PS 5310 – Evolution and Devolution of the USSR
Class : 5:45 – 8:55PM J-132
Office: J-105G; phone: 908-737-3992 (direct)
Dr. Charles Kelly
Summer I 2008
In the event of misplacing your syllabus you can acquire an additional copy off my web page
http://www.kean.edu/~ckelly.
The evolution and devolution of the USSR is a study of the Soviet State. Students will study
Soviet history, ideology, economics and politics as well as the key personalities that shaped the USSR
and the Federation of Russia.
Students will be expected to keep abreast of the assigned readings, take a comprehensive
writing exam, and write a series of short papers.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
David MacKenzie & Michael Curran. A History of Russia, the Soviet Union and Beyond.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2002.
May 19th - 26th
Overview and the Collapse of Czarist Regime and the Rise of
Bolshevism Mac Kenzie & Curran, Chapters 28, 30, 31, 32 and 33.
(Hereinafter referred to as M & C)
Video: The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
Short Paper: Write 4 – 5 page paper summarizing one of
The following topics: Reasons Why the Czarist Regime
Collapsed, War Communism, or the New Economic Policy.
Include a 1 page annotated bibliography of sources.
Optional oral presentation Thursday, May 29th. (1 page
Outline).
No class Monday, May 26th, Memorial Day.
June 2nd – 9th
The Revolution From Above, The Rise of Totalitarianism
and World War II.
M & C, Chapters 34, 35, 37 and 38.
H. Arendt “Origins of Totalitarianism” (download from
Webpage).
Video: Stalin
Short Paper: Write 4 – 5 page paper or do an oral
Presentation (1 page outline) summarizing/analyzing
One of the following topics: Socialism In One Country,
Soviet Totalitarianism, Soviet Victory in WWII.
Optional oral presentation Thursday, June 12th (1 page
Outline.)
June 16th – 23rd
Khrushchev to Medvedez
M & C, Chapters 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45 & 46
Khrushchev’s Secret Speech (download from webpage)
Video: The Missiles of October
Short Paper: Write 4 – 5 page paper or do an oral
Presentation (1 page outline) Summarizing/analyzing
One topic relevant to the Khrushchev, Brezhnev,
Gorbachev, Yeltsin or Putin years.
Optional oral presentation Thursday, June 19th
(1 page outline)
June 25th
Final Exam
The final exam and short papers/oral presentations will be valued equally, i.e. the exam will be 50% of
your grade and the three papers/presentations will constitute the other 50% of your grade.
Webpage documents
Go to my page and download the following:
-
Major Ideologies
Marx’s Theory of Economic Determinism
Elements of National Power
Conceptual Models of Decision Making and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Allison Decision-Making
Go to The New York Times, and get these book reviews:
( Link from http://www.thenewyorktimes.com or by link from http://library.kean.edu )
-- “Real W.M.D.’s”: By Richard HOLBROOKE, June 22nd, 2008. This is a review of the book: One
Minute To Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War. By Michael
Dobbs (Alfred A. Knopf publishers)
-- “What Sort of Dictatorship Is This?”; by William TAUBMAN, November 13th, 1994. This is a
review of the book Lenin: A New Biography by Dmitri Volkogonov, translated by H. Shukman, (The
Free Press, publisher.)
Download this article from The New York Times:
-- “Communism’s Last True Believer” , article by Michael SCAMMEL , January 25, 1991
file: ckelly\PS5310SU.DOC