Module manager: Professor Robert Hornsby
Email: r.hornsby@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
In many ways the decade and a half which followed Stalin’s death in 1953 saw the Soviet regime reach its apex, before commencing upon a long decline that culminated in eventual collapse at the end of 1991. For much of this period, the Soviet Union at least seemed to be a genuine challenger to the USA in terms of its global prestige and its apparently promising future. Living standards, education levels and the list of overseas friends and allies kept on growing. While there were plenty of important continuities with the Stalin era – most notably with the continuing monopoly on power enjoyed by the Communist Party – this was in many ways a time in which a new incarnation of the Soviet system came into being. Families moved out of dingy communal flats and into private apartments, young people fell in love with the Beatles and blue jeans, the denunciation of Stalin prompted a revival of utopian thinking about communism, and mass state terror was eschewed as a primary means of social control. Nonetheless, repression of political dissidents continued (albeit on a much reduced scale) and KGB penetration of society deepened. The invasions of Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) which bookended the period in question told of clear limits to reform. This was also a period of sharp contrasts and abrupt changes. Some great artists (like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) were introduced to the world, while others (like Boris Pasternak) were hounded mercilessly. Millions were released from Stalin’s Gulag, yet dozens were massacred at public demonstrations in Novocherkassk and Tbilisi. Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, and Nikita Khrushchev pounded the rostrum with his shoe at the UN General Assembly. Adopting a broadly chronological structure, and utilising primary source materials like official documents, films and propaganda posters, you will learn about how the Soviet system and the lives of Soviet citizens changed between the end of mass terror and the onset of terminal stagnation. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The objectives of this module are to examine the emergence and evolution of the late Soviet system. This includes the way in which the political authorities managed a transition away from overt rule by terror, the ways in which the Soviet side competed in the Cold War, and attempts to create the ‘new Soviet man’ who would eventually live under communism.
You will also learn about important historical legacies stemming the period in question. This includes the ways in which key events from the period inform contemporary political, social, and cultural debates in and about Russia and other former Soviet republics today (such as popular attitudes toward Stalin and the highly contentious transfer of Crimea from Russian to Ukrainian ownership in 1954).
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
Demonstrate an informed understanding of the social, cultural and political history of the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s. (LO1)
Demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of the relevant historiography, including the most recent developments in the field. (LO2)
Critically analyse and interpret a variety of primary sources relating to this historical period, including official documents, the press, literature, photographs, film, and testimony. (LO3)
Construct and express historically rigorous arguments effectively, whether in written form or orally, using both primary and secondary sources. (LO4)
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Seminar | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 355.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
Participation in class discussion; Essay consultations and workshop; Evaluation of written assessments; Feedback on work; Regular pastoral sessions.
Formative feedback 4,000- word essay: you will be offered one-to-one meeting with the module tutor during semester 1 in which they you will discuss their essay plan and arguments. You will receive feedback from the module tutor on this.
Formative feedback, OTLA: to prepare for the OTLA, you will be provided with written feedback on two practice gobbet answers.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay or Dissertation | Essay | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online Time-Limited assessment | 48.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 28/04/2025
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