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Violence between, but especially within states is a critical and constant feature of Russian and Eastern European politics and societies, both in the past and nowadays. These events can be large scale, such as civil wars, ethnic conflicts, bloody terror campaign and genocides, but also less visible, such as criminal violence and assassinations. While some instances of political violence are well known and have been extensively studied, only recently have scholars of the region started paying serious attention to understanding the many forms of political violence in Russia and Eastern Europe. The goal of this class is to introduce students to the different types of political violence in Russia and Eastern Europe since 1945, their causes, forms and impact. The class will present the key academic research on various aspects of political violence in Russia and Eastern Europe, will discuss the similarities and differences between types and forms of violence, and will analyze the theoretical and methodological approaches to studying political violence in the region. We will end by discussing the impact of violence on the societies and the people of the region and the ways to prevent and manage violent conflicts in the post-communist world.