Course instructor Professor Timothy Blauvelt

The course aims to introduce students to the political, social, economic and cultural history of the USSR. By the completion of the course, they will learn how to study the political institutions, social policy and economy of the USSR. Emphasis will be placed on the issue of nationalities policy and ethnic minorities; special attention will be devoted to the formation of Georgian and Abkhaz Bolshevik/Communist elites and their attempts for gaining influence in the Kremlin. The course will also examine the development of the Soviet Empire from the perspectives of international politics and confrontation with the capitalist world.