In part of 1 of our second (and we promise, last) two-parter, we concluded with Alexander III and his military successes in the early 19th century. By this time, Russia was a significant power in Europe and the world. However, the weaknesses of its social arrangements became increasingly exposed as that century wore on and culminated in the removal of the Tsar and eventually the establishment of a socialist state in October, 1917. Join us as we discuss the Soviet period in close detail, how it unravelled, and how Mr. Putin came to dominate Russia’s political landscape for the past 20 years.