Module Identifier HY38030  
Module Title POLITICS AND THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY 1850-1991  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Alice Russell  
Semester Semester 2  
Mutually Exclusive HA39030 , HA39130  
Course delivery Lecture   18 Hours  
  Seminars / Tutorials   10 Hours  
Assessment Essay   2 essays (1 x 4,000 words, 1 x 2,500 words)   40%  
  Exam   3 Hours   60%  

Learning outcomes


On completion of this module, students should be able to:
a) Demonstrate familiarity with a substantial body of historical knowledge in the field of Russian political, economic and social development c 1850-1991
b) Engage in source criticism, discussion and understanding of Russia's evolving political and economic system
c) Demonstrate familiarity with a wide range of historical techniques relevant to analysis, interpretation of evidence, assessment of outcomes
d) Gather and sift appropriate items of historical evidence
e) Read, analyse and reflect critically on secondary and primary texts, in particular the traditionalist, revisionist and post-revisionist schools of thought
f) Explore the relationships between history and other disciplines, particularly international politics
g) Develop the ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of particular historical arguments and where necessary challenge them.
h) Develop oral (not assessed) and written skills which will have been improved through seminar discussions and essays
i) Work both independently and collaboratively, and to participate in group discussions (not assessed).

Brief description


This option module examines the state of Russia's economy and the structure of society and authority from the mid-nineteenth century. It considers Russia's international standing, the Crimean War, the emancipation of the serfs, and the nature and extent of industrialisation under the influence of Witte. It identifies the causes and consequences of the 1905 uprising and the significance of Stolypin reforms. The revolutionary events of 1917 are examined in the context of Russia's involvement in the First World War. Inter-war topics include the creation of the USSR, War Communism, the New Economic Policy, the Great Industrilisation Debate, the Five-Year Plans, collectivisation of agriculture, central planning for industrial growth, and the influence of Stalin and Lenin. The module considers the USSR's involvement in the Second World War, the onset of the Cold War, and the emergence of the USA and USSR as two international superpowers. Further economic and political change is examined, to cover developments under Krushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin. The module concludes with various explanations which have been given for the disintegration of the USSR.