Russia Under the Tsars

This course is a survey of the development of the Russian state. Topics will include its dynamic growth in the early Middle Ages; its subjection to the Mongolian nomads; the dramatic reigns of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great; and its full rise to Great Power status in the nineteenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the rise of the autocracy, the social and economic problems of serfs and noblemen, and cultural achievements.