131-089 The Struggle for Russia's Past

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Subject Description

In few societies has historiography been an arena for such ferocious polemics and political struggle as in modern Russia. This subject covers the development of Russian and Soviet historical consciousness, from Karamzin's History of the Russian State in the early 19th century to the theories of such fashionable ideologues of post-Soviet Russia as Igor Shafarevich and Lev Gumilev. The subject explores the work of 'official' historians, prominent academics, Stalinist propagandists and persecuted dissidents, and records the clash of ideological tendencies as diverse as monarchism, Russian nationalism, Slavophilism, pan-Slavism, Hegelianism, Marxism, Stalinism, westernising liberalism, Eurasianism, and anti-Semitism. In the process, students should develop an ability to illuminate patterns of historical thought during the past two centuries, and understand the ways in which successive regimes have drawn upon historical argumentation and symbolism to reinforce their own authority.

Assessment

Written work totalling 5000 words.