This course examines how, by the middle of the 19th century, Russia emerged as the largest empire in the world.
Outcomes: Students will be able to explain how Russia survived the ravages of the Mongols under Chingis Khan, the reign of terror under Ivan the Terrible, westernization under Peter the Great; opened itself to new ideas under Catherine the Great, while it continued to preserve an oppressive institution of serfdom and remained a deeply divided society ready to explode in 1917.
Outcomes: Students will be able to explain how Russia survived the ravages of the Mongols under Chingis Khan, the reign of terror under Ivan the Terrible, westernization under Peter the Great; opened itself to new ideas under Catherine the Great, while it continued to preserve an oppressive institution of serfdom and remained a deeply divided society ready to explode in 1917.