Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Historical Russia : from the medieval to imperial period -- "The era of Vladimir I" / Janet Martin, excerpted from medieval Russia, 980-1584 -- "The foundations of Russian culture and art" / Souren Melikian, International herald tribune -- "Russia and the Ottoman Empire" / excerpted from The encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire -- "Peter I, Czar of Russia" / excerpted from Columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. -- "Russia against Napoleon" / Meredith Hindley, Barnes & Noble review -- "The emancipation of the Russian serfs, 1861--A charter of freedom or an act of betrayal?" / Michael Lynch, History review -- pt. 2. Revolutionary Russia and the early Soviet Union -- "Witnessing a revolution" / Charlotte Alston, History today -- "The world according to Marx" / Rupert J. Taylor, Canada and the world backgrounder -- "Russian Revolution" / Matt Forster, excerpted from Russian Revolution -- "Bloody Sunday" / Richard Cavendish, History today -- "Lenin in power" / Russel Tarr, History review -- "Stalin the Terrible" / Robert Service, Hoover digest -- pt. 3. From Soviet Union to Soviet collapse -- "Russia reflects on sixty-five years since the Soviet Union's World War Two victory" / by Alexander Mekhanik, Expert magazine -- "Stalin denounced by Nikita Krushchev" / History today -- "Sputnik and the space race" / Maria Schaff, excerpted from Sputnik & the space race -- "When the Cold War almost turned hot" / Albin F. Irzyk, Army magazine -- "How not to end a war" / Victor Sebestyen, New statesman -- "Saving Russia's armpit" / Anne Applebaum, Slate.com -- "Death of a writer" / Anne Applebaum, Slate.com -- "When Gorbachev took charge" / Archie Brown, International herald tribune --

pt. 4. After the fall : post-Soviet Russia -- "The road from 1989" / John O'Sullivan, National review -- "Russia's flawed hero" / Lynn Berry, Wilson quarterly -- "Forged in fire" / Fred Weir, Walrus -- "The Kremlin begs to differ" / Dimitri K. Simes and Paul J. Saunders, The national interest -- "Fear comes to the Russian heartland" / Owen Matthews and Anna Nemtsova, Newsweek -- "Russia and U.S. sign nuclear arms pact" / Peter Baker, New York times -- pt. 5. The riddle wrapped in an enigma : inside contemporary Russia -- "Restlessness in Russia's western outpost" / Michael Schwirtz, New York Times -- "The Moscow bombings don't matter" / Julia Ioffe, Foreign policy -- "Moscow never sleeps" / Martin Cruz Smith, National geographic -- "Why are Chechens so angry?" / Oliver Bullough, Transitions online -- "Russia fears embrace of giant Eastern neighbour" / Luke Harding, The guardian -- "Where the salmon rule" / David Quammen, National geographic -- "Send me to Siberia" / Paul Starobin, National geographic.