Stalin and Stalinism in Russian History
National Research University Higher School of Economics
课程信息
The course presents the life and deeds of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 till 1953. It analyses the reasons for his actions and their results, as well as the causes of his popularity in Russia today. It offers an analysis of the phenomenon of Stalinism and of its significance for Russia and beyond.
In the late 1920s – early 1930s Stalin directed the massive and rapid industrialisation of the country and the forced collectivisation of its agriculture. The industrialisation was based on forced labour, and collectivisation on repression, but both helped to create the material base for the Soviet defence industry. In the late 1930s Stalin unleashed mass terror against the Soviet people, in which millions perished. In his view this helped to rid the country of any potential internal enemies on the eve of the coming war.
The USSR, together with its allies, won the Second World War, but at the cost of dozens of millions of lives. Stalin was instrumental in creating the post-war order. The system which he created in the 1930s shaped the USSR as it was during his lifetime and for decades after his death. It also influenced the lives of millions of people beyond the Soviet borders.
The course will enable those who take it to develop an informed understanding of the Stalin era and of the phenomenon of Stalinism.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Stalin and Stalinism in Russian History. About this Course.
The first lecture introduces students to the course and to imperial Russia, the country in which Stalin was born. It describes social and economic condition and the political situation in the Russian Empire in the late 19th - early 20th century. The last part of the lecture describes Stalin’s childhood and discusses his personality and the reasons for his turn to radical revolution.
9 videos (Total 49 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
9 videos
1.1. Introduction7m
1.2.The Structure of this Course4m
1.2.1. The Russian Empire: the society, part 1.6m
1.2.2. The Russian Empire: the society, part 24m
1.2.3. The Russian Empire: regional differences3m
1.2.4.Revolutionary Movements in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century8m
1.3.1.Stalin’s Childhood6m
1.3.2. Becoming a Revolutionary6m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
2
Section
Between the Two Revolutions
Lecture 2 describes Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 and the place and role of the Bolsheviks in them. It follows Stalin’s career in the Bolshevik party and describes his activities during both revolutions.
7 videos (Total 69 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
7 videos
2.4.2. The Aftermath of the Revolution5m
2.5.1. Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Stalin Meets Lenin. Stalin’s First Marriage10m
2.5.2. Stalin’s Revolutionary Activities. In Prison and in Exile11m
2.6.1. The 1917 February Revolution10m
2.6.2. Stalin in the February Revolution5m
2.6.3. The Bolsheviks’ Push for Power12m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
3
Section
The Leader
Lecture 3 describes the creation of the Soviet state by the Bolsheviks, the Civil War that followed, War Communism and Lenin’s turn to the New Economic Policy. It analyses Stalin’s role in the Soviet government and in the Civil War, his crushing of his political rivals and opponents and his route to power in the Bolshevik party and in the Soviet state.
6 videos (Total 51 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
6 videos
3.7.2. The Intervention and the Civil War5m
3.7.3. Stalin in the Civil War9m
3.7.4. The New Economic Policy (NEP) and the 10th Party Congress6m
3.8.1. Lenin against Stalin10m
3.8.2. Stalin’s Triumph9m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
4
Section
Stalin's Revolution from Above
Lecture 4 analyses Stalin’s ‘revolution from above’ and the new social and economic order created by Stalin. It outlines Stalin’s reasons for collectivisation and industrialisation and the way in which they were implemented. It analyses the human and economic costs of Stalin’s radical transformation to the country and its people.
4 videos (Total 46 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
4 videos
4.9.2. Collectivisation Begins13m
4.10.1. Industrialisation: the advance10m
4.10.2. Industrialisation: the retreat12m
2 readings
Creative Art during the Stalin Era10m
Glossaries10m
5
Section
The Dictator
Lecture 5 describes the establishment of Stalin’s unchallenged and unchallengeable dictatorship. It gives an outline of Stalin’s terror campaigns and analyses their effect on Soviet society. It also looks in the creation of the new generation of Soviet elite, moulded by Stalin.
5 videos (Total 50 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
5 videos
5.11.2. The Horror Years: the beginning8m
5.11.3. The Horror Years: the end8m
5.12.1. The New Elite10m
5.13.1.The External Danger9m
2 readings
Everyday life in the Gulag10m
Glossaries10m
6
Section
Stalin's War
Lecture 6 is devoted to political developments before World War II and during its first years. It follows Stalin’s reasons for his Pact with Nazi Germany and its consequences. The second part of the lecture describes the retreat of the Red Army after the German invasion of the USSR (1941-1942) and Stalin’s policy during this period.
7 videos (Total 58 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
7 videos
6.15.1. The Winter War. The Last Months before the German Invasion10m
6.16.1.The War Begins6m
6.16.2. Soviet Early Losses. Stalin’s Reaction to the Defeats5m
6.16.3.The Siege of Leningrad and the German Advance to Moscow5m
6.17.1.The Battle of Moscow8m
6.18.1. The German Summer Offensive, 19426m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
7
Section
Stalin's Victory
Lecture 7 covers the period from the 1943 offensives and victories to the Red Army’s final dash to Berlin. It analyses Stalin’s military tactics and assesses his role in the war and in the making of the post-war order.
7 videos (Total 55 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
7 videos
7.19.2.The 1943 Offensive and Relations with the Western Allies9m
7.20.1. The Home Front9m
7. 21. 1. Stalin’s Army Abroad3m
7.22.1.The Warsaw Uprisings and the Polish Question. The Yalta Conference8m
7.22.2.The Dash to Berlin and the Potsdam Conference7m
7.22.3. Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe and Berlin. The Final Split10m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
8
Section
The Last Years of the Dictatorship
Lecture 8 is devoted to the post-war period, the last years of Stalin’s life. It describes the beginning of the Cold War, Stalin’s policy in Eastern Europe and Stalin’s relations with China. It analyses the Soviet post-war economy and Stalin’s attempt to return to the old order and to rule by terror.
7 videos (Total 52 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
8.23.2. The Leningrad Affair4m
8.23.3. The Shake-up Continues8m
8.24.1. The Post-War Soviet Economy7m
8.24.2. The Cold War6m
8. 24.3. The New Mobilisation6m
8.25.1.The End and the Heirs11m
2 readings
Glossaries10m
Soviet Architecture during the Stalin Era10m
9
Section
Модуль без названия
Lecture 9 analyses Stalinism as a phenomenon, its roots and its character. It gives a survey of literature about the Stalin era, Stalin and Stalinism. It also contains an interview with Oleg Khlevniuk, the top Russian authority on Stalin and Stalinism, author of Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator.
5 videos (Total 57 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
5 videos
9.27.1. Why Did the Soviet People Tolerate this System? Why Did They Participate in It?12m
9.28.1. A Long History of Writing about Stalinism.12m
9.28.2. The Archival Revolution7m
9.29.1. Interview with Professor Oleg Khlevniuk16m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
10
Section
Stalinism after Stalin
The last lecture describes the long process of de-Stalinisation in Russia. It looks into the phenomenon of Stalinism abroad and analyses the reasons for the revival of the Stalin cult in today’s Russia.
9 videos (Total 68 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
9 videos
10.30.2. ‘The Anti-Party Group’4m
10.30.3. Khrushchev’s Retreat7m
10.31.1. Kosygin’s Reform6m
10.32.1. Perestroika and the End of the USSR5m
10.33.1. The Early Projects10m
10.33.2. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution7m
10.34.1. The De-Stalinisation of the Early 1990s and the Reasons for the Revival of Stalin’s Cult in the 2000s.11m
10.34.2. Russian Society and Re-Stalinisation5m
1 readings
Glossaries10m
4.7
Top Reviews
By MA•Mar 22nd 2018
Very interesting course. Well taught and good materials. Note that coursework relies on weekly mini-essays and a final longer essay.
By VV•Apr 20th 2018
This course was very interesting. I learnt a lot about Russian history and I was happy to read the book recommended.
Instructor
Irina Filatova
ProfessorAbout National Research University Higher School of Economics
National Research University - Higher School of Economics (HSE) is one of the top research universities in Russia. Established in 1992 to promote new research and teaching in economics and related disciplines, it now offers programs at all levels of university education across an extraordinary range of fields of study including business, sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, political science, international relations, law, Asian studies, media and communications, IT, mathematics, engineering, and more.
Learn more on www.hse.ru
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