HIS 322 - Revolutionary and Soviet Russia (1)

This course will explore the history and complexities of the Soviet Union, which existed from 1917 to 1991. During its existence, the Soviet Union was the largest country in the world, one of two world-wide superpowers, and played an enormous role in the shaping politics and society in the 20^th century. The Soviet Union was the world’s first Marxist and socialist state. It actively (and proudly) rejected capitalism and sought to build a workers’ and peasants’ paradise on earth. The Soviet Union was one of the main combatant powers in World War II, and was the decisive force in the ultimate defeat and destruction of Nazi Germany. The rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, known as the Cold War, was the defining world-wide political feature of the latter half of the 20^th Century. The Soviet Union’s ultimate collapse and disappearance nearly 30 years ago was unforeseen and had a profound impact in world affairs, the effects of which we are still dealing with on a daily basis.

This course will focus on a variety of themes such as ideology, economics, nationality, war, and peace within the larger Soviet experiment. Three central themes of this course will be on the supposed inevitability of the victory of communism over capitalism, the unfulfilled promise of the 1917 Revolution, and the genesis of the Stalinist dictatorship. Stalinism came to define the entire Soviet experience and was arguably the cause of the ultimate decline of the Soviet Union. There will also be a focus on the plight of the individual and their relationship with the Communist Party and the Soviet state.  Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Offered every third year. No alternate grade option.
(Humanities)