Russia from Lenin to Putin NEW

In this seven-session course, we examine twentieth- and twenty-first-century Russia, from Lenin to Putin. Topics include Russia’s role in World War I and the Russian Revolutions; the formation of the USSR; social, economic, and foreign policies; World War II; the Cold War; the Soviet war in Afghanistan; and the current war in Ukraine.

We also explore the Soviet system, the collapse of the USSR, and the short-lived effort to establish a democratic state. The course concludes with an examination of present-day Russia and Vladimir Putin’s efforts to reassert Russian power on the world stage.

Students who took the 10-week Russian history course in Fall 2021 should note that this course largely repeats earlier material, except for the final session, which extends through the war in Ukraine.

Carol Zink is a retired high school history teacher of Modern World and AP European History and currently teaches history courses for OLLIs in New Hampshire and Hawai‘i. She supplements her teaching with Stanford Continuing Education coursework and ongoing study of geopolitical and historical topics. She is also a retired U.S. Navy Captain.