Time Schedule:
Brad T Epperly
POL S 421
Seattle Campus
Major disputes and types of relationships among different communist states; international effects of the communist collapse; comparative dynamics of state-building, market reform, and democratic transition; international integration and domestic politics in the former Soviet bloc; ethnic conflict and the problem of state boundaries; redefining security in the post-communist milieu.
Class description
This course explores the development and demise of communism in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, as well as post-communist developments in the region. Beginning with the Russian Revolution of 1917, it examines the creation and development of communism in the Soviet Union, and how World War Two shaped both its internal dynamics and foreign policy during and after the conflict. It then offers an overview of the political and economic institutions of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, as well as the social aspects of life under communist rule. It then addresses competing explanations for why state socialism collapsed in Eastern Europe in 1989 and the USSR in 1991, and finishes by examining the variation in post-communist outcomes.
Student learning goals
The historical development of communism
The reasons for the collapse of communism
Post-communist transitions
The legacies of communist rule and the varied outcomes of transition
General method of instruction
A combination of lecture and discussion, augmented by films capturing life under communist rule.
Recommended preparation
Familiarity with 20th century history
Class assignments and grading
All graded assignments will be in-class. In addition to regular reading quizzes, you will be required to write two or three in-class essays offering critical analysis of the course readings.
