HI289-15 History of Russia since 1881
Introductory description
n/a
Module aims
This undergraduate second-year option examines the history of Russia’s long 20th century, a period dominated by the Soviet ‘experiment’ to build a socialist utopia on the ashes of the Russian Empire. We will consider the roots of revolution in late 19th century Russia; attempts to build socialism after 1917; the lived experience of socialism under Stalin and his successors; and the decline, collapse and legacy of the USSR into the Putin era. By exploring Russian history from a variety of angles – including high politics and ideology, socialist economics, social and cultural history, and everyday life – we will attempt to draw conclusions about the relationship between self, society and the state in a ‘totalitarian’ system. We will also reflect on how this history has been told, and the ways in which international tensions between Russia and the West influence our understanding of Russia’s recent past.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Introduction: Russia in 1881
Frameworks of Russian Identity
Ideologies and Mass Movements
1905 and its Aftermath
War and Revolution
Reading Week: No Classes!
October
Utopian Visions and Civil War
The New Economic Policy
The Great Breakthrough in Socialist Construction
Stalinism as a Civilisation?
National Identity in the Soviet 'Empire'
The Purges
The Soviet Union at War
Late Stalinism and the Birth of the Cold War
Reading Week: No Classes!
Khrushchev's Thaw
The Relaunch of the Soviet Project
Developed Socialism
Gorbachev's Revolution
Russia in the 1990s: A Decade of Chaos?
Putin's Russia
Revision
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Development of critical and analytical study, writing and communication skills
- Critically evaluate sources for the study of modern Russia
- Understand historical and theoretical interpretations of modern Russia
- Presentation of research in an imaginative and concise manner
- Develop written and oral communication skills
- Undertake bibliographic research
- Develop competency in using electronic resources for research and writing
Indicative reading list
Applebaum, Anne, Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps (Penguin, 2012).
Brandenberger, David, National Bolshevism: Stalinist Mass Culture and the Formation of Modern Russian National Identity, 1931-1956. Cambridge, Mass., 2002.
Fitzpatrick, Sheila, The Russian Revolution, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Fitzpatrick, Sheila, Alexander Rabinowitch, and Richard Stites, eds. Russia in the Era of NEP: Explorations in Soviet Society and Culture. Indiana University Press, 1991.
Fürst, Juliane, ed., Late Stalinist Russia: Society Between Reconstruction and Reinvention. London: Routledge, 2008.
Goscilo Helena, and Vlad Strukov, eds., Celebrity and Glamour in Contemporary Russia: Shocking Chic. London; New York, NY: Routledge, 2010.
Harris, James, The Great Fear: Stalin’s Terror of the 1930s. Oxford, 2016.
Hosking, Geoffrey, A History of the Soviet Union, 3rd edition. William Collins, 2017.
Jones, Polly, ed., The Dilemmas of De-Stalinization: Negotiating Cultural and Social Change in the Khrushchev Era. London: Routledge, 2006.
Kotkin, Stephen, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilisation. University of California Press, 1995.
Lovell, Stephen, Destination in Doubt: Russia since 1989. London: Zed Books, 2006..
Lovell, Stephen, The Shadow of War: Russia and the USSR, 1941 to the Present. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Raleigh, Donald J., Soviet Baby Boomers: An Oral History of Russia's Cold War Generation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Read, Christopher, From Tsar to Soviets: The Russian People and Their Revolution, 1917-21. New York: Oxford University Press Inc, 1996.
Smith, Kathleen E., Remembering Stalin’s Victims: Popular Memory and the End of the USSR. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2009.
Steinberg, Mark, The Russian Revolution, 1905-1921. New York, NY: OUP Oxford, 2016.
Stites, Richard, Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press USA, 1989.
Suny, Ronald, The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States (New York: OUP USA, 2010).
Suny, Ronald, and Terry Martin (eds.), A State of Nations: Empire and Nation-Making in the Age of Lenin and Stalin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Subject specific skills
No subject specific skills defined for this module.
Transferable skills
No transferable skills defined for this module.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Tutorials | 1 session of 1 hour (1%) |
| Private study | 131 hours (87%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Oral Participation | 10% | ||
Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Essay Plan | 40% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Essay | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
- written feedback on essay and exam cover sheets\r\n- student/tutor dialogues in one-to-one tutorials\r\n
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.