TED-Ed
The Mysterious Life and Death of Rasputin
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov's determination to assassinate Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a Russian Orthodox Church monk and advisor to Tsar Nicholas II, is the focus of a short video. Viewers decide if Rasputin was a mystic or a conman.
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read “The Master and Margarita”?
The best Russian novel of the 20th century? The narrator of an interesting short video offers reasons why readers should tackle Mikhail Bulgakov's satirical comedy, The Master and Margarita.
The Great War
The Last Tsar of Russia - Nicholas II
Was he a ruthless leader and failed military commander? Or a political martyr and king? Historians continue to debate the legacy of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, who was the last of the Romanov line to rule Russia. An interesting video...
The Great War
Russia's Finest General - Aleksei Brusilov
Russian General Aleksei Brusilov served both the tsar and revolutionary Russia. His massive offensive racked up deaths and broke through the Austria-Hungarian line. An insightful video explores how Brusilov's military career parallels a...
The Great War
Maria Bochkareva and the 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death
A woman in a man's war, Maria Bochkareva led a battalion of females who pledged to fight for Russia unto the death. An informative video highlights the ways her international celebrity inspired other countrymen and women to sacrifice...
The Great War
Lenin and Trotsky - Their Rise To Power
Textbooks often mention the Man of Steel and his nemesis, but seldom do they investigate in-depth the inner workings of Russia before it established a separate peace and ended its involvement in World War I. Exploring the intricacies of...
The Great War
Rasputin - The Man Behind The Tsarina
Master of the occult? Glutton and debaucher? Puppet master of the Russian royal family? Accidental instigator of the Russian Revolution? Historians debate the role of Rasputin, the advisor to Tsarina Alexandra, wife of the last czar of...
Curated Video
Russia Before the 1917 Revolution
A war within a war. The 26th installment in a 32-part series on the Great War investigates the fall of the Russian Empire. Scholars analyze a short video clip leading to a discussion of the failure of Czar Nicholas II to hold together a...
Crash Course
Soviet Montage
Why are film montages in movies so compelling? Learn about the origins and effectiveness of the Soviet montage, as well as discontinuity editing and other filmmaking techniques—and political statements—that arose from the...
The Great War
The Mad Baron - Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
Roman von Ungern-Sternberg is perhaps not well known, but his reputation as The Bloody Baron earned him a spot in the series of biographies exploring World War I. While he is perhaps best known for his role as an ardent monarchist during...
TED-Ed
Animal Farm - Context and Background
George Orwell's allegorical Animal Farm is the focus of a video that introduces the concepts of political allegory and totalitarianism. A great way to generate interest in the novel.
Choices Program, Brown University
Choices: The Russian Revolution
Scholarly video with student reading material from which we learn about the political and economic conditions that led to the fall of the Russian tsar and explores the competing political ideologies that Russian people debated in 1917.
BBC
Bbc Podcasts: Episode 96: Russian Revolutionary Plate 18 Oct 2010
Decorated plate from St Petersburg. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the Russian Revolution by looking at a plate painted with propaganda for the new Communist state. The plate was made at the Imperial Porcelain...