Professor Elizabeth Wood's Russian history timeline, in its second year of evolution, now reflects a broader array of perspectives on a tumultuous and critical year of the Russian Revolution.
With deep-seated unrest agitating towards the Tsar's abdication in early 1917, the year unfolded into an unprecedented sequence of historical, political and military initiatives and uprisings, some of them catastrophic, all of which shaped Soviet Russia for the rest of the 20th century.
The Spring 2011 cohort of students studied key events in 1917 from an objective standpoint, in order to set a baseline for understanding and research.
This perspective counterpointed well with the earlier 2010 student cohort which researched key events in light of various stakeholder groups such as activists, the military, serfs, etc. Thus, in addition to presenting the points of view of specific groups, the timeline now also offers an objective analysis of the year's significant events.
Visitors to the site are given layered entries into each event on the timeline, and can choose how immersed they wish to become. Starting with a descriptive title, and then expanding to an executive summary, the timeline proceeds to offer in-depth student created analytic papers for many events, as well as links to related primary and secondary sources.
In ensuing years, Prof Wood will continue expanding the breadth of student scholarship around this key year in Russian history. To learn more about the timeline, its scope and purpose, and the student generated research that supports it, please visit web.mit.edu/russia1917.
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