Stalin
- Discussion Prompt: What was Stalin's impact?
Graded: Quiz 2
WEEK 3
Reform, Stagnation, Collapse, Rebirth?
13 videos
- Video: "We will bury you!"
- Video: Adventures in Foreign Policy
- Video: Andropov, Chernenko, and Gorbachev
- Video: Perestroika
- Video: Changing the Soviet Stance
- Video: The Collapse of the Soviet Union
- Video: Shock Therapy
- Video: The Rise of the Oligarchs
- Discussion Prompt: Why did the Soviet Union collapse?
- Video: Why Putin?
- Video: The New Political Order
- Video: Putin's Foreign Policy
- Video: Understanding Russians
- Discussion Prompt: What is Russia's role?
Graded: Quiz 3
Graded: Essay on Contemporary Russia
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University of California, Santa Cruz
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Ratings and Reviews
This course is amazing.... I'm not a historian but history is my hobby and I love reading about WWII and Russian history. This course was perfect because I just read a book on the Tzarist period and this was the perfect complement. Professor Kenez is very knowledgeable and it's incredible how he speaks without reading notes or having a script to look at...
I found this course to be very complete, enjoyable and interesting and I would highly recommend it. Thank you professor.
It was a very good course! The topics were relevant and the explanations were very clear. The only thing was that at the end the professor said he intended to show how Russians view the world; however, I believe that goal wasn't completely achieved since most of the content was historical facts, which are important but don't necessarily show how Russians see their history of the world. Perhaps there could be Russian guests who can talk about Russian history from different standpoints. Having said that, I really enjoyed the course and the professor.
Good course to learn the Russian History. <3
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This was a great course i really enjoyed the lectures i would forget i was stuck at home and felt as if i was back in a lecture hall! Would recommend to anyone to take!