History 592: Twentieth-Century Russia

Spring 2009, MWF 1:30, EH 211

Professor David Stone              Office: EH 318
email: stone@ksu.edu            phone: 532-6730


This course will cover the history of Russia from the middle of the 19th century up to the present day.  It will look at the origins of the Russian Revolution, the creation of a new communist Soviet Union, and the collapse of that system and the building of a new Russia. I have structured the course and the assignments so that you will:

1) learn the historical content of this period by becoming familiar with the most important people, ideas, and events of Russian history in the twentieth century.

2) gain some historical perspective by studying a country whose experiences have been very different than our own and a political ideology very different from our own.

3) understand the most important trends, forces, and ideologies shaping Russian history.

4) improve your communications skills by writing papers analyzing important issues in twentieth-century Russia and discussing primary sources readings about Russian history.

Please read this syllabus carefully.  Most of your questions about the class are answered here.  If you don't find your answer here, please feel free to ask me for clarification.

TEXTS TO PURCHASE (available in the Union and at Varney's).  Feel free to purchase them online if you choose: use the ISBN # below to make sure you get the right book.

Robert Daniels, ed., A Documentary History of Communism: Communism in Russia (0-87451-616-6)
Robert Daniels, ed., Soviet Communism from Reform to Collapse (0-669-33144-9)
Riasanovsky and Steinberg, A History of Russia since 1855 (0-19-515393-6)
John Scott, Behind the Urals (0-253-20536-0)
David Stone, A Military History of Russia (0-275-98502-4)

GRADE BREAKDOWN:     20 points         1st paper (Leninism)
                    20             2nd paper (Stalinism)
                    20             3rd paper (Gorbachev)
                    20            midterm examination
                    30             final examination
                    30            10 quizzes at 4 points each    
                    20            participation    
                    --
                    160 total points possible
                
REQUIREMENTS:

1) READING.  I expect you to keep up with the reading

2) ATTENDANCE.  I notice who comes to class regularly and who does not.  Attendance and participation will affect your final grade.  Not attending will also hurt your comprehension of the material.  The lectures and readings supplement but do not replace one another.  If you miss class, getting the notes is YOUR responsibility; do not ask me for them.

3) PARTICIPATION.  This class has both lectures and discussions.  Even during lectures, I welcome your questions, comments, and contributions.  Discussion days, usually Fridays, depend on your participation, and you will be graded on your participation and preparation.  If you have trouble talking in class, see me.  You will still need to participate.

4) WRITING.  You will write three papers during the semester, each of about 1250 words.  Due dates are listed on the syllabus; detailed topics will be distributed two weeks before the papers are due.  I expect papers to be handed in on time, and late papers will be marked down 10% for each day they are late.

5) EXAMS.  We will have a midterm exam and a final, consisting of short IDs and essay questions over the lectures and readings.  The final will cover only material since the midterm.

6) QUIZZES.  Discussion days will begin with short quizzes over the assigned reading.  These quizzes will be OPEN NOTE but NOT OPEN BOOK, so you should take reading notes as you go.

7) EMAIL ACCOUNT.  All of you will be automatically subscribed to the class listserv.  Important course information will be distributed via email, so you need to check your account regularly.


CLASS SCHEDULE.

January 16: Intro to course.  Reading: R & S, pp. xxv-xxxi.

January 19: NO CLASS.  UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY.
January 21: The Crimean War and the Great Reforms, pt. I.  Reading: R & S, pp. 341-348; Stone, pp. 118-125.
January 23: The Great Reforms, pt. II.  Reading: R & S, pp. 348-353, 357-61; Stone, Chap. 9.

January 26: Economic and Social Change.  Reading: R & S, pp. 396-402, 407-414.
January 28: Nicholas II.  Reading: R & S, 362-371.
January 30: Discussion: Revolutionary movement.  Reading: Bakunin's Revolutionary Catechism," "Preconditions for a Social Revolution in Russia," Nechaev's "Revolutionary Catechism" (not the same as Bakunin's).

February 2: The Russian Countryside.  Reading: R & S, pp. 402-407.
February 4: Revolutionary Ideologies.  Reading: R & S, pp. 353-357, 432-438.
February 6: The 1905 Revolution.  Reading: R & S, pp. 371-385; Stone, Chap. 10.

February 9: Reform and War.  Reading: R & S, pp. 385-392.
February 11: World War I.  Reading: R & S, pp. 392-395; Stone, Chap. 11.
February 13: Discussion: Leninism.  Reading: R & S, pp. 451-459; Documentary History, Chap. 1, pp. 3-41.

February 16: February Revolution.  Reading: R & S,  pp. 435-447.
February 18: October Revolution.  Reading: R & S, pp. 447-450.
February 20: Discussion: 1917.  Reading: Documentary History, pp. 42-72.

February 23: Civil War, pt. 1.  Reading: R & S, pp. 460-466; Stone, pp. 176-183.
February 25: Civil War, pt. 2.  Reading: R & S, pp. 466-474.
February 27: Discussion: The New State.  Reading: Documentary History, pp. 72-113.

March 2: The New Economic Policy. R & S, pp. 474-477; Documentary History, pp. 113-123; Stone, pp. 183-186.
FIRST PAPER ON LENINISM DUE ON March 2 IN CLASS.
March 4: The Succession Struggle.  Reading: R & S, pp. 477-481.
March 6: Discussion: Trotskyism and Opposition.  Reading: Documentary History, pp. 124-176.

March 9 : Industrialization and Collectivization.  Reading: R & S, pp. 483-494.
March 11: Discussion: Industrialization.  Reading: Scott, pp. 1 170; Documentary History, pp. 177-197.
March 13: MIDTERM EXAM

March 16-20: SPRING BREAK

March 23: Soviet Union and World Revolution.  Reading: R & S, pp. 501-506;
March 25: The Great Purges.  Reading: R & S, pp. 494-500.
March 27: Discussion: Purges. Reading: Scott, pp. 173-306; Documentary History, pp. 197-222.

March 30: The Approach of World War.  Reading: R & S, pp. 506-508; Stone, pp. 186-190.
SECOND PAPER ON STALINISM DUE ON MONDAY, MARCH 30, IN CLASS.
April 1: World War II, pt. 1.  Reading: R & S, pp. 508-516; Stone, Chap. 13.
April 3: World War II, pt. 2.  Reading: Documentary History, pp. 223-234.

April 6: Origins of the Cold War. Reading: R & S, pp. 522-528.
April 8: Stalin's Last Years and Khrushchev’s Succession.  Reading: R & S, pp. 517-522; Documentary History, pp. 235-245.
April 10: Discussion: Destalinization.  Reading: R & S, pp. 546-548; Documentary History, pp. 246-272

April 13: Khrushchev's Rule and Fall.  Reading: R & S, pp. 529-533; Documentary History, pp. 273-279.
April 15: Brezhnev.  Reading: R & S, pp. 534-545, 556-583.
April 17: Discussion: Reforming the system.  Reading: Reform to Collapse, pp. 35-47; Documentary History, pp. 280-283, 286-289, 302-306, 313-322.  

April 20: Continuing Cold War.  Reading: R & S, pp. 548-555; Stone, Chap. 14.
April 22: Gerontocracy and Gorbachev’s Rise to Power.  Reading: R & S, pp. 584-591; Documentary History, pp. 323-336; Reform to Collapse, pp. 69-110, 121-140.
April 24: Discussion: Dissidents.  Reading: Reform to Collapse, pp. 17-25; Documentary History, pp. 284-5, 290-301, 307-312.

April 27: Reform and Collapse.  Reading: Reform to Collapse, pp. 143-216, 231-253, 268-299; Stone, pp. 236-241.
April 29:. Discussion: Growth of Nationalism.  Reading: R & S, pp. 591-597; Reform to Collapse, pp. 111-121; 216-229; 299-311.
May 1: Coup and Disintegration.  Reading: R & S, pp. 597-607; Documentary History, pp. 373-393; Reform to Collapse, pp. 253-268, 311-319.
THIRD PAPER ON GORBACHEV DUE Friday, May 1, IN CLASS.

May 4: Yeltsin’s Russia.  Reading: R & S, pp. 609-625, 641-665.
May 6: Putin's Russia.  Reading: R & S, pp. 625-640; Stone, pp. 242-247.
May 8: Ossetia and a New Cold War?

FINAL EXAM.


POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:

INCOMPLETES.  The KSU policy on incompletes states (http://courses.ksu.edu/catalog/undergraduate/grades/):

    The grade of Incomplete (I) is given in regular courses . . . upon request of the student for personal emergencies that are verifiable. The faculty member has the responsibility to provide written notification to the student of work required to remove the incomplete. The student has the responsibility to take the initiative in completing the work, and is expected to make up the incomplete during the first semester (enrolled) at the university after receiving the grade of I.  If the student does not make up the incomplete during the first semester in residence at the university after receiving it, a grade may be given by the faculty member without further consultation with the student.


ACADEMIC HONESTY, CHEATING, AND PLAGIARISM

I expect students to work honestly, and the vast majority of students do.  Every semester, however, I catch one or two students cheating, and my policy on cheating is to assign a grade of F for the course and turn in the student involved to the Honor System.

From the Honor System website (http://www.ksu.edu/honor):

    Kansas State University has an Undergraduate Honor System based on personal integrity which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance.  Undergraduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Honor System.  The policies and procedures of the Undergraduate Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning.
    A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated:  "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
    A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty.  An XF would be failure of the course with the X on the transcript indicating failure as a result of a breach of academic honesty.

There are two main types of academic dishonesty that concern me in this course.  The first is cheating on quizzes and exams.  While this happens relatively rarely given the type of exams I give, any cheating of this sort (crib sheets, copying from a neighbor) is grounds for failing the course and a referral to the Honor System.

The more common type of academic dishonesty, in my experience, is plagiarism on papers.  


WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own.  This can involve turning in a paper written by someone else, taking a paper from the internet, or not properly giving credit to sources.  For another definition, see the Honor System's discussion at http://www.ksu.edu/honor/examples.htm

WHY IS PLAGIARISM WRONG?

Plagiarism combines lying and stealing.  Plagiarizing is lying, because it falsely claims credit for work actually done by someone else.  It is stealing, because it takes the product of someone else's labor.

Plagiarism also makes the exchange of ideas impossible.  How can you trust what someone tells you if you can't check it yourself?  You need to be able to examine evidence for yourself to be sure that an argument makes sense, but you can't do that if the sources aren't available.

HOW DO I AVOID PLAGIARISM?

Avoiding plagiarism is simple.  You need to do two things.  First, if you take an idea, concept, or fact from someone else, you must give credit to your source.  That's usually done through a footnote, endnote, or parenthetical reference.  HOW exactly you give credit isn't so important; what's important is actually doing it.

Second, if you use someone else's exact words, you have to indicate that.  Otherwise, you're taking credit for someone else's work.  You indicate your use of exact words by quotation marks (or a blocked quote for longer quotations) around the passages you've taken, and some sort of reference to the source.

Plagiarism is disregarding either one of these rules: taking information without giving credit, or taking someone else's language without showing that and giving credit.

WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNET?

Information on the internet is no different than information in books and other printed sources.  If you take ideas or exact words from the internet without giving credit, you have lied about your work, stolen someone else's work, and committed plagiarism.

Identifying your sources is even more important with internet sources.  While getting a book published involves getting an editor and a publisher to agree that your work is worthwhile, any idiot can put absolutely anything on the net.  Wouldn't you like to know if your information about Hitler, for example, comes from the American Nazi Party?