Age of Stalin 1924 - 1953

Subject 671-391 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 3 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject is not offered in 2009.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 1.5-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: Total of 8.5 hours per week.
Prerequisites: Usually 12.5 points of first-year history, or first-year European studies.
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Contact

Erica Mehrtens
Phone: x45953
Subject Overview: This subject considers several key aspects of Soviet history from the death of Lenin in 1924 to the death of Stalin in 1953. The subject describes the growth of the Soviet state, the move from the New Economic Policy to planned industrialisation and collectivisation of agriculture, the growth of the Red Army, urbanisation and major social transformations. Students will be asked to consider Stalin's role in the political system from archival and other records, not exclusively from myth. They will also be required to consider both the successes of the regime, including victory in World War II, as well as the costs, including political repression.
Objectives:
  • understand how the Stalinist State system, the Soviet Planned Economy and the Red Army grew and developed in the thirty years from 1924 to 1953;
  • be able to locate the role that Stalin and the Soviet Communist Party played in these developments;
  • be able to assess the achievements of the State,including victory in World War 2, and gain an understanding of the costs involved in these developments.
Assessment: A document exercise of 1000 words 20% (due early semester), a tutorial diary of 500 words 10% (due mid semester) and a 2500 word research essay 70% (due at the end of semester).
Prescribed Texts:
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • demonstrate research skills through competent use of the library and other information sources;
  • show critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;
  • demonstrate understanding of social, ethical and cultural context through the contextualisation of judgements, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and possibilities and by constructing an argument.
Related Course(s): Diploma in Modern Languages (Russian)
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Russian
Russian
Russian Major

Download PDF version.