Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-475
Formerly listed as: POSC-57 | POSC-75
William C. Taubman (Section 01)
[CP, IR] The topic until further notice will be “Gorbachev, the End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” When Mikhail Gorbachev became its leader in 1985, the Soviet Union, while plagued by internal and external troubles, was still one of the world’s two superpowers. By 1991, the cold war was over, and on the day he left the Kremlin for the last time, December 25, 1991, the USSR ceased to exist. Of course, Gorbachev was not solely responsible for this upheaval. Developments in the USSR and the world prepared the way. But he set decisive change in motion, and no one else in the Soviet leadership would have done so. This course is therefore a case study of the impact of personality on politics, but also of the limits of that impact, and of the importance of other causes (economic, political, social, ideological, international) of events that changed the world. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.
Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Taubman.
If Overenrolled: Priority given first to students who have taken courses or possess special background in the subject, then to senior majors, then seniors, then others by class.
Cost: $24.00 ?
Section 01
Tu 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM CONV 302
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Soviet Colossus: History and Aftermath | M.E. Sharpe; 6 edition | Michael Kort | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Gorbachev Factor | Oxford University Press | Archie Brown | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| My Six Years With Gorbachev | University of Chicago Press | Anatoly Chernyaev | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.