Political Science 452Z
Communist and Post-Communist Politics
State University of New York at Albany
Spring 2008
Professor Cheng Chen
Office: Milne Hall 212
Phone: 591-8724
E-mail: cchen@albany.edu
TTh 10:15-11:35
Education 021
Office Hours: Thursday 11:40-1:40
Humanities 16
Course Description
This course provides a survey of the politics of post-communist transition in Russia, Eastern
Europe, and China. It begins with an overview of the origin and development of communism
in the Soviet Union, China, and Eastern Europe. The second part of the course examines and
analyzes the profound political, economic, and social changes in former communist societies
during the post-communist transition. Specifically, we will cover regime transition;
institution-building; economic reforms; social transformation; as well as nationalism and
ethnic conflicts. Finally, we will critically assess the prospects of, rather than merely assume
the inevitability of, liberal capitalist democracy taking root in former communist countries.
The primary aims of the course are to familiarize students with the major challenges
confronting former communist countries as they move away from socialism, and to provide
students with not only the theoretical tools necessary for understanding the collapse of
communism, but also the perspectives crucial to making well-grounded evaluations of the
emerging political and socio-economic trajectories in these countries.
Course Requirements
This is a writing-intensive course. In-class participation, including class attendance, will
count for 10% of the overall grade. There will be four take-home written assignments, each
consisting of a 5-7 page paper responding to one pre-given question. The first two
assignments will each count for 20% of the overall grade, and the next two will each count
for 25%. For all the written assignments, your grades will be based on substance as well as
on style. There will be no final exam for this course.
The written assignments are designed to develop your ability of critical thinking and to
improve your writing skills. Although they do not require any additional research, they
should be taken seriously. To write a good paper, you need a coherent argument supported
by evidence provided by lecture notes and relevant readings. It is always a good idea to put
together an outline before writing. These written assignments should be based on course
materials. You are encouraged to consult with the instructor to improve your writing. Their
due dates are marked on the syllabus. Late papers will be marked down. Extensions can
only be granted for university-approved reasons.
Students are expected to meet all standards of academic integrity. Violation of academic
integrity will not be tolerated. For relevant information, see
http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html#integrity
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Readings
Richard Pipes, Communism: A History (New York: The Modern Library, 2003)
Dale Herspring, ed. Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, 3rd ed. (Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield, 2007)
Stephen White, Judy Batt, and Paul G. Lewis, eds. Developments in Central and East
European Politics 4 (Durham: Duke University Press, 2007)
Merle Goldman and Roderick MacFarquhar, eds. The Paradox of China’s Post-Mao Reforms
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999)
The above books are available at the University Bookstore. The rest of the readings will be
included in a course pack, available at Mary Jane Books on Western Avenue at Quail Street.
PART I: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
January 24: Introduction

Course syllabus
January 29-31: Marxism and Leninism


Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto,”
http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html
Richard Pipes, Communism, 1-51
February 5-7: Leninism in Russia
A. The Leninist-Stalinist Regime
B. The Post-Stalinist Soviet Regime



V. I. Lenin, “The State and Revolution,” in R. Tucker, ed. The Lenin Anthology (New
York: Norton, 1969), 335-350, 369-384
Robert Tucker, “Stalinism as Revolution from Above,” in Robert Tucker, ed.
Stalinism: Essays in Historical Interpretation (New York: Norton, 1977), 77-108
Richard Pipes, Communism, 55-87
February 12-14: Leninism in Eastern Europe and China
A. Leninism in Eastern Europe
B. Leninism in China




Richard Pipes, Communism, 117-144
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 3-22
Chalmers A. Johnson, Peasant Nationalism and Communist Power (Stanford:
Stanford University Press, 1962), 1-30
Harry Harding, China’s Second Revolution: Reform After Mao (Washington D.C.:
The Brookings Institution, 1987), 11-39
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PART II: POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION
(First assignment due on February 21)
February 21-26: The End of Leninism
A. The Collapse of Leninism in Eastern Europe
B. The Decline of Leninism in China




Daniel Chirot, “What Happened in Eastern Europe in 1989?” in D. Chirot, ed. The
Crisis of Leninism and the Decline of the Left (Seattle: University of Washington
Press, 1991), 3-32
Stephen White et al., Developments in Central and East European Politics, 21-36
Alexander Dallin, “Causes of the Collapse of the USSR,” Post-Soviet Affairs 8:4
(1992): 279-302
Merle Goldman and Roderick MacFarquhar, eds. The Paradox of China’s Post-Mao
Reforms (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999), 3-29, 129-169
February 28: Discussion: Why did Leninism Collapse?
March 4-6: Building Democratic Institutions
A: Democracy Failure in Russia
B: Democracy-Building in Eastern Europe


Dale Herspring, Putin’s Russia, 13-73
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 127-192
PART III: ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
(Second assignment due on March 13)
March 11-13: Economic Reforms in Russia and Eastern Europe
A: Economic Reforms in Russia
B: Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe


Dale Herspring, Putin’s Russia, 127-169
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 245-263
March 18-20: Economic Reforms in Comparative Perspective
A: Economic Reforms in China
B: Discussion: Post-Communist Transition in Comparative Perspective I


Goldman and MacFarquhar, The Paradox of Post-Mao Reforms, 30-44
David Hale and Lyric Hughes Hale, “China Takes Off,” Foreign Affairs 82:6
(November/December 2003): 36-53
PART IV: SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
April 1-3: Post-Communist Social Transformation
A: Social Condition in Russia and Eastern Europe
B: Social Conditions in China
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


Dale Herspring, Putin’s Russia, 99-124
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 193-228
Goldman and MacFarquhar, 173-329
PART V: TRANSFORMATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
(Third assignment due on April 10)
April 8-10: National Identity in Russia and Eastern Europe
A: National Identity in Russia
B: National Identity in Eastern Europe

Cheng Chen, The Prospects for Liberal Nationalism in Post-Leninist States, 47-94,
136-201
April 15-17: Post-Communist National Identity and Democratization
A: National Identity in China
B: National Identity and Democracy

Cheng Chen, Liberal Nationalism, 95-133, 203-218
April 22-24: The International Dimension of Post-Communist Transition
A: The International Dimension of Political and Economic Transformation
B: Discussion: Post-Communist Transition in Comparative Perspective II



Dale Herspring, Putin’s Russia, 195-217
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 56-71, 110-126
Christopher Marsh, “Learning from Your Comrade’s Mistakes: The Impact of the
Soviet Past on China’s Future,” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 36 (2003):
259-272
PART VI: CONCLUSIONS: FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE
(Fourth assignment due on May 1)
April 29-May 1: Making Sense of Post-Communist Transition
A: Lessons of Post-Communist Transition
B: Transition and Its Dissenters



Dale Herspring, Putin’s Russia, 219-224
Stephen White et al., Central and East European Politics, 264-275
Goldman and MacFarquhar, The Paradox of China’s Post-Mao Reforms, 333-360
May 6: Writing in Political Science
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