This site provides a brief biography of Joseph Stalin from his brief studies at Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary to his brutal, dictatorial reign over the Soviet Union from 1924 - 1953.

This resource examines Stalin's role in industrializing Russia prior to World War II.

Russian Life offers this article that analyzes Khrushchev and his de-Stalinization policies during the 1950s and 1960s.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Multi-unit curriculum kit on the history of the Soviet Union told in five episodes using Soviet posters as source material. Coverage includes the birth of the Soviet Union, Stalin, the Great Patriotic...

Fordham University provides this site with information on Stalin's plan to industrialize and modernize the Soviet Union.

This economic history of the Soviet Union examines the eras of Lenin and Stalin and postwar policy under Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and the reform period of Gorbachev.

This overview of Soviet economic policy after WWII looks at the command or planned economies and decisions of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev.

Geographia presents a brief political and social history of Russia from the beginning of Soviet rule to the resignation of Gorbachev in 1990.

This was the constitution used by Stalin in the USSR.

Documents containing the thoughts and opinions of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Most are from Russian archives, along with a few Bulgarian and Romanian documents. The collection includes comments on Stalin, the post-Stalin Soviet...

This site from the Library of Congress shows that among the victims of the Great Terror were artists and intellectuals who were required to promote the socialist consciousness under Stalin.

An extensive site chronicling the public consensus shown to the media among Allied members: the USSR, Great Britain, and the USA. Gives ample primary sources and student activities.

This timeline of East Germany from 1945 to 1990 chronicles key events from communist domination to political and economic freedom with the end of the Cold War and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

This site provides insight into the shortage of housing that occurred in the Soviet Union during Stalin's reign.

This article briefly describes the purges through which Stalin gained his total control over almost every aspect of Soviet life.

This site describes the industrialization plans implemented by Stalin. Examines the success and failures of each and how they were achieved. Information is laid out so that it is easy to access and understand.

This site from The History Place provides a photo and caption of the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Includes a text copy of the agreement, with links to additional information.

An abridged timeline that details the history of Russia from 860 to present day.

This site provides an unbelievable analysis of the Iron Curtain speech given by Winston Churchill. Includes questions for students to answer, primary sources, transcripts of the primary sources, and useful notes that explain the points...

This site explores the Cold War race to develop the hydrogen bomb, a weapon that would change the world. Content details all the people who were involved in the race for the H-Bomb, as well as notable events during this time period....

This article discusses the development of the Soviet Union's Communist buffer zone after World War II and its evolution into the Iron Curtain of the Cold War.

The CATO Institute, dedicated to "Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace, offers "Marxist Dreams and Soviet Realities" by Ralph Raico, originally published as Cato's Letter #2 in 1998 prior to the fall of the USSR.

Essay describing the events surrounding the formation of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in 1939. From a non-English site, but this particular page is English-only.

Thousands of Russians volunteered their services to the Germans in their war against the Soviet Union. This article discusses the various volunteer units organized.