- From Genghis Khan to Gorbachev: Power and Politics in Russian History

Catalog description

A comparison of traditional Russian society with Soviet society after 1917. The course will focus first on the political, economic, and social characteristics of the authoritarian tsarist empire. Then we will turn to the revolutionary changes initiated by Lenin, the terror of Stalin, the reforms of Khrushchev, and the stagnation under Brezhnev. The course will focus in particular on changes in political structures and participation, economic organization and equality, and cultural life, including gender roles. Readings will include novels, memoirs, and press translations.