Course joint listed with: U520; Y401; U320

How do empires differ from other states?
What features do empires share in common?

This course will address the questions above through a detailed
comparative study of the Russian Czarist and Manchu Qing empires,
from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth.  We will
consider imperial aims, the rationales for building empires, the role
of rulers, the significance of administrative structures, the
cultural implications of conquest, conflicts between empires, anti-
imperial uprisings, and finally the political aftermath of empire.
The course will combine theoretical readings with historical works on
Russia and the Qing.