Course Resources Archive

This module examines the history of the Soviet Union up to 1953 through an examination of the key elements of Stalin’s ‘revolution from above’, the impact of the Second World War and post-war developments. Key emphasis is placed on the exploration of historiographical debates and a critique of both primary and secondary source materials.

From the very beginning of the module, the events to be explored are placed in critical context through an examination of the critique offered of the Stalin period and the cult of personality in Khrushchev’s Secret Speech.

The module begins with an examination of the Soviet Union in the 1920s: the New Economic Policy; and Stalin’s defeat of the oppositions and his rise to power. We then examine the key elements of the ‘revolution from above’: the forced collectivisation of agriculture, the industrialisation drive and the Great Terror. These are further contextualised with a study of the social and political history of the 1930s, including a focused study of forced labour in the Soviet Union.

We then examine the impact of the war on the Soviet home front and the long term consequences of the processes of post-war economic recovery. The module finishes with an examination of post-war politics in the Soviet Union and the death of Stalin.

The module offers a critical approach throughout to the examination of a broad range of source materials for the study of the Stalin period: primary documents, memoirs, biographies, oral history and interview testimonies, jokes, audio recordings, visual materials and internet sites.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the chronology of Soviet history in the period 1921–1953
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the historiographical debates central to an understanding of the Soviet Union under Stalin
3. Demonstrate an awareness of a broad range of source materials for the study of the Soviet Union under Stalin and offer a critical reading of these
4. Show an ability to evaluate different types of primary source materials (including texts and visual materials)
5. Analyse and interpret historical documents
6. Communicate complex ideas in a variety of ways

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.