Sydney University - RUSSIA

Session 1 = Russia –

Slides available at: goo.gl/cu50EW

Introduction:

·      Connections between parts of the topic (whole)

·      Tips for thinking and writing about issues in the period

·      Some affirmation and some new inflections

Russia and the Soviet Union: 1917 – 1941

Russian Revolution & World War II

-       Be comfortable with the big picture stuff in the syllabus

-       Be comfortable with the four sections of the syllabus

Four ‘Phases’:

1.     Lead up (1890s-1917)

a.     Don’t forget it!

2.     Bolshevik Revolution (1917-24)

a.     Dominated by Lenin

3.     Power struggle (1922-28)

4.     Stalin’s revolution (1928-41)

a.     UP TO WWII

1.   The Lead Up

·      Incredibly large territory (+ multiethnic)

·      Autocracy (varying degrees of reaction à autocracy)

o   The Bolsheviks and Stalinist reverted to this in many ways

·      85% peasant and regionally disjointed (urban and rural)

·      Struggling in the context of European modernity

o   Compared to other nations, it is struggling to keep up

o   It is economically inferior to the surrounding powers à geopolitical thinking

o   It’s not the world that we know of today with peaceful diplomatic relations, if you lag behind empires will take over very quickly

o   The leaders are aware of this à fear

Repair?

·      A Russian Revolution?

o   Populism and SRs

§  Future lay in peasant labour and culture

§  Russia did not need to follow Western model of modernity

o   Marxist Industrialism

§  Future lay in proletarian labour and culture

§  Russia would industrialise but no agreement on how or when

Marx =

Aim: To create an abundant and stable egalitarian society.

a.     Material ‘dialectics’ (class conflict)

b.     Revolution to overthrow capitalism

c.     New socialist order leading to communism

What it looked like:

·      The big downfall of capitalism was that it was fluctuating all the time

·      Capitalism creates and abundance but instability

·      The revolution would lead to socialism harnessing abundance for egalitarianism

Problems for Russian Marxists in the lead up to 1917:

·      Capitalism had not ‘flourished’ under Tsarist rule

·      Urban proletariat was quite small

·      Strong police activity (Okhrana)

·      Did this mean that Russia would have to wait decades for a Marxist revolution?

Lenin =

Aim: To rapidly create an abundant and stable egalitarian society.

a.     Material ‘dialects’ (class conflict)

b.     Use of a vanguard to lead to evolution

c.     Use of DoP to protect the revolution

a.     Using violence to keep themselves protected from those who they had thrown out

b.     They would be able to keep itself in power even when it came under threat

d.     WWI provided an immediate revolutionary circumstance

e.     Russian revolution would set off a worldwide revolution

What it looked like:

·      Capitalism underdeveloped in Russia but extreme instability due to WWI

·      Revolution to unleash the workers (and international support)

·      Socialism harnessing abundance for egalitarianism

·      It has more potential to go wrong à less natural version of revolution

Three Conditions of Success:

f.      Swift revolutions across Europe

g.     Rapid economic recovery (abundance)

h.     Expansion of Bolshevik support

Bolshevik ideology in 1917:

1.     Internationalism

a.     Necessary priority

2.     Rapid Transition

a.     Skip capitalism and jump to socialism

3.     Dictatorship of Proletariat

a.     Core part of revolution

b.     Impermanent control of the ‘state’

4.     Worker’s state

a.     The culmination of everything in some ways

b.     Decreasing regulation and true value of proletariat

2.   Bolshevik Revolution

March 1917 = Provisional Government

Oct 1917 = Bolshevik Coup

-       (in the name of the Soviet à revolution begins)

-       Resistance (bourgeois, international and conservative)

1918 = Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

-       Begins open revolt against communism

1918-21 = Mass Civil War

-       Gives them a context in which they can excuse themselves for creating a permanent regime

-       hey build the Cheka (rapid build)

-       The Red Army builds rapidly (5 million + soldiers by the end of 1921)

-       Repression + Economic devastation

-       War Communism à brutal regime

1921 = New Economic Policy

-       Appears as though they are moving away from the rapid transition

-       ‘Strategical retreat’ (temporary)

-       Freer markets in agrarian economy à taxing and surplus

-       Industrial economy still nationalised à banks and industry

-       Loosening up the countryside but remain tight control in city

-       Sovnarkom maintain political monopoly

-       Became ‘the debate’ of the 1920s

1924 = Lenin’s death

What did the USSR ‘look like’ under the Bolsheviks by 1924?

·      No international revolution (USSR isolated)

·      Centralised state (party dictatorship)

·      Centralised urban economy

·      Rural economy = semi-capitalist (NEP)

·      No wholesale transition to socialism + no abundance

Bolshevik ideology by 1924:

1.     Internationalism

a.     Postponed

2.     Rapid Transition

a.     NEP (1921) à slower transition

3.     Dictatorship of Proletariat

a.     Growing centralisation (DoP)

4.     Worker’s state

a.     Sweeping regulations and small proletariat

Question Types:

1.     Broad question: 1917-24 as a whole

2.      

The significance of Lenin’s leadership?

1.     Established the ideological platform for the Party

2.     Forcefully ‘guided’ the Party 1917-21 (foundational period)

3.     Leadership became a symbol/icon of the revolution

4.     Relied on other key individuals à Trotsky/army and Kollontai/women

a.     30-40 thousand women joined the Bolshevik ranks

3.   Power Struggle

Stalin:

1.     Position: General Secretary of the CPSU

2.     Party disputes: NEP and geopolitics

3.     Marxism: ideologically motivated

4.     Failure of opposition: Lenin’s Last Will

-       “… his immersion in Marxism …his tenacious dedication to the revolutionary cause and to the state’s power.” à Stephen Kotkin

4.   Stalin’s Revolution

Fundamental aims of Stalin

·      Building world socialism

o   Socialism in One Country with longer term view to global rev.

o   Creation of ‘new Soviet man and woman’

·      Preservation of the USSR

o   Defending the USSR against capitalists and fascists

o   Construction of a powerful economic base and political machine to support a robust military

-       “We are fifty to a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or they crush us.” à Stalin

Aim: Develop a strong industrial base (Marxism) and remilitarise (nationalism).

Required: Reorganisation of Russia’s outdated agricultural system (strip farms).

1928 = ‘The Great Breakthrough’

3 Five Year Plans = Collectivisation of Agriculture

-       No overall increase in production but increase in requisition

-       State use of grain to raise funds for industrialisation

1934 = Kirov Decrees

1937-38 = Great [Red] Terror

-       Purges target Party (show trials) and army (2/3 commanders)

-       Increases Stalin’s personal control over Party, army + police

1939 = Non-Aggression Pact à Robert Gelidity

1941 = Barbarossa

1.     Administrative expansion: from 4 republics to 16 by 1940

2.     New Political structure: mass party and personal rule

3.     Economic Base: Mass industrialisation and collective farms

4.     ‘Coercive Apparatus’: secret police, censorship, propaganda, etc.

5.     Culture: more conservative (art, women, family, etc.)

6.     Foreign Policy: some normalisation with the West

Bolshevik ideology in 1917:

1.     Internationalism

a.     Postponed

2.     Rapid Transition

a.     Great Break (1928)

b.     The basic idea is important à NEP is gone, people are looking forward to the future

3.     Dictatorship of Proletariat

a.     Mass party, widespread coercion and some support

4.     Worker’s state

a.     Sweeping regulations with benefits for the few

Totalitarian	Revisionist
·      Story of a powerful dictatorship ·      Rule by repression: terror, propaganda, etc. ·      Stalin à Bureaucracy à people (no will)	·      Dictatorship and improvisation ·      Complex social processes: fear, belief, rebellion, etc. ·      Some ‘negotiation’: state <-> people

The Exam:

-       Read the TWO questions carefully

-       Select the question/topic you know best

-       Spend time planning a clear argument TO THE QUESTION (5 minutes?)

-       Try to address the question in both breadth and depth

-       Practice writing under time constraints

Session 2 = Cold War –

Twitter à @gripgirl

www.yourhistorynsw.com

General Notes:

·      Non-direct conflict; escalation

·      Primary focus on ideology

·      Communism à it is really SOCIALISM; never reaches communism in the CW

·      The Constitution of America isn’t based on what freedom is; it’s based on what slavery isn’t

·      Absolutism is being rejected by both the USSR and USA but is being replaced by two very different ideologies

·      Truman à socialism is complete incompatible with democracy

·      Truman feels threatened by the USSR à Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan

·      USSR also is scared of USA à eastern blocs are a buffer zone in Greece as a security blanket

o   Stalin was content with the Eastern blocs

o   NOT AN EXPANSIONIST MINDSET

BERLIN

·      “It’s better to have a war than a wall.” – Kenedy

o   about expansionism instead of secutiry

o   they do not do anything to stop the Berlin Wall

KOREA

·      The Soviets never understood Mao Zedong

·      As soon as America sees communism expanding, they act.

o   They need to protect South Korea from this awful influence

o   For Stalin, it’s about consolidating his authority

ARMS RACE

October 1949 è Soviets enter the Arms Race

Know these terms:

·      “More bang for your buck”

·      Rocket rhetoric

·      Brinkmanship

·      Peaceful Coexistence

·      Massive Retaliation

·      Mutually Assured Destruction

·      “It could have been bigger, but then it might have broken all the windows in Moscow, 4,000 miles away.” – Kruschev

·      USSR would buy bananas from Cuba in order to make friends with it

·      Cuba 1962: Recently Communist, seeking support against US invasion. USSR began missile bases in Cuba.

·      Intense negotiations for several days, with power plays on both sides

·      Soviet security VS USA Containment

Session 3 = Leon Trotsky –

PPT available at: http://www.michaelmolkentin.com/resources/

Outline of lecture:

1.     The syllabus

2.     The examination

3.     Key features of Trotsky’s life

4.     Evaluating Trotsky’s life

5.     Historiography

1.   The syllabus

Points from Syllabus Outline:

·      The role of this personality

·      The impact of the personality on twentieth-century history

·      The differing perspectives and interpretations

2.   The examination

Section 3 –

·      Two questions – do both of them!

·      Applicable to all 27 personality options

·      45 minutes

Question A (10 marks) – descriptive

·      Allow 17 minutes for this section (2-3 mins planning?)

·      Aim to write c. 400 words (2 pages)

·      All questions since 2006: ‘Describe’ or ‘Outline’

o   Describe: ‘provide characteristics and features’

o   Outline: ‘Sketch in general terms; indicate the main features of’

·      Forget essay structure (1-2 sentences for introduction or conclusion)

·      Write three or four paragraphs, use them to organise the detail of Trotsky’s life into ‘themes’

Example:

Describe THREE significant factors which resulted in the prominence of the personality you have studied. (2012 HSC)

P1: Trotsky’s role in the 1905 revolution

P2: Trotsky’s writing on Marxism, 1906-1917

P3: Trotsky’s role in the October 1917 revolution

·      Key words on the making criteria: detail and relevance

·      Show that you have an array of BREADTH and DEPTH of knowledge

Question B (15 marks) – evaluative

·      Allow 28 minutes for this section (incl. 5 mins planning)

·      Write c. 600 words (3 pages)

·      Treat it as a mini-essay:

o   Develop a thesis that answers the question

o   Include a brief introduction and conclusion

·      Use the quotation provided in the question as the focus of your thesis – engage with it in a sustained manner

·      To prepare make sure you have examples of both how Trotsky influenced his context, where he failed to do so and how this context influenced him.

·      Revolutionary Theorist, Revolutionary Leader, Revolutionary Critic

3.   Key features of Trotsky’s life

·      Politics in pre-revolutionary Russia (Y 11)

·      Background

·      Rise to prominence

·      Significance and evaluation

4.   Evaluating Trotsky’s life

1.     Politics in pre-revolutionary Russia (Y 11)

-       The reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III

-       The development of reformist/revolutionary politics in Russia

-       Industrialisation in Russia during 1890s and its social impacts

-       Nicholas II’s ascension and his commitment to autocracy

2.     Background

-       Family background and education

-       Development of political ideas

Trotsky’s My Life: https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/mylife/1930-lif.pdf

3.     Rise to prominence

-       Emerging political role 1905-1917

-       Role in 1917 revolution

4.     Significance and evaluation

-       Role as Commissar for War

-       Power struggle following the death of Lenin

-       Expulsion from the Communist Party

-       Life and activities in exile

5.   Historiography

Evaluation: for example, practical revolutionary, naïve idealist?

1.     The impact of an aspect of Trotsky’s life on him (2015)

2.     The extent of Trotsky’s agency: Trotsky vs his context – which influenced which/ (2009, 2010, 2014)

3.     The nature of Trotsky’s impact (2012)

4.     The extent of Trotsky’s impact (2005, 2011, 2013)

5.     The way in which historians (and others?) have interpreted Trotsky (2006, 2008, 2016)

Three reasons you need to do some work on it:

1.     It is one of the explicitly identified skills (“account for and assess differing perspectives and interpretations of the personality”)

2.     Question B in the 2006 and 2008 papers 


3.     It can help you develop your own evaluation of Trotsky

What you don’t need:

·      To read full books on Trotsky

·      To be able to name-drop historians throughout your response

What can be helpful:

·      Three distinct historical perspectives on Trotsky

·      These could be three particular authors e.g.:

o   Isaac Deutscher or David North

o   Richard Pipes

o   Robert Service or Geoffrey Swain

Trotsky’s key texts

·      Our Political Tasks (1904)

·      Results and Prospects (1906)

·      Terrorism and Communism (1920)

·      My Life: An Attempt at Autobiography (1930)

·      The Revolution Betrayed (1937)

Session 4 = Exam O/View –

Times:

9:30am = Section I

10:15am = Section II

11:00am = Section III

11:45am = Section IV

Reading time:

·      READ questions

·      Start on multiple choice and use thumbnail to mark answers

Writing time:

·      READ the question again

·      PLAN

·      Write

·      Review

·      WRITE UNTIL THE END!

WWI = DESIGNED TO TAKE LESS THAN 45 MINUTES à THE MODERATOR

Questions =

·      Why?: Focus on a SUSTAINED JUDGEMENT

·      Use the key terms in the syllabus

·      Keep your argument CLEAR

·      If you have a quote, make sure it is EXPLICITLY REFERENCED throughout

·      Stem: This tells you how you are to answer the question.

o   e.g. Discuss

o   Asses/Evaluate

o   Account for

o   To what extent…?

(Remember the rule!)

o   How accurate

o   Why/How

·      Determinant: This tells you what the focus of your essay will be on.

o   e.g. significance, transform

·      Content: This is the information you need to cover in your response.

o   e.g. foreign policy, apartheid, industrialisation and urbanisation, appeasement

·      Limits: These set parameters for the question and content – usually a time frame.

o   e.g. Between 1917-1923

o   1930s

o   1919-32

A Good Essay…

·      Answers the question

·      Has a solid intro using the language of the question

·      Contains judgement

·      Uses a range of evidence

·      Uses terms and concepts

·      Is direct

·      Explicitly shows what the points in the essay are going to be

·      Shows the limit [EXTENT]

·      Sophistication: clarity of the words, showing that history isn’t black and white

Prepping for National/international Study –

·      Know how each of the key features and issues relate to the syllabus content dot points

·      Be aware of how they change over time

Historians –

·      You only need a sprinkling to make a difference

·      For added sophistication, contextualise and challenge them

e.g. McNeil stated that Stalin was fundamentally responsible for the beginning of the Cold War because he supported world revolution, however it could be argued that this ignores Stalin’s adherence to “socialism in one country”.

International Study –

·      The discriminator

·      Know the narrative

·      Break it down into blocks

·      Know the turning points, why they happened and what they meant

·      Know your terms and concepts

Personality Study –

Know your personality like your BFF!

·      Who would you set them up on a blind date with?

·      What would they eat in a restaurant?

·      What would their FB/SC/Insta profile pic be?

·      What’s their favourite colour?

·      Who is their hero?

·      What would you talk/text about?

Question A =

·      Will usually ask for a descriptive response – but DOUBLE CHECK

·      Know the key events in your personality’s life – the devil is in the detail

·      Relate their life to their historical context

·      Know why any events might be important

o   At least 5

·      DO NOT GO OVER TIME!!

Question B =

·      May have a quote. If it does – USE IT!!

·      It’s okay to use information from Part A (but don’t just regurgitate)

·      It’s good to have some historians/historiography – but don’t get side-tracked!

·      Know:

o   How your personality was affected by their times/background

o   How the times were affected by your personality

·      Every year it has been about historiography à different interpretations

o   e.g. Leon Trotsky: Was he too ideological for his own good?

Study Tips =

DO

·      Get study buddies & share work/essays

·      Study in different places

·      Use a flashcard app to test yourself on key terms and concepts

·      Past papers. LOTS of past papers.

·      Get feedback.

·      Reduce your notes.

DON’T

·      Throw away your assessments – reflect on them, re-do them

·      Use highlighters

·      Get discouraged – it’s never too late