Contents

UNIT I. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Introductory Text 1 “The World Behind the Mirror”	1
Introductory Text 2 Panacea for Society	2
LESSON ONE. Focus on Russia’s History
Text 1 The Setting of Russian History	4
Text 2 The Early Russian State	7
For You To Know	9
Text 3 History of Russia / Soviet Union	10
LESSON TWO. Land and People	13
LESSON TREE. Resources and Economy	15
Russia – A Market-Oriented Economy	16
LESSON FOUR Politics and Government	20
Russia’s Foreign Policy	23
UNIT 2. ST PETERSBURG
Introductory Text 1 St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad…	26
LESSON ONE. Named After Saint Peter	28
LESSON TWO. Exploring the City	31
Text 1 A Kaleidoscope of Palaces	32
Text 2 The Spit of Vasilevsky Island and the University Embankment	35
Text 3 St. Petersburg’s Bridges	37
Text 4 The Squares of St. Petersburg	38
Text 5 A Pearl Necklace of Suburbs	41
Contents	43

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