What you must do in this unit
- Read the textbook chapter 41.
- Check the remarks by Professor Evans on Putin and on the End of the Soviet Union.
- Watch my short video on Putin-Medvedev. Also, please read my short notes on the 1993 constitution of the Russian Federation.
- Read the Williams Review Article on the conflict in Chechnya (Log into Canvas and look for the article under "Course Documents.").
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit.
- Submit the Putin group project (100 points).
What you can do in this unit
- Read the Leon Aron commentary on Vladimir Putin's extremely conservative "views" on Russian history (Log into Canvas and look for the article under "Course Documents.")
- You can also read the article on the "Woman who claims to be Vladimir Putin's real mother." (Log into Canvas and look for the article under "Course Documents.")
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
- Inside Story - Boris Yeltsin - 24 Apr 07 - Part 1
- The Beslan School Massacre (1 of 6).mpg
- There are a lot of interviews and news reports available online about Putin, but it is hard to find informed, scholarly commentary.
- President Vladimir Putin's New Year address (2013/14)
- Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin (2008)
- AIIA Lecture Series: Dr Peter Eltsov: Putin, the clash of histories and the Boston Marathon Bombing
- Putin in a Changing World
- Petrostate, Putin, Power and the New Russia (Marshall Goldman)
- Vladimir Putin the History Man and Survivalist (Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy)
- For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, read Andrei Amalrik, Will the Soviet Union Survive until 1984? (1971) and write a one-page paper in which you comment upon the accuracy of Amalrik's ideas.
- For up to ten points of extra credit, in about a long paragraph explain the relationship between the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- For extra credit up to 5 points, we are always looking for photos from historical sites (graves, statues, churches, battlefields, buildings, waterfalls, mountains, etc) from around the world, particularly Russia, to use in our online courses. If you have anything that you wish to share, we would much appreciate it, and you will receive credit for your photo if we use it in one of our courses. Any photos that you send must have been taken by yourself. Please attach your photos to an email and send to Professor Evans at charles.t.evans@gmail.com. (Don’t use cevans@nvcc.edu because of email attachment size limits.) Be sure to cc your email to your current course instructor if that is not Professor Evans. This extra credit opportunity does not count against your limit of one extra credit for this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) demonstrate knowledge of the key characteristics of the Putin era and (2) analyze historical primary sources.