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The Russian Revolution: 100 Years Later Course Code: HIS 120 Instructor: Kristen Edwards, Ph.D

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The Russian Revolution: 100 Years Later Course Code: HIS 120 Instructor: Kristen Edwards, Ph.D Preliminary Syllabus Course Title: The Russian Revolution: 100 Years Later Course Code: HIS 120 Instructor: Kristen Edwards, Ph.D. Course Summary: 1917 was a momentous year for Russia. Having suffered a series of military defeats to the German Army during World War I, the Tsarist government found itself unable to govern its massive, unruly empire. Revolution spontaneously started on March 8, when socialist protesters were joined by factory workers in the streets of Petrograd. The revolution quickly spread throughout the empire and led to mutinies in the navy and army. Just eight days later, the Tsar Nicholas II tendered his resignation. Vladimir Lenin, the preeminent Russian Communist revolutionary living in exile in Switzerland, immediately returned to fill the political vacuum in Russia. He and his Bolshevik followers meticulously planned and executed a nearly bloodless coup d’etat on November 7, bringing to power the world’s first Communist government. In this course, we will spend the first two weeks exploring the various weaknesses of the tsarist regime, which led to its demise in 1917. The next four weeks will be devoted to the events of 1917 featuring John Reed’s eye-witness account, Ten Days That Shook The World. The final two weeks will focus on the Russian Civil War, the Russian Famine of 1921, Herbert Hoover’s American Relief Administration and Lenin’s consolidation of Communist Party power over the Russian state. Lenin’s Marxist ideals and his opportunistic willingness to adapt them to the realities of Russian society will play a central role. We will conclude our course with an analysis of the legacy of 1917 over the last 100 years. *Please see course page for full description and additional details. Required Books: Orlando Figes. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924 (Penguin Books, 1998) John Reed. Ten Days That Shook the World (Penguin Books, 1977) Recommended Text: S.A. Smith. The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. (Oxford University Press, 2002) Grade Options and Requirements: • No Grade Requested (NGR) o This is the default option. No work will be required; no credit shall be received; no proof of attendance can be provided. • Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) o Students must attend at least 6 class sessions. • Letter Grade (A, B, C, D, No Pass) o Students must attend at least 6 class sessions, complete a 6-8 page research paper, and deliver a five minute research presentation Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650 Preliminary Syllabus *Please Note: If you require proof that you completed a Continuing Studies course for any reason (for example, employer reimbursement), you must choose either the Letter Grade or Credit/No Credit option. Courses taken for NGR will not appear on official transcripts or grade reports. Tentative Weekly Outline: Week 1 The Empire of Tsarist Russia Read: Figes, Part I: Russia Under the Old Regime (ch. 1 The Dynasty, ch. 2, Unstable Pillars, ch. 3 Icons and Cockroaches, ch. 4 Red Ink) Week 2 1891-1917: From Famine to WWI Read: Figes, Part II: The Crisis of Authority (ch. 5 First Blood, ch. 6 Last Hopes, ch. 7 A War on Three Fronts) Week 3 1917: February Revolution Read: Figes, Part III Russia in Revolution (ch. 8 Glorious February) Reed, Introduction, Preface, Chronology and Events, Notes and Explanations Recommended: Smith, Ch. 1 From February to October Week 4 1917: Liberalism vs Socialism: Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet Read: Figes, Part III Russia in Revolution (ch. 9 The Freest Country in the World and ch. 10 The Agony of the Provisional Government) Reed, chs. 1-3 Week 5 1917: Lenin’s Coup d’Etat Read: Figes, Part III Russia in Revolution (ch. 11 Lenin’s Revolution) Reed, chs. 4-9 View at home: Reds (Beatty, 1981) Week 6 1917: Eisenstein’s film 10 Days That Shook the World Film viewing and discussion in class Read: Reed, chs. 10-12 Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650 Preliminary Syllabus Week 7 1918-21 Civil War, War Communism, the Foundations of the Soviet State and Guest Lecture from Dr. Bertrand Patenaude (Hoover Institution Research Fellow) on the American Relief Administration in Soviet Russia Read: Figes, Part 4: The Civil War and the Making of the Soviet System (ch. 12 Last Dreams of the Old World, ch. 13 The Revolution Goes to War, ch.14 The New Regime Triumphant) Recommended: Smith, ch. 2 Civil war and the foundation of the Bolshevik regime and ch. 3 War Communism Week 8 1921-1924 Lenin’s rule and reflections on the legacy of 1917 Read: Figes, Part 4: The Civil War and the Making of the Soviet System (ch. 15 Defeat in Victory and ch. 16 Deaths and Departures) Recommended: Smith, ch. 4 NEP: politics and the economic and ch. 5 NEP: society and culture Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650 .
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