Course Catalogue

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Communism and its Collapse (1B) explores the fate of Soviet-controlled Central and Eastern Europe after the death of Stalin from 1953 until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Across both CEE and the USSR, we consider the reaction against Stalin's policies, the attempts at reform of the system, the Cold War's impact on CEE, and the gradual re-assertion of national and cultural challenges which the Communist system could not absorb, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The course can be taken in combination with Central and Eastern Europe in the Age of Stalin (CEES 1A), which looks at the rise to power of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union and how Eastern Europe succumbed to the USSR.

This course is particularly relevant for those taking History, Politics, Sociology, and Economics. Although it is a core Social Sciences subject, students from other Colleges, particularly Arts, are welcome. The course is complementary to the Slavonic languages' programmes of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

30 x 1-hour lectures, delivered three times a week (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday)

9 x 1-hour weekly tutorials

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■ Essay, 2,000 words (50%) 

■ Critical Analysis, 1,500 words (40%) (primary source analysis)

■ Tutorial performance (10%) Tutorial performance is assessed according to a set of criteria (attendance, preparation, understanding, participation and argument) full details located in course handbook

The course aims to provide students with knowledge of the historical development and impact of the Communist system in the Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union on Europe in the second half of the twentieth century, including the importance of the Cold War on the development of international relations. Communism and its Collapse aims for students to gain knowledge of the complexity of the various ethnic groups of the region and be able to differentiate between these including through investigating cultural development, the position of various socio-cultural groups, and the politics of gender in the region in the second half of the twentieth century. This course aims to provide students with an appreciation of the relationship between ideology, policy, and social processes in the Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe through analysing the impact of Communism in its economic, social, and political forms in the region and differentiating between the experiences of various countries.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ ILO1. Analyse the political, social, economic and cultural history of the region in the second half of the twentieth century

■ ILO2. Interpret, using comparative skills, the legacy of different leaders' attempts at reform and their role in causing the collapse of Communism

■ ILO 3. Evaluate Communist development in different states and societies, bringing out differences of ethnicity, gender, and other forms of identity

■ ILO 4. Apply empirical data and comparative analysis to personal testimony, memory, and social variables with a view to comprehending the reality of societal development under Communism

■ ILO 5. Examine the official discourse of the Communist era through primary source analysis to contrast the official discourse with dissident narratives

For credit, students must achieve at least grade D3.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.