PS 5310 – (01)Evolution and Devolution of the USSR
Dr. Charles Kelly
Class – 4:30 – 7:15 PM J-138
Spring 2010
Office: J-105G 908-737-3992
OHs: M, 9:30 – 11:00 AM
T, 11:00 – 12:30 PM
Th., 10:00 – 11:00 AM & 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Sat. 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
E-mail ckellybeacon@yahoo.com
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:
Martin McCauley. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. Longman: Pearson
Higher Education, 2008. ISBN – 10: 0582784654, ISBN-13: 9780582784659. Paper
Suggested retail price $46.00.
Anna Politkovskaya. Putin’s Russia: Life In a Failing Democracy. Henry Holt &
Company, 2007 ISBN 0-8050-8250-6.BM 13: 978-0-8050-8250-0. Paper Suggested
retail Price $16.00 Macmillan.
Students are responsible for becoming familiar with, and will be held accountable for, the
Kean University Academic Integrity Policy and the Student Code of Conduct. The
Academic Integrity Policy is available at www.kean.edu/forms/AcademicIntegrity,pdf or
the Web site for The guide at www.kean.edu/publications/TheGuide2007.pdf., and the
Student Code of Conduct is available at www.kean.edu/~conduct or the Web site for The
Guide at www.kean.edu/publications/Theguide2007.pdf.
Dates to Remember:
January 25
February 1
February 8
February 8
March 12
Last day to WD with 100% refund
Last day to WD with 75% refund
Last day to declare course as audit
Last day to WD with 50% refund or P/F
Last day to withdraw with W grade
Weekly Reading Assignments for the Week of:
January 19 – February 16
Overview and the Collapse of Czarist Regime and the Rise
of Bolshevism McCauley, Chapters 3 & 4
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, Feb. 18th . (1 page
Outline).
Feb. 22 – March 29
The Revolution From Above, The Rise of Totalitarianism
and World War II.
McCauley, chapters 5, 6 & 7
H. Arendt “Origins of Totalitarianism” (download from
Webpage).
Video: Stalin
Short Paper: Write 4 – 5 page paper and an Oral
Presentation (1 page outline) summarizing/analyzing
One of the following topics: Socialism In One Country,
Soviet Totalitarianism, Soviet Victory in WWII.
Oral presentation Thursday, March 25 (1 page
Outline.)
March 15 – 22
Spring Recess
March 29 – April 26
Khrushchev to Medvedez
McCauley, Chapters 8 – 11, 1 & 2
Politkovskaya, (the entire book)
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, Putin and Medvedez years.
Oral presentation Thursday, April 21
(1 page outline)
April 28
Final Exam
May 6
Exam Feed back
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 Ne w 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 22n, 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 13, 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.