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On December 31, 1999 Boris Yeltsin resigned, and [[Vladimir Putin]] was named Acting President. In March 2000, he won election in his own right as Russia's second president with 53% of the vote. Putin moved quickly to reassert Moscow's control over the regions, whose governors had confidently ignored edicts from Boris Yeltsin. He sent his own "plenipotentiary representatives" (commonly called ‘polpred' in Russian) to ensure that Moscow's policies were followed in recalcitrant regions and republics. He won enactment of liberal economic reforms that rescued a faltering economy and stopped a spiral of [[hyperinflation]]. Putin achieved wide popularity by stabilizing the government, especially in marked contrast to what many Russians saw as the chaos of the latter Yeltsin years. The economy grew, both because of rising oil prices and in part because Putin was able to achieve reforms in banking, labor, and private property. During this time, Russia also moved closer to the U.S., especially after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2002, the NATO-Russia Council was established, giving Russia a voice in NATO discussions.
On December 31, 1999 Boris Yeltsin resigned, and [[Vladimir Putin]] was named Acting President. In March 2000, he won election in his own right as Russia's second president with 53% of the vote. Putin moved quickly to reassert Moscow's control over the regions, whose governors had confidently ignored edicts from Boris Yeltsin. He sent his own "plenipotentiary representatives" (commonly called ‘polpred' in Russian) to ensure that Moscow's policies were followed in recalcitrant regions and republics. He won enactment of liberal economic reforms that rescued a faltering economy and stopped a spiral of [[hyperinflation]]. Putin achieved wide popularity by stabilizing the government, especially in marked contrast to what many Russians saw as the chaos of the latter Yeltsin years. The economy grew, both because of rising oil prices and in part because Putin was able to achieve reforms in banking, labor, and private property. During this time, Russia also moved closer to the U.S., especially after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2002, the NATO-Russia Council was established, giving Russia a voice in NATO discussions.
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Riasanovsky, Nicholas V. and Steinberg, Mark. ''A History of Russia'' (2004), latest version of standard textbook [http://www.amazon.com/History-Russia-Combined-Nicholas-Riasanovsky/dp/0195153944/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239323968&sr=1-6 excerpt and text search]
* Riasanovsky, Nicholas V. and Steinberg, Mark. ''A History of Russia'' (2004), latest version of the best survey [http://www.amazon.com/History-Russia-Combined-Nicholas-Riasanovsky/dp/0195153944/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239323968&sr=1-6 excerpt and text search]
* Service, Robert. ''A History of Modern Russia: From Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin'' (2005)
* Service, Robert. ''A History of Modern Russia: From Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin'' (2005)
* Ziegler, Charles E. ''The History of Russia'' (1999) 250 pgs.
==Bibliography==
* Channon, John. ''The Penguin Historical Atlas of Russia'' (1995).
* Freeze, Gregory,ed. ''Russia: A History'' (1997), essays by British and American scholars.
===Medieval to 1800===
* Crummey, Robert O. ''The Formation of Muscovy, 1304- 1613'' (1987)
* Martin, Janet. ''Medieval Russia 980-1584'' (1995), advanced
===Tsarist: 1700-1917===
* Alexander, John T. ''Catherine the Great: Life and Legend'' (1989),
* Lincoln, W. Bruce. ''The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the
Russias'' (1981), Tsars from 1613 to 1917
* Lincoln, W. Bruce. ''In War's Dark Shadow: The Russians Before the Great War'' (1983), 1890 to 1914
* Massey, Robert O. ''Peter the Great'' (1992)
===Soviet Era 1918-1991===
===Soviet Era 1918-1991===
* Brzezinski, Zbigniew. ''Grand Failure: The Birth and Death of Communism in the Twentieth Century'' (1990)
* Brzezinski, Zbigniew. ''Grand Failure: The Birth and Death of Communism in the Twentieth Century'' (1990)
* Nove, Alec. ''An Economic History of the USSR 1917-1991'' (3rd ed. 1993)
* Nove, Alec. ''An Economic History of the USSR 1917-1991'' (3rd ed. 1993)
* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative
* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative
* Pipes, Richard. ''The Russian Revolution'' (1990), in-depth histgory by conservative scholar
* Suny, Ronald Grigor. ''The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States.'' (1998) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24265044# online edition]
* Suny, Ronald Grigor. ''The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States.'' (1998) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24265044# online edition]
===Lenin and Stalin===
===Lenin and Stalin===