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Content

The aim of this module is to examine the establishment of the communist system in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, its evolution, decay and eventual collapse. Throughout the module we will seek to discover the sources of political power in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and to understand the relationship between power, legitimacy and ideology. The module takes a historical-thematic approach and aims to identify both the commonalties and differences in the development of the Soviet and Central and East European states.

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Teaching delivery

This module is taught in ten weekly lectures.

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Enrolment on this module is restricted to students on specific programmes of study, as detailed in the Restrictions box. You will not be able to join the module if you do not meet these criteria.

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Restrictions

Core module for Politics and HPE first-year students. Others will be allocated based on number of remaining places.

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Indicative topics (subject to possible change)

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1. The Other Europe
2. The Bolshevik Revolution
3. Socialism in one Country
4. Nationalism and Communism
5. The Communist Takeover of Eastern Europe
6. Stalinism and De-Stalinisation
7. From the Prague Spring to Solidarity
8. Gorbachev’s Political Revolution
9. The Revolutions of 1989 in CEE
10. The Collapse of the USSR

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Module objectives

At the end of this course students will have acquired a knowledge of the key events, actors and dates of Soviet and East European socio-political history; an understanding of the political systems established in the region; and the ability to distil information, present ideas and defend a theoretical position.

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General and introductory texts

• Crampton, R. (1997) Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century and After. London: Routledge
• Hosking, G. (1992) A History of the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. London: Harper Collins
• Kenez, P. (2006) A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End. Cambridge: CUP
• Rothschild, J. and Wingfield, N.W. (2007) Return to Diversity: A Political History of Eastern Europe Since World War II. 4th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press
• Schöpflin, G. (1993) Politics in Eastern Europe. Oxford: Blackwell