The author: Dr Konstantin Sheiko studied Law and History at the Moscow Institute of Economics, Politics and Law before receiving a Master's in International Relations from the United States International University and a Ph. D. in History from the University of Wollongong, Australia.The collaborator: Dr Stephen Brown teaches Russian History at the University of Wollongong.The author of the foreword: Prof. Donald Ostrowski teaches Russian History at the Harvard University Extension School.