Vladimir Putin once said, “Whoever doesn’t miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain.” The birth of the Soviet Union surprised many; its demise amazed the whole world.  Soviet communism promised paradise on earth, but the reality fell far short of these utopian ideals. Beginning with the revolution of 1917 and subsequent civil war, trace the progress of the Soviet Union through the 1920s and into the Stalinist order. Examine the traumatic impact of the Second World War on the USSR and the struggles of Soviet rulers to find ways to rule the country without using Stalin's methods - but also without openly repudiating the past. The class will conclude by looking at the collapse of the Soviet system and the failure of the most remarkable social experiment the world has ever seen, one which still shapes the character of Russia today. Learn through lectures, class discussion and other primary sources.