HIST 049 The Soviet Century
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
The birth of the Soviet Union marked the opening of the "short twentieth
century" (1914 - 1991), and its demise signaled that short but turbulent century's end. During its lifetime, much of the world viewed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as the defining political experiment, the great modern challenge to capitalism and liberalism. This course is about the Soviet century.
We will follow the emergence of the Soviet Union from the ruins of a backward empire and its transformation into the showcase of the future. Lectures, readings and discussions will explore the building of the world’s first socialist society and its attempts to recast human relations and human nature itself. Topics include the origins of the revolutions of 1917, the role of ideology in state policy and everyday life, the Soviet Union as the center of world communism, the challenge of forging a new society from an ethnically diverse population, the Soviet Union’s epic defeat of Nazi Germany, its rise to the status of superpower, its various
attempts to reform itself, and its sudden implosion in 1991. We will follow the rulers (from Nicholas II to Lenin, from Stalin to Gorbachev) as well as the ruled (peasants, workers, intellectuals; Russians and non-Russians).
Curiosity about Soviet history and a willingness to explore its drama and complexity are the only prerequisites for this course. No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.
Course Syllabus (PDF)
