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Semester 1

Revolutionary Russia, 1861-1921 (HIST10337)

Subject

History

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2022/2023

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed at least 3 History courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum academic entry requirements does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that 3rd year History courses have extremely limited spaces available, and are very popular, so students cannot be guaranteed a space in any 3rd year History course.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the History department directly to request additional spaces.

Course Summary

This course will focus on a key period in Russian history: charting the tsarist regime's attempts to grapple with political reform, industrial revolution and social upheaval, the Russian revolution and the consolidation of Bolshevik power. This period is essential to understanding Russia's 'separate path' in Europe and its unique contributions to the modern world.

Course Description

The course charts the history of the Russian Empire and its successor states from 1861 to 1921. The chronological spread across the revolutionary divide will mean that the course will give students a solid understanding of the background to both Imperial and Soviet history. The subject reflects the research interests and expertise of the course organiser, who has written a book on the role of the security police in the coming of the Russian revolution, and is currently writing a biography of one of the leading Bolsheviks, Felix Dzerzhinsky, which covers almost exactly the same period as this course (he lived from 1877 to 1926). SEMINAR PROGRAMME: 1. Introduction: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality. 2. The Great Reforms. 3. Eternal Russia: Rural life. 4. New Russia: Urban life. 5. Revolutionary Movements: Populism, Marxism, Terrorism. 6. The 1905 Revolution: Origins and Course. 7. The Constitutional Experiment. 8. The Silver Age: Society and Culture. 9. War and the Collapse of Tsarism. 10. The Bolshevik seizure of power 1917-1921. 11. Course summary and exam preparation

Assessment Information

Written Exam 50%, Coursework 50%, Practical Exam 0%

view the timetable and further details for this course