RUSN 278 In Stalin's Time

Stalin was arguably the first totalitarian dictator who created the model for similar regimes in the twentieth century. This course describes the changes Stalin brought to Soviet society the terrible consequences of his dictatorship and the reaction of cultural figures criticized as they rebelled against the system. This course examines those movements through popular culture film literature and first-hand testimony. The everyday life of Soviet citizens will be studied by looking at both permitted and forbidden forms of entertainment. The dissident movement that erupted in the 1960s and 1970s will be examined through the Sotsart artistic movement as well as short stories that circulated underground throughout the late Soviet period. Finally the course will look at Stalin's legacy in Putin's authoritarian Russia of the twenty-first century.