History of Russia: from Peter the Great to the Revolution (Coursera)

History of Russia: from Peter the Great to the Revolution (Coursera)

This course offers unique lectures by the leading professors of St. Petersburg State University, interesting assignments, interactive maps and much more. The online course «History of Russia» follows the tradition of teaching Russian history at St. Petersburg State University, which is distinguished by its approach to the analysis of historical problems and the scientific understanding of events, periods, epochs in their historical relationship. Thoroughly selected factual material serves as the basis that enables learners to conduct an independent analysis of the history of Russian state.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The course covers the history of the Russian state throughout its entire length (from the 9th to the 21st century) and the learners are welcome to join the discussion on the topical issues of Russian history. Upon completion of the course, learners will shape a structured understanding of the main stages of Russian history, based on facts and concepts that are established and acknowledged in historiography.
Course program:

  1. Russia in the 18th Century.
  2. Russia in the First Half of the 19th century.
  3. Russia in the Second Half of the 19th century.
  4. Russia at the Beginning of the XX century.
  5. Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War.

What You Will Learn

  • You will acquire the skill of analyzing modern processes in Russian society
  • Learn to apply knowledge in practice
  • You will form an idea of the main trends in the development of Russian society and the state
  • Assimilate factual, chronological and terminological material

Course 2 of 3 in the History of Russia Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Russia in the 18th Century
The first module is devoted to the history of Russia in the 18th century. Lecturer - Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Ivan Vladimirovich Merkulov.

WEEK 2
Russia in the First Half of the 19th Century
The second module of the course is devoted to the history of Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Lecturer - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Alexander Eduardovich Kotov.

WEEK 3
Russia in the Second Half of the 19th Century
In the third module, you will learn about the history of Russia in the second half of the 19th century. Lecturer - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Alexander Eduardovich Kotov.

WEEK 4
Russia at the Beginning of the XX Century
The fourth module is devoted to the history of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Lecturer - Doctor of Historical Sciences Andrey Aleksandrovich Ivanov.

WEEK 5
Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War
The last module is devoted to the history of Russia, which is devoted to a turning point in the life of the country. Lecturer - Doctor of Historical Sciences Mikhail Viktorovich Khodyakov.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction (Coursera)

A unique and exciting introduction to the genre and craft of historical fiction, for curious students, aspiring authors--anyone with a passion for the past. Read classics of the genre, encounter bestselling writers of historical fiction, and discover your own historical archive while interacting with a global community of interested readers.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Russian as a Foreign Language (A2). Read, Listen and Speak! (edX) EdX
RUDN University,RUDNx

Russian as a Foreign Language (A2). Read, Listen and Speak! (edX)

This course is about Reading, Listening and Speaking in Russian as a Foreign Language at A2 level. You will learn the grammar contents of A2 level of Russian language and the way of using it in communication. The main difference and advantage of this course is that it combines a systematic view of Russian grammar for A2 level with training and illustrative material for reading, listening and speaking.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Understanding EU-Russia Relations: Foreign Policy Actors, Institutions and Policy-Making (UT) Other Providers
University of Tartu,Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

Understanding EU-Russia Relations: Foreign Policy Actors, Institutions and Policy-Making (UT)

The main aim of the course is to give students an introduction to and overview of the EU’s and Russia’s foreign policy actors, institutions and frameworks of both entities’ interactions. The course combines various formats of e-learning possibilities (video lectures, short audio podcasts, guest video interviews, skills workshops, etc.). Students will have the possiblity to complete weekly quizzes, participate in the course forum and also complete a short mini-project at the end of the course.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Political Governance and Public Policy in Russia (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Political Governance and Public Policy in Russia (Coursera)

The course is designed to study the features of the political structure of modern Russia. It contains both general information on the institutional, procedural and value components of the political system and public policy in Russia, as well as a description of the problems, contradictions and prospects for the political development of the country. The course contains three main modules: (1) the political system and regime in Russia: state institutions, political parties, civil society; (2) the public policy process in Russia: the mechanisms for elaborating, adopting and implementing policies and decisions; (3) directions and problems of economic and social policy in Russia: development based on stabilization.

May 16th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Russian for beginners 3. Русский язык: A1 (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Russian for beginners 3. Русский язык: A1 (Coursera)

Russian is considered to be one of the world's most difficult languages. This course aimed at helping those who are interested in understanding the Russian language. Every unit of the course consists of several parts explaining vocabulary, phonetics (pronunciation), grammar, and provides examples of simple dialogues in Russian. Russian for Beginners 3 continues to explain the basics of Russian to those who have already completed the previous two parts of the course as well as the introduction to the Russian alphabet.

May 16th 2022
4 Weeks
History of Russia: from NEP to Modern Times (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

History of Russia: from NEP to Modern Times (Coursera)

This course offers unique lectures by the leading professors of St. Petersburg State University, interesting assignments, interactive maps and much more. The online course «History of Russia» follows the tradition of teaching Russian history at St. Petersburg State University, which is distinguished by its approach to the analysis of historical problems and the scientific understanding of events, periods, epochs in their historical relationship.

May 16th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Legal aspects of conducting business in Russia (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Legal aspects of conducting business in Russia (Coursera)

This course is designed for people who intend to perform business in Russia. The entrepreneur constantly functions in the legal field: creates his enterprise, acquires property, concludes transactions, interacts with control and supervisory state bodies and bodies of the judicial system. Success of business and fate of the entrepreneur himself depend on the choice of the form of entrepreneurial activity, knowledge of his or her rights and obligations, on the correct response to legal and illegal actions of employees of government and management.

Aug 1st 2022
5-12 Weeks
Constitutional Reforms in Russia (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Constitutional Reforms in Russia (Coursera)

The course prepared by one of the best Russian experts in constitutional law will focus on political, economic and cultural dimensions of the Russian constitutional system. Historical background of constitutional reforms and today developments will be discussed, basing on concrete examples of these developments. The course will both observe the specific of the Russian constitutional system in comparison to the other constitutional systems and penetrate into the key characteristics of the Russian constitution.

May 9th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Contemporary Russian Literature (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Contemporary Russian Literature (Coursera)

We are going to talk about Contemporary literature specifically, but it doesn’t include only the literature of the most recent years. It is technically a course on the history of literature, but the history starting from the late Soviet period up until today. The goal is to show you the best writers’ names, so that you may remember them and read their works after the end of this course.

Aug 8th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Russia and Nuclear Arms Control (Coursera) Coursera
Saint Petersburg State University

Russia and Nuclear Arms Control (Coursera)

As a state with one of the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons Russia is a key participant of nuclear non-proliferation regime and defines nuclear arms control as a priority of its foreign policy. This course will discover the logic and the frames of Russian nuclear arms control policies. You will learn the historical background and the modern context of bilateral US-Russian relations in nuclear arms control and understand how these relations influence the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. You will get the basic tools for analyzing Russian defence and security policy in regards to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

May 16th 2022
5-12 Weeks