POL 4474W is also offered in Fall 2024
POL 4474W is also offered in Fall 2023
POL 4474W is also offered in Spring 2022
Spring 2020 | POL 4474W Section 001: Russian Politics: From Soviet Empire to Post-Soviet State (65530)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Mon,
Fri 11:15AM - 12:30PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 215
- Enrollment Status:
Open (41 of 55 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Twenty five years ago, Russia appeared to be democratizing and was even on friendly relations with the US and NATO. Now Vladimir Putin runs the state with the FSB (KGB), and US-Russian relations are at their worst point since the 1970s. This course examines major themes and periods in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian politics. It begins with the Russian Revolution of 1917, and continues with a study of the creation of the USSR and Soviet rule under Lenin, Stalin, and later decades. We look in depth at the economic and political system set up by the Communist Party, and at the causes of its collapse in 1991, which has had profound legacies for the post-Soviet development of Russia. Then in the second half of the course we turn to themes of political, economic, social and civic development under Yeltsin and Putin. We will pose the following questions: Why does democratization begin and why does it fail? How is economic reform undermined? What type of state and regime is Russia now? What caused the Chechen wars and the massive bloodshed in the Caucasus during this period? Is Putin trying to recreate the Soviet Union and retake control of its neighbors? Are US-Russian relations improving as a result of Obama's "Reset," or are we now in an era of a new Cold War? What is Russia's goal in Syria, Iran, or Central Asia? Is Putin rebuilding Russia, or driving it to disaster, and how will this impact the West?
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?colli433+POL4474W+Spring2020
- Class Description:
- Twenty five years ago, Russia appeared to be democratizing and was even on friendly relations with the US and NATO. Now Vladimir Putin runs the state with the FSB (KGB), and US-Russian relations are at their worst point since the 1970s. This course examines major themes and periods in Soviet and Post-Soviety Russian politics. It begins with an overview of Communism, Stalin's use of the KGB, and mass repression, and key moments in the USSR's Cold War foreign policy, which have a legacy for today. We study the Communist economic and political system, and why it collapsed in 1991. We examine Russian foreign policy under Putin: Is Putin trying to recreate the Soviet Union and retake control of its neighbors? Did US-Russian relations improve under Yeltsin, or as a result of Obama's "Reset"? Are we now in a new Cold War? Why is Russia attempting to destabilize Western elections? What is Russia's goal in Syria, Iran, or Central Asia? We study Russia's failed democratization and how corruption has undermined economic reform. We study the Russian military and the Chechen wars, and the massive bloodshed in the Caucasus, leading to Islamist radicalization and fighters joining ISIS. Finally, we ask whether Putin is successfully rebuilding Russia, or driving it to disaster.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students in any college with an interest in Russia!
- Grading:
- Primarily based on papers (a research paper and some short writing assignments).
- Exam Format:
- no in class exams
- Class Format:
- lecture with discussion, especially debates about foreign policy issues related to Russia and the USSR.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65530/1203
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 21 November 2019
ClassInfo Links - Spring 2020 Political Science Classes