20th-Century Russia
This playlist brings together ten courses that cover the history of Russia in the 20th century, from the 1905 Revolution to the Prague Spring of 1968.
What this playlist includes:
62 lectures across 10 courses.
All resources designed and delivered by university academics and researchers.
Self-marking quizzes for all lectures, as well as an end-of-topic quiz.
Reading lists, essay questions and extension activities.
Courses and Lectures
1. Russia: The End of Imperial Russia, 1894-1917
Prof. Peter Waldron
University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
1.1. Russia in 1900 – 10:26
1.2. The 1905 Revolution – 10:26
1.3. The Failure of Constitutionalism, 1905-14 – 11:46
1.4. The First World War, 1914-17 – 11:16
1.5. The Provisional Government, March-October 1917 – 13:58
2. Russia: The Revolution of 1905
Dr Jonathan Smele
QMUL
QMUL
2.1. The 1905 Revolution – 12:51
2.2. The Peasantry – 15:35
2.3. The Industrial Revolution – 13:09
2.4. Political Opposition to the Regime – 12:43
2.5. The Consequences of 1905 – 14:04
3. Russia: The Revolution of 1917
Dr Andy Willimott
QMUL
QMUL
3.1. The Events of 1917 – 14:29
3.2. Historiography – 12:00
3.3. Who were the Bolsheviks? – 11:13
3.4. Was the Bolshevik Revolution a feminist revolut... – 12:19
3.5. The Cultural Front – 10:07
4. Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-22
Dr Mark Levene
Southampton University
Southampton University
4.1. February 1917: The Revolution Erupts – 07:43
4.2. Looking Back: An Empire in Crisis – 12:16
4.3. Looking Back: War: A Disaster in the Making – 12:10
4.4. Whose Revolution? – 10:59
4.5. Contenders for Power – 13:27
4.6. October 1917: The Bolsheviks Take Over – 10:41
4.7. Revolutionary Ferment: The Bolsheviks and Their... – 19:27
4.8. Resistance From Within: The Forces of Counter-R... – 10:55
4.9. The World Reacts: Interventions For and Against – 12:50
4.10. A People's Tragedy: Civil War and Famine – 09:50
4.11. The Revolution Betrayed: The Road to Kronstadt – 13:34
4.12. The Russian Revolution: Consequences and Legacies – 14:52
5. Russia: The Rise and Reign of Stalin, 1878-1938
Prof. Christopher Read
Warwick University
Warwick University
5.1. Early Life, 1878-1912 – 09:39
5.2. Political Rise, 1912-24 – 25:38
5.3. Struggle for Leadership, 1924-28 – 14:37
5.4. Collectivization, 1928-32 – 06:39
5.5. Industrialization, 1928-38 – 09:36
5.6. The Terror, 1936-38 – 11:47
5.7. Conclusion: Stalin the Revolutionary – 03:26
6. Russia: The Rule of Stalin, 1922-41
Dr Arfon Rees
Birmingham University
Birmingham University
6.1. Introduction: Russia, 1900-22 – 11:06
6.2. War Communism and Lenin's New Economic Policy – 11:48
6.3. Stalin's Rise to Power – 10:15
6.4. Industrialisation and Collectivisation – 10:18
6.5. Repression and the Great Terror – 16:17
6.6. Foreign Policy and the Approach of War – 15:07
7. Russia: The Ukrainian Famine, 1932-33
Dr Mark Levene
Southampton University
Southampton University
7.1. The Events – 09:12
7.2. Famine and Human History – 15:43
7.3. Historical Context: Russia and Ukraine – 14:08
7.4. The Soviet System and Ukraine – 12:57
7.5. Soviet Culpability – 20:49
7.6. Long-Term Consequences – 10:14
8. Russia: The Great Terror, 1936-38
Prof. James Harris
Leeds University
Leeds University
8.1. The Sources – 11:47
8.2. Historiography, 1940-68: The Totalitarian School – 11:51
8.3. Historiography: 1968-85: The Revisionist School – 06:48
8.4. Historiography, 1985-Present: The Opening of th... – 12:46
8.5. Current Research, Part 1: A Threatened State – 11:37
8.6. Current Research, Part 2: Stalin Counters the T... – 15:12
8.7. HPSSS – 04:50
9. Russia: The Rule of Khrushchev, 1953-64
Dr Miriam Dobson
Sheffield University
Sheffield University
9.1. Khrushchev and the Thaw – 06:46
9.2. Second World War to the Death of Stalin (1945-53) – 06:10
9.3. The Prisoners' Return – 07:58
9.4. The Secret Speech – 10:19
9.5. Khrushchev's Building Programme – 08:57
10. Russia: The Prague Spring, 1968
Prof. Kevin McDermott
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University
10.1. Czechoslovakia, 1918-48 – 05:04
10.2. Stalinism and the Origins of the Prague Spring – 12:43
10.3. The Prague Spring Reforms – 11:50
10.4. Reasons for the Soviet Intervention – 10:28
What Next?
Check out these other playlists within History:
