The Rise of the Russian Empire

This course provides a broad survey of Russian history from Kievan Rus' to the Crimean War. Topics include the rise of Moscow, the Time of Troubles, the reforms of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, the Napoleonic Wars, and the conservative reign of Nicholas I. The following themes are emphasized in the lectures and readings: the changing stratification of society; the expansion of the Russian empire; Russia and the West (including diplomatic and cultural relations); economic development; and the origins and growth of the Russian intelligentsia and radical opposition to the autocracy. P