Office Hours: Wed. 11-12; Fri. 1:30-3,

and by appt.

Office phone: x-8527

E-mail: Heather.Hogan@oberlin.edu

This course studies the Stalinist period of Soviet history, beginning with a brief overview of the period as a whole and the reasons why the country embarked on the "Great Change" at the end of the 1920s. We then turn to an exploration of the enormously violent and wrenching experience of the collectivization of peasant agriculture and the extraordinarily rapid construction of heavy industry. Several sessions will be devoted to aspects of Soviet society in the 1930s, the interaction of state, social groups, and individuals, and the various ways in which historians have sought to interpret this period. We will also examine the wartime experience of the Soviet Union and the origins of the Cold War, and conclude with a brief discussion of late Stalinist society. Throughout, we will read a mix of primary and secondary sources and focus on historiographical debate. A primary goal of the course will be to develop an understanding of the causes and consequences of the transformation of Soviet society in this period and to probe analytically the nature and meaning of Stalinism.

Course Requirements:

1) Active student participation in the weekly sessions is vital to the success of the course. Students must attend every session of the colloquium or present a valid excuse to the instructor; failure to do so will result in a reduction of the final grade.

2) Each student must complete the assigned readings for every session of the colloquium and hand in a "working paper" (described below) by the time of that session; failure to do so will result in a reduction of the final grade.

3) A primary objective of this course is to develop the student's analytical skills by a close reading of a variety of materials. To this end, each student will prepare a short "working paper" (1-2 typed pages) for each class session. These papers should articulate the major issues raised by the readings, define the author's point of view, draw out points of comparison between the week's readings, and include questions to be discussed in class. The papers will constitute an essential part of the written work for the course and will also help to structure the weekly discussions. The papers will be due by noon each Wednesday and will be read briefly by the instructor. The instructor will return the papers at the start of the Wednesday session so that students may draw on their questions for the discussion. The papers will then be read carefully by the instructor, returned the following week, but not graded. After completing the first three working papers, students are encouraged to meet with the instructor to discuss their progress on this assignment.

4) Each student will also be required to write two short (approx. 4-5 typed, double-spaced) papers in the form of a ëreview essayí based on the assigned readings for a particular week and related to the interpretive debates we have focused on to that point in the semester. No ëworking paperí will be due the week that the student is working on this more formal essay. Each student will be required to consult with the instructor at least one week prior to the submission of the paper to select an appropriate focus for the essay. The student is free to choose the week, but one paper must be in the first half of the semester and the other in the second half. The papers are due no later than the last day before break and the last day of class.
 
 

5) Required Readings: All materials required for the course have been placed on Reserve; on the first day of class we will discuss the option of a course pack. The Bookstore has ordered several of the required books:

Fitzpatrick, Stalinís Peasants

Scott, Behind the Urals enlarged edition by S. Kotkin

Fitzpatrick, Everyday Stalinism

Zubkova, Russia after the War

6) Students are encouraged to meet with the instructor during office hours or by appointment to discuss any aspect of the semester's work. The instructor hopes to facilitate intellectual inquiry within and outside the classroom setting and welcomes student input and criticism.

Discussion Topics and Assigned Readings

Sept. 6: Introductory class:

Acton, Russia, The Tsarist and Soviet Legacy, Ch. 9. (3 copies on Reserve)

Fitzpatrick, "Cultural Revolution as Class War," in Fitzpatrick, ed. Cultural Revolution in Russia, 1928-1931.

Stalin, "On the policy of Liquidating Kulaks as a Class" and "Dizzy with Success" in Stalin, Leninism, v. 2

"Introduction" (pp. 7-12) and A.A. Zhdanov "Soviet Literature - The Richest in Ideas. The Most Advanced Literature." (pp.15-24) in Zhdanov, et. al. eds., Problems of Soviet Literature: Reports and Speeches at the First Soviet Writers' Congress.

"How the Steel was Tempered" in Stites and von Geldern, eds. Mass Culture in Soviet Russia,

Nov. 15: Purges

Nov. 29: The Experience of Total War

Weiner, "Saving Private Ivan: From What, Why and How?" Kritika v. 1, no. 2 (Spring 2000): 305-336.

[Weiner talks as much about Soviet society and Stalinism in general, as he does specifically about WWII; like Brooks, Weiner goes into the post-war years and the implications of the war for post-war society.]

Engel, "Women Remember World War II" in Russia At a Crossroads: History, Memory and Political Practice ed. by Nurit Schleifman (Frank Cass: London, 1998), pp.125 ó146.

Harrison Salisbury, "The Sleds of the Children," "A New Kind of Crime," and "The Leningrad Apocalypse" from his The 900 Days

"Wait For Me" and "Vasily Tvorkin" in Stites and von Geldern, eds. Mass Culture in Soviet Russia,

Jeff Brooks, "Pravda Goes to War" in Stites, ed. Culture and Entertainment in Wartime Russia