History Forum: The US & Russia, 1917 to 2017 

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The popular History Forum lecture series returns to the Minnesota History Center for its 2018-2019 season. Join six national scholars as they explore the history that might help us understand and unravel the issues we face right now.

Join historian David C. Engerman for a presentation on the story of the United States and Russia from 1917 to 2017.

For more than a century, Americans have used Russia as a canvas on which to project their own dreams and nightmares. Both nations emerged onto the international stage in the early 20th century, but diverged onto dramatically different paths during WWI when the US positioned itself as the beacon of international democracy and Russia pursued revolutionary communist social change.

Some Americans found inspiration in the revolutionary era. Others celebrated Soviet education, economic planning, and gender equality, even as the USSR made the dramatic shift from World War II ally to Cold War adversary. And throughout the 20th century, all opponents saw in Russia was what they feared within the United States: mob rule and an inverted social order. This tumultuous history continues to shape our perceptions of Russia today.

David C. Engerman is professor of history at Yale University.