HIST2026 Change and Conflict in Russia, 1860-1930

This topic is about the Russian revolutions - their contexts, causes and initial results. It covers the period from the end of serfdom and the industrialisation of Russia in the late nineteenth century through to forced collectivisation in 1929-30. In doing so, it will examine five distinct revolutions between 1860 and 1930. At the beginning and the end of the period, two 'revolutions from above': the abolition of serfdom and the destruction of the peasantry. In between, three revolutions from below: the 'dress rehearsal' of 1905, the downfall of the Tsar in 1917 and the establishment of Soviet power in the same year. Students will be able to study the objective and subjective causes of these events, and their contribution to the shape of the Soviet state which existed until 1991.

This topic aims to:

• Enable students to gain knowledge about five distinct revolutions in Russia: the abolition of serfdom, 1905, the downfall of the Tsar in 1917, the establishment of Soviet power in the same year and the destruction of the peasantry in 1929-30
• Enable students to study the objective and subjective causes of these events and to apply the knowledge gained by assessing their contribution to the shape of the Soviet state that existed until 1991
• Help students formulate historical arguments from evidence and to communicate those arguments effectively, both in collaborative settings (discussions) and independently through the written word (papers, essays)

1. Assess the significance of a revolution in a backward country
2. Identify and analyse different types of revolution
3. Describe the impact of the victory of Bolshevism
4. Relate the principal events in the destruction of the old regime and the consolidation of the new one
5. Reflect on developments within the Soviet regime