HIST 429-60  THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/ J. Bone

     SYLLABUS INDEX

    COURSE DESCRIPTION

    INSTRUCTOR

    REQUIRED BOOKS

    ASSIGNMENTS

    CLASS SESSIONS

    EVALUATION/GRADING

    PLAGIARISM POLICY

    CLASS SCHEDULE

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COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

    This course examines the extended Russian Revolution (1917-1938), beginning with the social dynamics that led to the insurrections of 1917 and the major political parties and figures that competed for power.  It then focuses on the consolidation of the October Revolution over the next two decades, tracing the Bolshevik transformation of Soviet society from Lenin and the Soviet Civil War through Stalin and the Great Purges.

                                       Prerequisite: HIST 102

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Jonathan Bone.  Office: Atrium 206  Hours: MF 4:00-6:00 PM or by appointment

                        Tel: 720-2284

                        E-mail: bonej@wpunj.edu

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Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Cultural Front: Power And Culture In Revolutionary Russia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992).  Paper ed.  ISBN 0-8014-9516-4.  $18.95.*

Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution (Second Edition) (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994).  Paper ed.  ISBN 0-19-289257-6.  $14.95.* 

NOTE: You will need to obtain the SECOND EDITION for this class.  The First Edition is not acceptable.

Sheila Fitzpatrick, Alexander Rabinowitch, Richard Stites, eds., Russia in the Era of NEP: Explorations In Soviet Society And Culture (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991).  Paper ed.  ISBN 0-253-20657-X.  $15.95.*

RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED:

Students wishing a more detailed companion text for the readings than Fitzpatrick’s Russian Revolution volume (which is required) should consider also:

Ronald Grigor Suny, The Soviet Experiment: Russia, The USSR, And The Successor States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).  Paper ed.  ISBN 0-19-508105-6.  $29.95.*

All books are available through the WPUNJ Bookstore.

A copy of each required text also has been placed on 2-hour RESERVE at the WPUNJ Library.

* All prices are for new books (per publishers' information as of June 2001) and subject to change.

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ASSIGNMENTS: 

A 400-level course, this is a reading-intensive, lecture/discussion class.  You are responsible for all assigned readings; for the content of scheduled classroom lectures, discussions, presentations, and/or interactive sessions; and for any supplementary material (on or off line) assigned by me during the semester.

Basic readings for each week will consist of overview sections from Fitzpatrick’s Russian Revolution book and/or grouped articles drawn mainly from the other required texts.  Some assigned material will be posted on-line on a password-required Blackboard account for this class.  You will be notified as soon as the account has been set up, and will be responsible for any and all material posted there.  The total reading load should average 120-150 pages per week.

Optional study guides for some readings may be available on line a week in advance.  They may contain one or more of the following: lists of key terms, guided questions, maps, tables, unassigned supplemental material; other study aids.  These study guides will help you work through the readings and prepare for class discussion.  They are not required and you do not need to use them.  However you are strongly encouraged to do so when I make them available. 

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Class sessions normally will consist of a combination of lecture and discussion of the assigned readings.  Where appropriate I may supplement the required texts with videos, sound recordings, visual aids (tables, maps, photos or posters, etc.), short excerpts from other texts, and/or other material designed to promote discussion.  On occasion we may also engage in role play and other interactive learning strategies.

You are expected to do all assigned readings prior to class and to be ready to discuss them with your classmates and with me in an intelligent manner.  Repetitive failure to keep up with the readings will result in a lowered grade for participation (see below).

We will take one (1) fifteen-minute break approximately halfway through each session.

Coffee and beverages are ok at all times; please do not eat while we are in session.

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You will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Class participation: 10% of your final grade

Regular attendance is an important component of learning.  Anyone missing more than four (4) scheduled sessions without cause may receive an F (failing grade) for class participation.  I reserve the right to determine whether circumstances are sufficiently extenuating.  Attendance will be taken every session. You are expected to do all assigned readings prior to class and to be ready to discuss them with your classmates and with me in an intelligent manner.  Repetitive failure to keep up with the readings will result in a lowered grade for participation

Two (2) 5-page Critical Reviews of primary sources:  20% of your final grade each.   

These reviews will ask you to evaluate short primary sources in the context of relevant material we will have covered in the readings and in class.  I will describe them in detail during the sessions in which they are assigned.  You will have the penalty-free option of rewriting your first Critical Review for a higher grade.  Your second Critical Review will be graded as is.

One (1) Take-home final: 50% of your final grade.

Your final will be similar to your Critical Reviews: it will ask you to evaluate a primary source in the context of material we will have covered throughout the semester.  I will ask you to critique an opinion about the general nature of the Russian Revolution, and to support your response through references to appropriate assigned readings, lectures, discussions, and/or supplementary material.  I will discuss the final in detail prior to handing out (or possibly posting on line) the assignment.

Critical Reviews and the Final may be submitted electronically (i.e. as e-mail attachments) PROVIDED I APPROVE THE SENDING ARRANGEMENTS AND FILE FORMAT IN ADVANCE.

The grade on late assignments will be lowered a minimum one (1) full letter.  I reserve the option of further deduction for severe tardiness. 

Finally, you must turn in complete drafts of all three written assignments to pass the course.   

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Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Plagiarism is trying to pass off someone else's work as your own without proper citation. This includes both repeating source material verbatim without citation (word-for-word copying) and paraphrasing source material without citation. It includes appropriating the ideas of any other party or outside source without attribution (e,g, your professor(s), your classmate(s), anything you yourself have written for another forum, the Internet).

Put as much as possible of what you want to say in your own words.  And when you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise refer to your sources, cite them.  I want to see citations wherever and whenever you have incorporated facts and/or ideas from others.  When in doubt, ask me and/or refer to the University Guidelines.

The minimum penalty for clear plagiarism will be an F (failing grade) for that assignment. 

Repetition of the offense may result in an F (failing grade) for the course.

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Th Sept 6	Introduction/ Background
	No assigned reading-- Lecture + PowerPoint presentation
	Optional background reading:
	Trotsky, History Of The Russian Revolution, chapters 1-3     HTML   RTF   Word2000
Th  Sept 13	Prologue: 1861—September 1917
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 1-61
	Supplementary Readings
	Lenin, "Letters From Afar" (March 1917)     HTML    RTF    Word2000
	Lenin, "The Tasks Of The Proletariat In The Present Revolution" (April 1917)       HTML   RTF   Word2000
	Lenin, excerpt from "State And Revolution" (August-September 1917)     HTML    RTF   Word2000
	Photo Gallery:
	Gallery of Revolutionary Images     CLICK HERE
Th  Sept 20	Denouement: October--December 1917
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 61-67
	Video excerpt
	Eisenstein, Oktiabr’
	Supplementary Material:
	Short Course     HTML    RTF   Word2000
	Lenin, "What is 'Soviet Power'?"  Click for 26-second Audio Clip:     mp3 format (74k)   .wav format (324k)
Th  Sept 27	Social Breakdown: From October Revolution To Civil War
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 68-92
	Articles:
	Reed, "The Conquest of Power"  [See Blackboard; OR:]  HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Smith, 'The Socialist Revolutionaries And The Dilemma Of Civil War"  [See Blackboard; OR:]  HTML     RTF      WORD2000
	Raleigh, excerpt from "The Revolution On The Volga" [See Blackboard; OR:]  HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Supplementary Material:
	Selected Bolshevik Decrees, 1917-20  HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Lenin, "Elections To The Constituent Assembly"   HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Video excerpt:
	Dovzhenko, Arsenal
	Assignment:
	Critical Review #1 ASSIGNED HTML   RTF   WORD2000
Th  Oct 4	Controlling Society During The Civil War
	Articles
	Dugarm, "Peasant Wars In Tambov Province"   HTML     RTF     WORD2000
	McAuley, "Bread Without The Bourgeoisie"    HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Orlovsky, "State Building In The Civil War Era"   HTML      RTF      WORD2000
	Assignment:
	Critical Review #1 DUE
Th  Oct 11	The Civil War In Retrospective
	Articles:
	Fitzpatrick, "The Legacy Of The Civil War"    SEE BLACKBOARD
	Levin, "The Civil War: Dynamics And Legacy"    SEE BLACKBOARD
	Video excerpts:
	Lean/Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago
	Vasiliev Brothers, Chapaev
	Mikhalkov, Burnt By The Sun
Th  Oct 18	The Problem Of Post-Revolutionary Class Identity
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 93-119
	Articles:
	Fitzpatrick, "The Bolsheviks’ Dilemma" in Cultural Front: 16-36
	Fitzpatrick, "The Problem Of Class Identity In NEP Society" in Russia In The Era Of NEP: 12-33
	Koenker, "Class And Consciousness In A Socialist Society...." in Russia In The Era Of NEP: 34-57
Th  Oct 25	The NEP: Strategic Retreat, Lingering Antagonisms
	Articles:
	Weiner, "Razmychka?" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 144-155
	von Hagen, "Soldiers In The Proletarian Dictatorship" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 156-173
	Weissman, "Policing The NEP Countryside" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 174-191
	Altricher, "Insoluble Conflicts" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 192-209
Th  Nov 1	Seeking Stability On The Domestic Front
	Articles:
	Goldman, "First Retreat"  [See Blackboard]
	Fitzpatrick, "Sex And Revolution" in Cultural Front: 65-90
	Johnson, "Family Life In Moscow During NEP" in Russia In The Era Of NEP: 106-124
	Goldman, "Working Class Women..." in Russia In The Era Of NEP: 125-143
Th  Nov 8	NEP-Era Mass Culture/Mass Acculturation
	Articles:
	Clark, "The Quiet Revolution In Intellectual Life" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 210-230
	Brooks, "The Press And Its Message" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 231-252
	Rothstein, "Popular Song In The NEP Era" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 268-294
	Robin, "Popular Literature Of The 1920s" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 253-267
	Stites, "Bolshevik Ritual Building In The 1920s" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 295-309
	Video excerpt:
	Brooks, Twelve Chairs
	Assignment:
	Critical Review #2 ASSIGNED
	Hist 429-60 Critical Essay # 2. During the period between the October Revolution (1917) and the mid-1920s, Bolshevik attempts at state- and society-building were marked by a number of tensions. The transformation of former Imperial Russia into a viable Soviet Union was particularly affected by the tension between Bolshevik aspirations, on one hand, and post-revolutionary realities on the other (e.g. shortages, the need for reconstruction, vestiges of former Imperial society). Your job is to outline Bolshevik attempts to negotiate those tensions. Choosing one (1) of the following areas-- politics; economics; society; or culture -- write a 5-page essay that explains developments in that area from the Revolution through the NEP era. Base your essay on information in the assigned readings and/or material we may have gone over in class.
Th  Nov 15	State And Intelligentsia
	Articles:
	Geifman, "Intelligentsia, Terrorism, And Revolution" [See Blackboard]
	Bailes, "Natural Scientists And The Soviet System"  [See Blackboard]
	Koenker, "Commentary: The Revolution And The Intellectuals" [See Blackboard]
	Fitzpatrick, "Professors And Soviet Power" in Cultural Front: 37-64
	Assignment:
	Critical Review #2 DUE
Th  Nov 22	THANKSGIVING--  NO CLASS
Th  Nov 29	Succession Struggles, Economic Revolution
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 121-129
	Articles:
	Hatch, "Labor Conflict In Moscow...." in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 58-71
	Kuromiya, "Workers’ Artels And Soviet Production Relations" in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 72-88
	Ball, "Private Trade And Traders...." in Russia In The Era Of NEP, 89-105
	Supplemental Material:
	Click here for web-page slide show on the Struggle for Lenin's Succession.
Th  Dec 6	Cultural Revolution/ Stalin Revolution
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 129-147
	Articles:
	Fitzpatrick, "The Soft Line On Culture And Its Enemies" in Cultural Front, 91-114.
	Fitzpatrick, "Cultural Revolution As Class War" in Cultural Front, 115-148
	Supplemental Material:
	Stalin, "A Year Of Great Change"     HTML    RTF    Word2000
	Stalin, "The Tasks Of Economic Executives"     HTML    RTF    Word2000
	Click for 26-second, mpg-format Video Clip: Stalin Addressing The VI All-Union Congress Of Soviets--1931
	Assignment:
	FINAL CRITICAL REVIEW ASSIGNED     HTML      RTF      Word2000
Th  Dec 13	Ending The Revolution
	Overview:
	Fitzpatrick, Russian Revolution: 148-172
	Articles:
	Fitzpatrick, "Stalin And The Making Of A New Elite" in Cultural Front, 149-182
	Fitzpatrick, "The Lady Macbeth Affair...." in Cultural Front, 183-215
	Fitzpatrick, "Becoming Cultured" in Cultural Front, 216-237
	Supplemental Material:
	Bone, Stalinist Repression (Click for web page)
	Click here for web-page slide show on Stalinist Social Engineering
	Video excerpt:
	Aleksandrov, Volga Volga
Th  Dec 20	NO CLASS-- Final Papers DUE in my office by 6:50 pm.

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