Moscow Kremlin

Etymology and metonym

In the Russian language, kreml' denotes a 'fortress within a city', and there are many historical cities with a Kremlin of their own. However, the Moscow Kremlin, the best known, also serves an international-politics metonym that identifies the Government of Russia. During the Cold War (1947–1991), the term The Kremlin meant the Government of the Soviet Union and the term Kremlinology meant the study of the decisions of the Soviet leaders and of Russian and Soviet politics. When open to the public, supervised tours are offered of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.