History: Russia, USSR & Former Soviet States

East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Union: economics, history, politics, religion, and social and cultural issues. Citations to journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, dissertations, online resources, and selected government publications published in the US and Canada. Coverage: 1986-present.

Multidisciplinary database of journal articles (including peer reviewed), books, book chapters, reports, conference proceedings, etc. Coverage: 1887-present.

This collection, as seen through the eyes of the British diplomatic corps in Russia, provides a unique analysis of this "retro-reform" policy, including the increase of revolutionary agitation, deepening of conservatism and changes from agrarian to industrial society, and spread of pan-Slavism, both in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe. The British Foreign Office Records of General Correspondence for Russia, in record class F.O. 65, is the basic collection of documents for studying Anglo-Russian relations during this period of fundamental change.

Archives Direct is a suite of collections sourced from The National Archives, Kew - the UK government's official archive.

Collection of databases devoted to disciplines in history and the social sciences. See titles of individual databases for further information. Coverage: Varies by database.

This collection of U.S. State Department Central Classified Files relates to commercial and trade relations beginning in the Tsarist Russia period and extending through Khrushchev period in Soviet history. It contains a wide range of materials from U.S. diplomats including materials on treaties, general conditions affecting trade, imports and exports, laws and regulations, customs administration, tariffs, and ports of entry activities.

Documents the founding of the Third Republic, created as a result of a compromise between pre-war Czechoslovak Republic leaders and the Czech Communist Party (KSC). An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1945-1963.

From the award-winning, nongovernmental National Security Archive, this resource consists of expertly curated, and meticulously indexed, declassified government documents covering U.S. policy toward critical world events including their military, intelligence, diplomatic and human rights dimensions from 1945 to the present.

Political, military, economic, social, industrial, and other internal conditions and events in East Germany. Predominantly instructions to and dispatches from US diplomatic and consular personnel. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1950-1963.

The First World War portal makes available invaluable primary sources for the study of the Great War, brought together in four thematic modules. From personal collections and rare printed material to military files, artwork and audio-visual files, content highlights the experiences of soldiers, civilians and governments on both sides of a conflict that shook the world.

When George H. W. Bush became president in 1989 the United States had already begun to see a thawing of relations with the Soviet Union. President Bush spoke of softening relations in his inaugural address, claiming that "a new breeze is blowing," and adding that "great nations of the world are moving toward democracy through the door to freedom." This collection provides an in-depth analysis of the events leading up to the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. and its implications for U.S.-Soviet relations.

Covers all aspects of world history (excluding the US and Canada) since 1450. Includes journal articles, books, reviews, conference proceedings, dissertations, etc. published after 1954. About 250 History journals in this database are not findable in EBSCO's Academic Search database, making this the go-to database for finding world history articles.

Collections in the International Relations and Military Conflicts category span from 1911-1975, offering a detailed view of U.S. foreign relations during the period from the years immediately before the outbreak of World War I through to the end of the Vietnam War. While these modules provide an excellent view of U.S. international relations during these important years, these records also offer detailed information on the countries in which the U.S. diplomatic or military officials were stationed. As such, the collections in the International Relations and Military Conflicts category are an excellent source for studies of individual countries or regions of the world. In addition, U.S. diplomats and military officials often reported back on international reaction to events in the United States, thereby providing an international perspective on important developments in the United States. This category also now includes British Foreign Office Records on World War I and the creation of Israel from 1940-1948.

Among the longest-running Russian newspapers, Izvestiia (????????, News) was founded in March 1917 and during the Soviet period was the official organ of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Remarkable for its serious and balanced treatment of subject matter, Izvestiia has traditionally been a popular news source within intellectual and academic circles. Continuously published for over 100 years, Izvestiias prominence endures today as one of the most subscribed news sources of contemporary Russia, covering domestic and foreign policy, commentary, culture, education, and finance.

Multidisciplinary full-text journal articles from 1,500 major journals. Please note: In many cases, JSTOR does not include the most recent 3 to 5 years of these journals. Please use other databases to retrieve recent articles, especially for current events topics. Coverage: Varies by title. Access is available to 2007+ alumni; requires W&M userid and password.

The Local and Independent Ukrainian Newspapers collection traces the history of Ukraine during its early period of independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the events leading up to the Orange Revolution (2004–2005). Comprising over 900 titles, this database includes local newspapers from over 340 cities and towns—including publications from each of Ukraine’s 27 regions. This hyperlocal coverage provides researchers with granular insight into regional and ethnic interests, concerns, and conflicts that are still relevant today. Many of the titles are in Ukrainian and Russian; this collection also includes ethnic newspapers in languages such as: Armenian, Crimean Tatar, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Polish, and more. A limited number of contemporaneous Ukrainian community publications from other territories are also included.

Newspaper published in Moscow that was the official voice of Soviet communism and the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Fully searchable. In Russian. Coverage: 1912-2009.

Revolution and Protest Online explores the protest movements, revolutions, and civil wars that have transformed societies and human experience from the 18th century through the present. It is organized around more than thirty events and areas, representing a variety of time periods, regions, and topics. Includes American Revolution, Arab Spring, Chinese Communist Revolution, Civil Rights Movement, Cuban Revolutions, Hungarian Revolution, Iranian Revolutions, Russian Revolutions, and others.

The Russian Central Newspapers (UDB-COM) collection provides same-day full-text access to more than 60 of the most influential daily and weekly Russian publications on current affairs, including news magazines. Archives dating back to 1980 can be found online in this exclusive collection. Current official sources such as Rossiiskaia gazeta, independent media and partisan publications, and several English-language newspapers such as The Moscow Times are included. Many titles have been manually scanned and digitized in-house and are available exclusively through East View. All content is legally secured by our long-term and established contracts with the publishers and suppliers of source material, guaranteed. Through our exclusive agreements, a number of the publications found on East Views site appear before the print version is available. The content is 100% complete and unabridged in full text, with every table, graph and chart included as images.

This collection reproduces important letters, reports, memorandums, cablegrams, maps, charts, and other kinds of records relating to the activities of the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, 1918-20.

The Russian Government Publications (UDB-GOV) collection monitors mainly the events in the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. It includes stenographic records of the hearings of both its houses, the Duma and Federation Council, and provides vote results, resolutions and legislative drafts as well as auxiliary information such as the schedule and agenda of legislative work. The collection includes Biulleten Schetnoi palaty, published by the State Audit Chamber subordinate to the Duma, and the Vestnik Tsentrizbirkoma (The Herald of the Central Electoral Committee), responsible for all types of elections in Russia. Texts of laws, presidential decrees, government resolutions and decisions of the Constitutional Court are also available as well as comments on current Russian legislation published by popular legal journals Zakon and Gosudarstvo i pravo. Coverage stops in 2023.

The Russian Regional Newspapers (UDB-REG) collection provides close-up coverage of developments throughout Russias regions. The collection currently includes newspapers from all seven Federal Districts of the Russian Federation and as well as newspapers focusing on local issues of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The collection represents such noteworthy regions as the troubled Northern Caucasus (Groznenskii rabochii from Chechnya, Severnaia Osetiia from Northern Osetiia-Alania, etc.), oil and gas rich Western Siberia (Tiumenskie izvestiia, etc.), the investment-friendly Volga region (Nizhegorodskie novosti from Nizhnii Novgorod or Samarskie izvestiia from Samara), and many others. The selected newspapers have the largest circulation in their regions and are considered the most authoritative. Coverage begins in 1997 and ends in 2023.

The Russia/NIS Statistical Publications (UDB-STAT-RUS) collection provides unparalleled access to important statistical data from 1995 to present. Designed to optimize searching and browsing of statistical data, the collection contains data from the State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics and the Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Developed in cooperation with leading statistical authorities, UDB-STAT-RUS contains official reports, yearbooks, monthly reports, special bulletins and related publications of regional statistical bodies and statistical agencies of the former Soviet Union. Coverage includes major economic indicators, industry, agriculture, economy and finance, population, environment, transportation, health, natural resources, and regional/urban statistics. Coverage ends in 2023.

This collection of films from the communist world reveals war, history, current affairs, culture and society as seen through the socialist lens. It spans most of the twentieth century and covers countries such as the USSR, Vietnam, China, Korea, much of Eastern Europe, the GDR, Britain and Cuba.

The Sovetskii Ekran (Советский экран, Soviet Screen) Digital Archive offers a unique window into the history of Soviet cinema, capturing the essence of a journal that was pivotal from 1925 to 1998. Sovetskii Ekran, more than just a film journal, was a cultural barometer of its times, chronicling the evolution of Soviet film against the backdrop of significant societal and political changes. Its pages, filled with film critiques, interviews, and reader polls, offer a comprehensive view of the cinematic landscape and its influence on Soviet culture.

The Soviet-Era Ukrainian Newspapers (SEUN) collection traces the history of Ukraine during the early 20th Century leading up to World War II —covering the Ukrainian War of Independence, the Holodomor, and other events leading up to WWII. Comprising over 50,000 pages and five titles, SEUN includes newspapers from three cities: Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv. This collection includes newspapers in both Ukrainian and Russian. Covers 1899 to 1939.

This series consists of reports, studies, and surveys on various topics of interest to the Department of State . The reports vary from short memorandums to detailed, documented studies. The topics range from individual commodities or countries to the economic and political characteristics of whole regions. This collection consists of research and intelligence reports prepared during 1941-1961 on USSR, including Office of Strategic Services (OSS) files.

Trade and Globalization Studies Online examines the history of trade, trade policies, financial crises, emerging markets and technological innovations that unite the world in an ever-changing system of trade. The collection gathers books, case studies, archival materials and documentaries to provide historical context and insights. Users can explore the societal impact of global trade by browsing on global themes, events and areas, subjects, and much more.

Founded in 1995 in New York City, V Novom Svete (В Новом Свете, In the New World) was the most popular weekly newspaper among the fourth wave of immigrants from the former USSR, which began in the late 1980s. V Novom Svete published striking interviews with contemporary political and cultural leaders of modern Russia, as well as pieces on the life of the Russian community in the United States.

This collection documents the Russian entrance into World War I and culminates in reporting on the Revolution in Russia in 1917 and 1918. The documents consist primarily of correspondence between the British Foreign Office, various British missions and consulates in the Russian Empire and the Tsarist government and later the Provisional Government.