**This class will be taught on Zoom**
Last year marked the 130th anniversary of the enthronement of Nikolai II of Russia, the last Tsar in the Romanov dynasty, and the 120th anniversary of the birth of his only son Alexei. In this lecture, we’ll take a sweeping look at Russia at the time of the last of the Romanovs and on the eve of the Bolshevik revolution, from the royal family down to peasants, who still constituted the majority of the Russian population despite rapid industrialization and urbanization. We’ll see how Russia moved closer and closer to the Revolution and contemplate why the Bolsheviks ultimately won.
Week by Week Outline
1. Russia in the late 19th century
2. The Romanov Family
3. Life in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and rural Russia
4. The 1905 Revolution: new political players
5. Russia and World War I
6. Why did the Bolsheviks ultimately win?
