POL 207 Contemporary Russia
Since the end of World War II Russia has passed through and endured a series of seismic changes. Once the heart of the expansive Soviet empire, the Russian Republic that emerged in the 1990s after the breakup of the Soviet Union was beset by economic collapse, social decay and a new era of political corruption under Boris Yeltsin. Since 2000 and the rise to power of Vladimir Putin, the Russia of the 21st century is endeavoring to restore its influence in world affairs while using its vast natural resources to revitalize its sputtering economy. This course will examine the different phases through which Russia has passed since World War II, surveying the salient political, social and economic events that have shaped Russian domestic life as well as Russia’s changing relationship with other nations and regions, including the US, China and the Middle East. Recommended POL 100.