Russia at War, 1939-1945

Catalog description

This seminar provides an overview and analysis of the Second World War on the Eastern front. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, inaugurated one of the bloodiest wars in history. The Soviet victory following devastating defeats and losses at the war's outset, was indispensable to the overall Allied victory. The Soviet victory was won at enormous cost, whether in human lives lost or in the physical devastation of the country. The victory also transformed the Soviet Union into a superpower and left the Soviet Union in control of much of Eastern Europe. The course requires reading, discussion, and the writing of a research paper.