Research Guides: POL 334: Russian Politics: Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources?

A primary source is a source of information, such as document, recording, or artifact, that has a direct connection to a person from a period of time. Examples of primary documents are correspondence, diaries, memoirs or oral interviews.

A secondary source uses primary sources to create their argument. Examples of secondary sources are books or journal articles.

Primary Sources on the Web

National Archives
The portal into the U.S.'s National Archives, click on "Start your Research" to investigate research paths and see what they make available online.
DocsTeach: Digital Vaults
From the Foundation of the National Archives, this site allows you to browse or search for historical documents that span U.S. history.
U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian
This site offers searchable collections (sometimes in full-text format, other times only in bibliographic format) of historical documents pertaining to foreign relations in the United States during the Kennedy, up to the Ford administration. Go to the 'Historical Documents' page to browse the resources by theme, by chronology, or by volumes, as they were published.
Yale Law School , Lillian Goldman Law Library - Avalon Project
This site offers primary documents important to the field of law, such as agreements, treaties, accords, hearings, etc. Browse through their twentieth century collection, or search through the site for specific keywords that reflect your topic of interest.
Central Intelligence Agency - Freedom of Information Act
Search through the titles of documents that have been made available by the Freedom of Information Act. Note that these items are not full-text.
Foreign Relations of the United States, form the University of Wisconsin
This site contains declassified, edited documents of U.S. foreign relations decisions between 1861-1960.
Library of Congress- Russian Collections
Digitized collections of content from or related to Russia, the Soviet Union, and Russian individuals in the United States.
Kennan Institute (at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars)
Find information, speakers, and presentations related to Russia, Ukraine, and related areas. A research institute focused on Russia and Eurasia.

Primary Sources: Documents and Reports

Current Digest of the Russian Press This link opens in a new window
English translations of selected Russian-language materials through The Current Digest of the Soviet Press (1949-1991), the Current Digest of Post-Soviet Press (1992-2010), and The Current Digest of the Russian Press (through present issue).

Primary Sources: Digital Images and Video

Posters from the Russian Civil War, 1918 - 1922
New York Public Library
Russia and Eastern Europe in Rare Photographs, 1860 -1945
Icons and Images of Cultures: Plate Books from the Russian Empire, Early Soviet Russia, and Eastern Europe, 1730-1935
Communal Living in Russia: A Virtual Museum of Soviet Everyday Life
**Please copy and paste this URL into a new browser window as we cannot directly link to non https:// sites** http://kommunalka.colgate.edu/cfm/v_tours.cfm?KommLanguage=English
The Empire that was Russia
Stalinka: Digital Library of Staliniana
"The digital collection consists chiefly of summary transcripts of 705 interviews conducted with refugees from the USSR during the early years of the Cold War."
Gulag History: Many days, Many lives
**Please copy and paste this URL into a new browser window as we cannot direct link to non https:// sites** http://gulaghistory.org/

Statistics

Unicef: Russian Federation
UN: Russian Federation Human Development Indicators
including the human development index