Russia Since 1905

Catalog description

The tsar is dead. Long Live the tsar! After defeat by Japan and revolution in 1905, then World War I, Nicholas II and the Russian Empire fell in 1917. The Bolsheviks under Lenin seized power, enforced Communism in Russia, and sought world revolution. Stalin remade society, imposing a reign of terror. Despite horrendous losses in World War II, the USSR expanded and launched the Cold War. Khrushchev’s and Gorbachev’s reforms failed, and the Soviet Empire collapsed in 1989-1991. Yeltsin’s chaotic rule meant greater freedom but also corruption. Starting in 2000, Putin reestablished authoritarian rule and reasserts Russia’s role abroad.