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Courses / Modules / HIST1170 Putin and the Politics of Post-Soviet Russia

Putin and the Politics of Post-Soviet Russia

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 4
Module lead
George Gilbert
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

This module provides an overview of major political, social and economic developments in Russia since 1991, and how they have been informed by a sense of Russian history. After the fall of the Cold War, Russia has found that it is no longer a superpower, and it has struggled to find a world role. The domestic and economic settlement in the country has also seen major changes, and life has changed in remarkable and sometimes dramatic ways for millions of ordinary Russian people. The primary focus on the module is to help us to understand contemporary Russia: lectures and seminars will examine themes and events that can help us to recognize in what ways Russia has changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. But these debates will be placed in historical context: Russia’s domestic and foreign policy, and changing conceptions of national identity, can only be understood in the context of Russia’s history and the legacy of the turbulent twentieth century.