About the lecture

In this module, we provide an overview of the events from the turn of the 20th century to the adoption of Lenin's New Economic Policy in 1922, focusing in particular on the problems faced by Tsarist Russia and the attempts to modernise both politically and economically, the impact of the First World War, the Revolutions of 1917, and the consolidation of Bolshevik power in the period 1917-22.

About the lecturer

Dr Arfon Rees was a Reader in Soviet and Russian History at the University of Birmingham. He was the author of three monographs and ten edited volumes on the development of the Soviet political system, including studies of the formation of the Stalinist system, the study of economic policy making, the study of centre-local relations, the study of the role of individuals, and the function of the leader cult.