The Soviet Century

Fall 2011

The Soviet Century: Rise and Fall of the Communist Experiment

Listed in: History, as HIST-136  |  Russian, as RUSS-235

Faculty

Sergey Glebov (Section 01)

Description

(Offered as HIST 136 [EU] and RUSS 235.)  This course will explore the history of Soviet state and society through the revolutionary turmoil, Stalin’s socio-economic transformations and terror, World War II and the Cold War. As we follow the development of the Soviet Union, we will focus on topics such as the role of ideology in policy and everyday life, people’s reactions and adaptations to unprecedented pressures of “really existing socialism,” function of terror, repression and accommodation in Communist society, and the place of the USSR on the changing map of world powers in the twentieth century. While we will discuss the role of leaders and institutions, we will also pay attention to cultures and practices of everyday life that developed behind the Iron Curtain. Materials for the class will include writings by contemporary historians, memoirs, novels, films,  and art works from the Mead Museum.  Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Five College Professor Glebov.

Offerings