| Module Identifier |
IP34720 |
| Module Title |
SOVIET POLITICS |
| Academic Year |
2001/2002 |
| Co-ordinator |
Dr Jennifer Mathers |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Course delivery |
Lecture | 14 Hours (14 x 1 hour) |
| |
Seminars / Tutorials | 8 Hours (8 x 1 hour) |
| Assessment |
Essay | 1 x 2,500 words | 40% |
| |
Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
Objectives
Upon completion of this module students should be able to:
-
discuss the changing role which the Communist Part played in politics.
-
compare the Leninist and Stalinist political systems.
-
assess the significance of Stalin's influence on the development of politics in the Soviet Union.
-
outline successive attempts to reform the Soviet political system.
-
assess Gorbachev's contribution to Soviet politics.
-
compare Russia's political system with its Soviet predecessor.
10 ECTS Credits
Aims
The aim of this module is to examine the major stages in the creation and development of the Soviet political system from October 1917 to the collapse of the USSR in 1991, and the emergence of a post-Soviet, Russian political system.
Brief description
This module begins with the revolutionary year of 1917 and examines the major debates about the development of the Soviet political system, such as the link between Leninism and Stalinism, and different explanations of the purges of the 1930s. After Stalin's death his successors faced the dilemma of reducing the regime's dependence on the use of coercion and terror as instruments of politics without losing control of events and provoking a backlash. Khrushchev embarked on a campaign of selective revelations about the excesses of the Stalin period, but was overthrown when his policies alienated powerful interest groups. The Brezhnev leadership placed emphasis on stability and brought an immediate end to de-Stalinization. When Gorbachev came to power he sought to invigorate politics with his policies of perestroika and glasnost, but instead released long-suppressed political aspirations which spiraled out of control. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union new political institutions and processes have been created, but it is still unclear whether the course that Russia's leaders are pursuing will result in the development of a democratic state.
Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Text
Geoffrey Hosking.
A History of Soviet Union 1917-1991.
Mary McAuley.
Soviet Politics 1917-1991.