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HI31E-30 Stalinism in Europe, 1928-1953

Department
History
Level
Undergraduate Level 3
Module leader
Christoph Mick
Credit value
30
Module duration
22 weeks
Assessment
60% coursework, 40% exam
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Introductory description

This 30 CATS final-year undergraduate Advanced Option module aims to examine the phenomenon of Stalinism between 1928 (the beginning of the “Revolution from above”) and 1953 (Stalin’s death). After a discussion of the transformation of the economy, society and culture the focus is on the social and cultural history of Stalinism as a ‘civilisation’. The Soviet leadership attempted to implement a socialist way of life and to construct a socialist identity. The consequences of this attempt for everyday life are considered as are central mythologies of Stalinist propaganda and the ‘culture of violence’. We will also discuss how far Stalinism was a purely Russian/Soviet phenomenon. We will therefore look at the consequences of Stalinism for the international communist movement and for the sovietisation of Eastern Europe after 1945.

Module web page

Module aims

Students will examine theories on Stalinism and how the Cold War affected the interpretation of Stalinism. We will discuss the totalitarian approach, the revisionist approaches of the 1980’s and the post-revisionist discussions of the recent period. Students will examine primary sources, including official materials such as political speeches and propaganda and sources such as private letters, diaries, and memoirs.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

  1. What is Stalinism?
  2. ‘Socialism in one country’: The Soviet Union in the 1920’s
  3. Transforming Russia: the ‘Revolution from above’
  4. Industrialisation and Economic Planning
  5. Looking East: Perceptions of the Soviet Union in Europe
  6. Stalinist Culture
  7. Society and Everyday Life
  8. The ‘Stalinist Self’ I
  9. The 'Stalinist Self'' II
  10. Communism vs. Fascism
  11. The 'Great Terror'
  12. The Imperial Dimension
  13. Anti-Soviet Campaigns and Fellow-Travelling
  14. Russian Nationalism and Soviet Patriotism
  15. The Great Patriotic War
  16. Late Stalinism
  17. The Sovietisation of Eastern Europe
  18. Stalinism after Stalin

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the key social, political and cultural developments occurring within the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1953
  • Critically analyse and evaluate a broad range of primary sources (including political speeches, propaganda material, diaries, art, and film) relating to the history of Stalinism.
  • Effectively communicate ideas, and make informed, coherent and persuasive arguments, relating to the history of Stalinism
  • Critically review and consolidate theoretical, methodological, and historiographical ideas relating to the history of Stalinism

Indicative reading list

  • Stalin, J.V., ‘The Tasks of Economic Executives. Speech Delivered at the First All-Union Conference of Leading Personnel of Socialist Industry, February 4, 1931’, in J.V. Stalin, Works, Vol. 13 (Moscow, 1955), pp. 31-44. Link 1 Link 2 (Faksimile)
  • Trotsky, L.D., ‘The Soviet Thermidor,’ in C. Ward (ed.), The Stalinist Dictatorship (London, 1998), pp. 13-24 (= Chapter 5 of 'The Revolution Betrayed', 1935) Link 1
  • Siegelbaum, Lewis, ‘Building Stalinism, 1929-1941’, in Gregory L. Freeze (ed.), Russia. A History (Oxford, 2002), pp. 291-318. (or any other overview on this period in a 'History of Russia' or 'History of the Soviet Union', for example by Christopher Read, Geoffrey Hosking or Robert Service)
  • Fitzpatrick, Sheila, 'Introduction', in Sheila Fitzpatrick, Everyday Stalinism. Ordinary life in extraordinary times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s (New York, 1999), pp. 1-13 (electronic copy in library)
  • Read, Christopher, Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin (London: Routledge, 2017), Chapter 1, pp. 1-38 (electronic copy in library)
  • Kotkin, Steven, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilization (Berkeley, 1995), pp. 1-25 [= ‘Introduction: Understanding the Russian Revolution’]
  • Gill, Graeme, The Origins of the Stalinist Political System (Cambridge, 1990)
  • Davies, Sarah and James Harris, ‘Joseph Stalin: power and ideas’, in Davies/Harris (ed.), Stalin. A New History (Cambridge, 2005), pp. 17 ff
  • Laue, Theodore von, ‘Stalin in Focus’, in Ward (ed.), The Stalinist Dictatorship, pp. 24-43

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

See learning outcomes.

Transferable skills

See learning outcomes.

Study time

Type Required
Seminars 18 sessions of 2 hours (12%)
Tutorials 4 sessions of 1 hour (1%)
Private study 260 hours (87%)
Total 300 hours

Private study description

History modules require students to undertake extensive independent research and reading to prepare for seminars and assessments. As a rough guide, students will be expected to read and prepare to comment on three substantial texts (articles or book chapters) for each seminar taking approximately 3 hours. Each assessment requires independent research, reading around 6-10 texts and writing and presenting the outcomes of this preparation in an essay, review, presentation or other related task.

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.

Assessment group D1
Weighting Study time Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
Seminar contribution 10% No
Reassessment component
1000 word reflection Yes (extension)
Assessment component
1500 word essay 10% Yes (extension)
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
3000 word essay 40% Yes (extension)
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
7 day take-home assessment 40% No
Reassessment component is the same
Feedback on assessment

Written feedback provided via Tabula; optional oral feedback in office hours.

Past exam papers for HI31E

Courses

This module is Optional for:

  • Year 3 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History

This module is Option list A for:

  • Year 3 of UHIA-V100 Undergraduate History
  • Year 4 of UHIA-V101 Undergraduate History (with Year Abroad)
  • Year 4 of UITA-R3V2 Undergraduate History and Italian

This module is Option list B for:

  • Year 3 of UHIA-V1V5 Undergraduate History and Philosophy
  • Year 4 of UHIA-V1V6 Undergraduate History and Philosophy (with Year Abroad)
  • Year 3 of UHIA-VM11 Undergraduate History and Politics
  • Year 4 of UHIA-VM12 Undergraduate History and Politics (with Year Abroad)
  • Year 3 of UHIA-VL13 Undergraduate History and Sociology
  • Year 4 of UHIA-VL14 Undergraduate History and Sociology (with Year Abroad)