History of the Soviet Union

In this course we will explore the tumultuous history of Russia's revolutions and the attempts to create a socialist utopia on earth. The course will be organized around three revolutionary moments: the political revolutions of 1905 and 1917, Stalin’s socioeconomic “revolution from above” in the 1930s, and Mikhail Gorbachev’s “accidental revolution” that led to the demise of the USSR in the 1980s. Through secret party documents, novels, diaries, films, and images, students will get a vivid look at everyday life, party dynamics, the shifting status of women, and the centrality of violence in Soviet society.