ABSTRACT

Given the strong influence of political and social events on the practice of Russian psychology, this chapter begins with an overview of the history of Russia, beginning prior to the reign of Czar Peter the Great in the 18th century and Russia’s emergence as a world power and as an active member of the European community. Our coverage of the history of Russia continues through the 19th century with the expansion of Russian territories, the rising discontent of Russia’s citizens with the existing imperial monarchy of the czars, the abolition of Russia’s practice of serfdom, and increasing social trends of intellectualism, liberalism, and political radicalism. By 1917, events occurred that led to the rise of the Bolshevik Party, a group of political revolutionaries led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and dedicated to the social and economic principles of philosopher Karl Marx. Following the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks assumed political control of Russia and the country evolved into a new political entity as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).