In October 1917, a small band of Marxist revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks seized control of the largest country in the world, Russia, and declared they were building a new civilization. Just before its collapse in 1991, this “civilization” encompassed a third of the globe and its shadow continues to frame, indeed, haunt munch of it. How did this small band of radicals achieve this remarkable goal? This course traces how the Bolsheviks maintained and expanded their rule through civil war, rapid industrialization, colossal loss of life to famine and terror, Nazi invasion and the Cold War before the Soviet Empire collapsed in a remarkably bloodless dissolution in 1991. Some of the questions the course asks include: What was Communism and how did it triumph? How did the Bolsheviks go about creating their new civilization in an ancient and multiethnic Empire and then across the world? Who opposed them and what happened to them? What was life like before, under and after Stalin? Did a regime that had withstood civil war, invasion and cold war simply resign itself so meekly to the dustbin of history in 1991, as many thought at the time, or has more recent developments in Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet space cast doubt on this thesis? 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the history of the Soviet Union and Russian Revolution;
2. critically evaluate key interpretations of the social, cultural and political history of Russia in the twentieth century;
3. conduct research, analyse and integrate primary and secondary sources and present their research in written form; and
4. demonstrate the significance of Soviet history for the contemporary world.

Additional Course Costs

Students will be expected to submit work in electronic form, the latter in MS Word or RTF format. They will need access to a computer.

Examination Material or equipment

Open take home exam via Wattle.

Required Resources

Reading materials for tutorials will be made available through Wattle free of charge. Students are expected to have this material available to them in tutorials – either in electronic or paper format. Other materials necessary to complete assignments for this course are available through the ANU library, and can be supplemented via the Australian National Library and a range of online sources.

Recommended Resources

See Course Outline on on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Individual written feedback: this will be provided for the Document Exercise and the Essay. It includes a mark out of 100, and detailed written comments. These comments will address the strengths and weaknesses of your essay, and suggest ways to improve. You will also receive a rubric which assesses the content, argument, structure, presentation, and referencing of your essay. Please note that the various components of assessment listed in the rubric do not have equal weight. Calculating your grade is not a matter of adding up the ticks, or supplying 10 marks for presentation and 20 marks for analysis etc. Students may be able to compensate for defects in one area of the table by high performance in another. The rubric is designed to help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, not to give you a mechanical breakdown of your grade. 
• Group feedback: this will be provided in lectures after the return of the document exercise and the essay indicating common areas of weakness or strength and recommendations for the whole class, with examples.
• Students are in addition welcome to seek informal verbal feedback from their tutor at any stage during the course. Please arrange an appointment to discuss your work in person.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Assessment Criteria – Written Work

Students will receive grades for their written work, based on their demonstration of research effort, analytical skill, critical thinking, editorial polish and academic honesty. 

They will receive an assessment sheet, when essays are returned, which will include comments, a mark out of 100, and a rubric set out as follows: 

Content/Coverage: your essay must address the question or fulfil the requirements of the set task. It should demonstrate awareness of the broad contours of scholarly debate regarding your topic (i.e. what is the current consensus? if there isn’t one, why not? what are the different, competing views? etc.). The essay should demonstrate appropriate research, relevant to the question, that extends beyond textbooks, general surveys, course readings and lecture notes.

Analysis/Interpretation: how comprehensive and how convincing is the essay’s argument? Your essay should identify and engage with the main issues raised by the question and the relevant historiography on the topic (assuming it exists). You should assess debate on the topic (its logic, its methodology) and construct arguments to support particular positions, or to develop a new position. You should support that position with evidence drawn from your research. How well you make an argument is more important than what you choose to argue (though some arguments may be easier to make effectively than others).

Structure: Your essay should have a clear introduction that explains the scope of the essay, outlines its approach and/or summarizes its argument. This paragraph should map out how the essay addresses the question and how the rest of the essay will unfold. The body of the essay should have a clear logic to its order. Each paragraph should develop a single idea or address a particular issue. The first sentence or two of a paragraph should indicate clearly what the paragraph will be about. Your essay’s concluding paragraph might offer a final recap of the argument, it might summarize the key points, and/or it might hint at some broader issues raised by the argument. 

Presentation: Good expression, good referencing practice and effective editing can make a huge difference to the impression created by your work. Similar arguments can appear more convincing when they are well expressed and supported with material drawn effectively from appropriate sources. We look for active language, unhindered by awkward or unnecessary phrases; use of paragraphs with clear topic sentences; and consistent, informative footnotes accompanied by a clear bibliography. Allow yourself time to edit.

Please note: The various components of assessment listed in the rubric do not have equal weight. Calculating your grade is not a matter of adding up the ticks, or supplying 10 marks for presentation and 20 marks for analysis etc. Students may be able to compensate for defects in one area of the table by high performance in another. The rubric is designed to help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, not to give you a mechanical breakdown of your grade.

Additional referencing requirements

All essays must be annotated in a coherent, logical and consistent way. Failure to do so may incur a penalty. Students are advised to examine the School of History’s Guide to the Writing, Preparation and Presentation of Essays (available on the Wattle site for this course) for guidance on the preparation of essays and the preferred referencing system within the School. 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction: The Setting Events of the last decades have demonstrated that the achievements of the Russian Revolution were far less permanent than had earlier been assumed. However, for most of the twentieth century the Russian Revolution was considered to have been one of the most important events in modern world history, with the Soviet Union, born from the revolution, decisively affecting the international balance of power, offering an alternative to capitalist development, and inspiring the forces of international revolution and communism. This course focuses on the events leading up to the Russian Revolution, the consolidation of Soviet power and its demise over 70 years. Particular attention will be paid to the social, economic and political transformations of the pre-revolutionary period; the Bolshevik seizure of power and their struggle to consolidate authority; the impact of wars and famines as well as understanding the demise of the Soviet Union. The background reading this week provides some sense of the longer origins of the revolution and tensions in the old regime which intensified in 1905 and then exploded in 1917, while the primary reading offers differing understanding of this earlier period.
2	Twilight of the Russian Empire/Imperial Russia at WarThe Russian Empire entered the 20th Century as an autocracy, but within the first decade faced defeat in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-5) and the revolution of 1905, sparked after the ‘Bloody Sunday’ massacre of January when the Tsar’s troops fired on armed protesters killing or wounding over 1000. In the ‘October Manifesto’ of 1905, the Tsar granted Russia a constitution and parliament (Duma) but would quickly try to rescind these concessions.This chaos was quickly followed by the outbreak of the First World War transformed the Russian Empire. Within three years, the Romanov dynasty would fall to revolution. The experience of the First World War has often been overshadowed by the subsequent period of revolution, civil war, Stalinism and the Second World War. The readings this week examine the Russian Empire on the eve of revolution. Petr Nikolaevich Durnovo, a former Minister of the Interior, sent a memorandum to Nicholas II advising against war in early 1914. Compare his reasons and analysis to that of Lenin after the outbreak of war. Richard Wortman analyses the way in which Nicholas II responded to the outbreak of war while Josh Sanborn examines the reactions of the broader population. In the background of these readings are a number of broader questions: was Russia on the brink of revolution already in 1914, or would it have easily survived without the shock of three years of world war? To what extent had Russian society become ‘nationalised’ by 1914? Why is it Lenin’s viewpoint that triumphs in late 1917? While we often think of 1914 or 1917 as a caesura or a new beginning in Russian (and world) history, what carries over from the pre-war period into the Soviet Union?
3	1917: Russia in RevolutionThe Tsar was overthrown by revolution in February of 1917. His abdication, however, in no way halted the outbreak of revolutionary fervour which intensified in the ensuing months. The provisional government which replaced the Tsar competed for authority with the Soviets (or councils), chief of which was the Petrograd Soviet. This situation of ‘dual power’ remained until the overthrow of the Provisional Government in October by the Bolsheviks. What accounts for the failure of the Provisional Government? To what extent did the Bolshevik coup have popular support, and where did that support come from?
4	The Bolsheviks and the Civil War, Famine and NEPThe Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917 only hastened a descent into civil war between those groups who supported the February or October Revolutions and those opposed to them. The Civil War was characterised by extraordinary violence and brutality. The Bolsheviks faced a variety of challenges: Tsarist officers, peasant armies, foreign troops and a rebellion by their rivals, the Socialist Revolutionaries. The Red Army which emerged as the victor was the most important institution in the early Soviet state. The Russian Empire disintegrated, but was, to a great extent, reconstituted by the Red Army as the Soviet Union. What explains the success of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War, and how far did the experience of the Civil War determine the nature of Bolshevism after 1921? What did “success” look like, if the NEP followed their victory?  The primary sources this week examine the experience of the civil war and the role of terror, while the secondary source provide more reflective answers to the questions listed below.
5	Multi-Ethnic Empire, Lenin’s Death and Stalin’s RiseThe Bolsheviks won the Civil War partly by promising a unifying and liberating vision of an multi-ethnic federation to the 140 nationalities in the old Russian empire. They also adopted a ‘market-orientated’ economic system in the NEP to hold onto power. How were they to construct the communist society they wished while the forces of capitalism, nationalism and conservatism remained, indeed, were now embedded in the soviet state itself, forces which the Bolsheviks had always fought against?. The readings this week examine the plans and realities of the Communist revolution and traces Stalin’s navigation of these problems in hi rise to power the final stages and aftermath of Lenin’s death.	Historiographical Review Due - 5:00pm, Thu August 22.
6	Collectivization, Famine and Revolution from AboveIn the late 1920s, Stalin embarked on a ‘revolution from above’ that sought to end the compromises of the New Economic Policy and modernise the Soviet economy.. ‘Collectivisation’ of agriculture sought to secure the food supply to the cities that were entering a period of rapid industrialisation was was tied to the establishment of Stalin’s dictatorship. Communists from the cities (often those from the Komsomol or Communist youth league) were sent to the countryside to create collective farms (the kolkhoz) that would be modern, efficient and mechanised. The Communists viewed the countryside through the frame of class war, where rich peasants (so-called kulaks) who opposed collectivisation must be defeated or ‘liquidated as a class.’ There was widespread resistance and millions of peasants died of famine in 1932-1933 especially in Ukraine where the famine is referred to as the Holodomor (death by hunger). The primary sources this week examine this process, and the experience of collectivisation in the villages. In the secondary readings, Lynne Viola analyses the deportations of ‘kulaks’ and we enter the broader debates about who and what is responsible for the famine of 1932-33.
7	The Great TerrorIn the late 1930s, a series of purges swept through the Communist Party which the Soviet government described as a series of responses to sabotage, treason and terrorist plots. This intensified earlier purges, especially in the republics from the beginning of the 1930s. Historians have often used the term ‘the Great Terror’ to describe this, echoing the French Revolution’s descent into violence and murder of fellow revolutionaries. In the great purges or Ezhovshchina (named after Nikolai Ezhov, the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs who oversaw the process), the victims were proportionally more likely to come from the Communist Party itself, although the lower orders of society made up the largest number of victims. A series of show trials and confessions led to the executions of leading Old Bolsheviks and decimated the Red Army. What explains this process of self-destruction? What explains popular participation in the purges and how was it sold to the population? The documents provide accounts of this process, and the final appeals to Stalin by the Nikolai Bukharin and Nikolai Ezhov (who after running the purges fell victim to them). The secondary readings examine the international context and the way the purges played out in the factories.
8	The Great Patriotic War/The Second World WarDespite the terror of the 1930s, despite the purges of the Red Army and despite the dominance of Nazi Germany over its previous opponents, the Soviet Union survived and then destroyed the Nazi German invasion of 1941, occupying a vast amount of territory in eastern Europe and emerging as the only potential rival to the United States in the immediate post-war period. The Second World War – known in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War – became the second founding moment of the Soviet Union after the revolution of 1917. What explains the Soviet Union’s survival, let alone its triumph in 1945? If Stalin believed that he could not form an alliance with the West, was he wrong in attempting to form a temporary alliance with Hitler? Did Stalin really trust Hitler? If we think that Stalin was wise not to go immediately to war with Japan when the Soviet Japanese border was attacked in 1939, why do we think it stupid that he delayed immediately declaring war on Germany when the Soviet German frontier was attacked? If Stalin” knew” Hitler would eventually attack, Why was Soviet military performance so poor in the initial stages of the war? How did the Soviets improve their military performance over the next few years? What about the war behind the front line? What were the dominant Soviet experiences under German occupation and how did they influence the development of the war? How do we account for over 20 million Soviet wartime dead?
9	Rebuilding the Soviet Union in Post-War Famine   The Soviet Union which emerged victorious from the war in 1945 was an empire stretching from Berlin in the west to Pyongyang in the East. In many, however, it was an empire with clay feet, impoverished, hungry and soon to be in the grip of famine. For tens of millions of Soviet citizens, old and new, the victorious state seemed unable or, worse, unwilling to improve their lot when they could see the vanquished in western Europe living better than they did. These sentiments were becoming even more dangerous as the Cold War intensified and the regime began more and more see large swathes of the population as not only “infected” anti-Soviet thinking, but also capable of infecting more people. The old “closed” society of the 1930s had been opened and need to be shut once again.
10	The Soviet Union as Empire and the Cold War – Past and Present  In the wake of WWII, Stalin had established and empire stretching from Berlin in the west to Pyongyang in the East, beyond the dreams of even the most ardent Tsarist sympathizers. Soviet troops occupied a large chunk of Europe and, at least for a moment in 1945, it seemed that the “Big Three” might continue to cooperate to build a better post-war world. Soon, however, these hopes were dashed as the tensions between the major powers intensified over a myriad of problems. How can we explain this shift and what did the Cold War mean do Soviet citizens at home? How did it shape post-WWI History in the Soviet Union and arguably, contemporary history in the former Soviet space as renewed tension between the west and Russia increase.
11	Khrushchev, Brezhnev, the Thaw and StagnationStalin died in March 1953. Yet contrary to many expectations, the Soviet Union proved remarkably stable in the wake of his death. Yet the figure of Stalin still overshadows this period. Was this a moment of ‘de-Stalinisation’? The major political leader of this period Nikita Khrushchev denounced the crimes of Stalinism in his ‘secret’ speech at the 20th Party Congress of 1956. But Khrushchev also went further than Stalin, promising that communism would be built by 1980. The notion of a period of ‘thaw’ (taken from a novel by Ilya Ehrenburg) implies a sense of hope, renewal and change. But just how great was the change from before to after Stalin? What changed under Khrushchev’s successor, Leonid Brezhnev, whose period of rule is commonly referred to as “stagnation”. More recently, historians have questioned whether this period was one of unmitigated stagnation, seeing the term as a retrospective imposition from an era when the Soviet Union had collapsed. How did Soviet citizens of the 1970s understand their own period? Was this rather the height of Soviet power and prestige? Did nothing change from the 1960s to the early 1980s or were the forces of change that emerged in the 1980s already evident? Why did former Soviet citizens, at the beginning of the 21st century, rank this era as the best?	ESSAY DUE - 5:00pm, Thu October 10
12	ImplosionThe Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991, but just a few years earlier, many commentators expected the Gorbachev era to only strengthen the Soviet Union’s position. What brought about this apparently sudden and unexpected collapse? Some historians have pointed to the figure of Gorbachev himself, others to the impact of the Cold War, the war in Afghanistan and the role of dissidents within the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union appeared to end a long debate on whether the Soviet Union could ever reform itself, but also made it harder to understand the Soviet Union in its own time, when it was thought that it would last forever. The primary sources this week are from both elites and ordinary society in the form of speeches, jokes and memories. How useful are these different sorts of evidence in understanding the end of the Soviet Union? The secondary readings debate whether the Soviet Union could have reformed itself in the 1980s and why an unexpected collapse appeared in retrospect so inevitable.

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value
Historiographical Review	20 %
Essay	35 %
Tutorial Participation	10 %
Final Exam (3 hours) - Take Home via Wattle	35 %

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Historiographical Review

Details of task: See Wattle

Word limit: 1500 words.

Value: 20%

Due Date: 5:00pm, Thu Aug 22.

Assessment Task 2

Essay

Details of task: See Wattle

Word limit: 2000 words Value: 35%

Due Date: 5:00pm, Thu Oct 10

Assessment Task 3

Tutorial Participation

A student's tutorial participation (performance and attendance) is worth 10%.

Tutorial performance is the mark a tutor gives the student for their contribution to tutorials. (The tutor will be looking for evidence that the student has done the tutorial reading, and is willing to share ideas, listen to other students and participate in group discussion). Attendance is based on attendance sheets signed by students at their tutorial. Although attendance at tutorials is obligatory, allowance will be made for absences caused by illness or personal circumstances provided the tutor is informed in time. More than two unexplained absences will significantly affect the participation mark. As part of the participation requirements, each student is required to contribute to the online forums. Student will post one response to the lecture and one to the tutorials across the course of the semester. 

Assessment Task 4

Final Exam (3 hours) - Take Home via Wattle

Take home exam via wattle, released Thu 31 October 9:00 am, due Tuesday 5 November, 9:00 am.

Worth 35% of the final result. The open book exam is an examination of your ability to synthesise the materials you have read and discussed throughout the semester, and to think synoptically about the course and the subject matter. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

Both papers will be graded electronically and will be made available through the Wattle website. 

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Re-submission of assignments is not normally available within this course.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students