Rice 313 H. Hogan
Office Phone: 5-8527 Spring 2007
E-mail: Heather.Hogan@oberlin.edu
Office Hours: Mon. 2:30-4:00
Wed. 11:00-12:00, 2:30-4:30
and by appt.
#108 - Russian History II
Our course begins with the reign of Alexander II (1855-1881) and the era of Great Reforms (1860s) and then proceeds to study Imperial RussiaÕs struggle with Òmodernity:Ó the tensions associated with industrialization and the creation of an urban working class; the impact of rapid socio-economic change on the village; the emergence of Òmiddling classesÓ which began to demand civil rights; and the problems of maintaining a multi-ethnic empire. Next we examine the revolutionary crisis of 1905 and its aftermath, the descent into World War I and the Revolutions of 1917. The second half of the course studies the Soviet period, with emphasis on the process of state-building and the transformation of society and culture under Stalin; Soviet RussiaÕs experience in World War II; and the origins of Cold War. The course concludes with an examination of post-Stalinist attempts at reform and suggests some of the reasons for the dramatic collapse of the regime in 1991.
1) Students are expected to attend all lectures. Active and regular participation is an essential part of the course; the instructor welcomes questions at any point.
2) Papers and Examinations.
Three essays based on the assigned readings.
Assignment #1 will be due on March 7 (20% of grade)
Assignment #2 will be due on April 23 (30% of grade)
Assignment #3 will be due on May 9 (20% of grade)
A final exam on May 16 from 7-9pm (30% of grade)
Attendance and participation (priceless)
Late paper policy:
á For an extension to be considered, the student must consult with the instructor in advance of the due date.
á If the student presents a valid excuse, an extension of up to one week will be granted.
á No more than one extension will be granted, that is, the other two papers must be turned in on time.
á Unexcused late papers will be penalized a grade step for each day (24 hours) late, that is, A goes to A-, A- goes to B+, etc.
á Credit for the course will not be given if all written work is not turned in.
3) Reading Assignments: All books and articles assigned in this course are available on Reserve or ERES. The following books have been ordered for purchase:
S. A. Smith, The Russian Revolution: a very short introduction (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2002)
E. F. Kozhina, Through the Burning Steppe: a wartime memoir Translated by Vadim Mahmoudov (New York: Riverhead Books, 2000)
S. Kotkin, Armageddon Averted: the Soviet collapse, 1970-2000, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001)
C. Evtuhov and R. Stites, A History of Russia; Peoples, Legends, Events, Forces Since 1800 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004)
G. Freeze, Russia, A History (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1997)
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
is an interesting and innovative web site that posts a fascinating array of documents, music, and images. Select a year and a pop up menu will appear with a wide selection of topics and events. I encourage you to routinely explore this site as an important supplement to the semesterÕs work.
A note on the textbooks: In the past I have simply placed several textbooks on reserve as recommended reading. This year, following comments from student evaluations, I am strongly encouraging students to select a textbook and read it consistently throughout the semester. My own preference is for C. Evtuhov, et. al. eds., A History Of Russia: Peoples, Legends, Events, Forces because it is the most up to date and comprehensive, and because it includes commentary on social and cultural history. Freeze, Russia, A History is also reasonably up to date, treats social and cultural topics, but is substantially shorter.
4) Students are encouraged to meet with the instructor during office hours or by appointment to discuss any aspect of the semester's work.
5) Honor Code: All course work is governed by Oberlin's Honor Code. http://www.oberlin.edu/students/links-life/rules-regs.html - honor
6) Writing Proficiency: Students who wish to be considered for writing proficiency should notify me at the beginning of the semester.
A final note: Please turn off cell phones, pagers, beeping watches and the like for the entire class period; once class has begun, please refrain from taking breaks and leaving the room.
Lectures and Readings (Approximate Schedule)
Feb.5: Introduction
Feb. 7- 16: The Crisis of the Nicholean System; Mid-Century Reforms and Response of Society
ÒEmancipation ManifestoÓ in Dmytryshyn, ed. Imperial Russia, A Source Book, 1700-1917 (Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehard and Winston, Inc, 1990) pp. 307-311. ERES
D. Field, ÒA Year of JubileeÓ In Eklof, Bushnell and Zakharova, eds. RussiaÕs Great Reforms 1855-1881 (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1994) pp. 40-57. [ERES]
ÒVera FignerÓ in Five Sisters, Women Against the Tsar edited and translated by Barbara Engel and Clifford Rosenthal (New York: Schoken Books, 1975), pp. 3-58 [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites, PB = pp.98-141. HB=pp. 406-449
Or
Freeze, pp. 170-193.
Feb. 19- March 9: The Dilemmas of Modernity
ÒPobedonostsevÕs Criticism of Modern SocietyÓ in Dmytryshyn, ed. Imperial Russia, A Source Book, 1700-1917 (Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehard and Winston, Inc, 1990) pp. 382-399
[ERES]
ÒA Secret memorandum of Sergei Witte on the Industrialization of Imperial RussiaÓ Journal of Modern History XXVI (March 1954): 60-74. [ERES]
A Radical Worker in Tsarist Russia, The Autobiography of Semen Ivanovich Kanatchikov, ed. and translated by R. Zelnik (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1986) pp.1-79 [ERES]
Gapon Petition in W. Sablinsky The Road to Bloody Sunday (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976), pp. 344-349. [ERES]
October Manifesto in H. Mehlinger and J. Thompson Count Witte and the Tsarist Government in the 1905 Revolution (Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1972) pp. 331-332. [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites, PB = pp.142-254. HB = pp. 450-562
Or
Freeze, pp. 193-230
March 7: First essay due
March 12-March 23: War, Revolution, Civil War
a) War and Revolution
S.A. Smith The Russian Revolution, pp. 5-100
Lenin ÒApril ThesisÓ V. I. Lenin Selected Works in Three volumes (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1971), vol. 2, pp. 43-47. [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.256-296. HB = pp. 564-604.
Or
Freeze, pp. 230-253
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1917Ó
b) Civil War
Moshe Lewin, ÒThe Civil War, Dynamics and LegacyÓ in Party, State, and Society in the Russian Civil War, ed. By Diane P. Koenker, William G. Rosenberg, and Ronald Grigor Suny (Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1989) pp. 399-423 [ERES]
E. Zamiatin, ÓThe CaveÓ in The Dragon; Fifteen Stories, trans. and ed. by Mirra Ginsburg (New York: Random House, 1967)[ERES]
T. Martin, ÒAn Affirmative Action EmpireÓ in A State of Nations: empire and nation-making in the age of Lenin and Stalin, edited by Ronald Grigor Suny and Terry Martin, (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001) pp. 67-90 [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.297-317. HB = pp. 605-625
Or
Freeze, pp. 253-262
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1921Ó
March 24-April 1: Spring Break
April 2- April 6: Early Soviet Polity and Society
S.A. Smith The Russian Revolution, pp. 100-168
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.318-354. HB = pp. 626-662
Or
Freeze, pp. 263-290
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1924Ó
April 9-April 27: StalinÕs Russia (1929-1953)
a) Building Socialism
J. Scott, V. Katayev, ÒA Day In MagnitogorskÓ in Readings in Russian Civilization vol. 3 ed. by Thomas Riha (Chicago: University of Chicago Press1964) pp. 567-588. [ERES]
Selections from In the shadow of revolution: life stories of Russian women from 1917 to the second World War, edited by Sheila Fitzpatrick and Yuri Slezkine; translated by Yuri Slezkine (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000), pp. 241-242, 286-301, 305-321, 322-323, 350-353, 356-390. [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.355-387. HB = pp. 663-695
Or
Freeze, pp. 291-318
Please explore the years Ò1929Ó Ò1934Ó Ò1936Ó Ò1939Õ in Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php to develop ideas and documents for your second essay.
b) World War II and Late Stalinism
Kozhina, Through the Burning Steppe (entire)
Grossman, Life and Fate, trans. by R. Chandler (New York, Harper and Row, 1985) pp. 7-12, 532-563 [ERES]
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.388-422. HB = pp. 696-730.
Or
Freeze, pp. 319-346.
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1943Ó Ò1947Ó
Film to be Scheduled: The Battle of Russia [probably Monday, April 23, 7-8:30pm]
April 23: Second essay due
April 30 -May 4: Reform and Retreat: The Khrushchev and Brezhnev Eras
J. Brodsky, ÒIn a room and a halfÓ Less than one (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1986) pp. 447-501. [ERES]
Kotkin, Armageddon Averted, begin reading
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp. 423-472. HB = pp. 731-780.
Or
Freeze, pp. 347-382
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1954Ó Ò1956Ó Ò1961Ó Ò1968Ó Ò1973Ó Ò1980Ó
May 7-May 11: Reform, Collapse and New Directions?
Kotkin, Armageddon Averted, finish reading
Text:
Evtuhov and Stites: PB = pp.473-511. HB = pp. 781-819.
Or
Freeze, pp. 383-421
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 1917-1991: http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php
Explore Ò1986Ó
Ò1991Ó
May 9: Third essay due.
May 11: Last Class
May 16: Final exam 7-9pm