Dives into the beginnings of Russia in the land known as Rus' and explores the enormity of Russia's geography, desire for power, and search for cultural identity.

Ivan the Terrible's reign is a cultural and historical symbol of Russian leadership; how he uses cultural symbols to create a spectacle of autocracy; knowing to what extent he sets the standard for subsequent centuries of the Russian leadership.

Examining the relationship between the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church; assessing how religion, as practiced by the Russian masses, changes church institutions; the extraordinary influence of the Russian church on state culture.

Learning what makes the Russian ruler Peter deserving of the title Great; looking at how he transforms a minor power on the periphery of Europe into a formidable empire; how he spearheads transformations to create a new European capital.

Modern Russian culture is born in the city of St. Petersburg, built on the shores of the Gulf of Finland; the dawning of the Russian Elizabethan Age, a time of extravagance and cultural energy; it produces wonders in architecture and opera.

The political alliance the Russian nobility forges with the Romanov regime brings Russian expansion; Professor Hartnett explores some fissures in the tsarist system that lead to popular resentment of the Russian nobility; ripe for revolution.