Module manager: Professor Robert Hornsby
Email: r.hornsby@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
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.
Via seminar discussions, assigned readings, and assessments, you will examine the emergence and evolution of the late (post-Stalin) 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 Union competed in the Cold War, how ‘ordinary’ Soviet citizens lived their lives and how the regime attempted to create the ‘new Soviet man and woman’ 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 informed the subsequent Soviet collapse and contemporary political, social, and cultural debates in and about Russia and other former Soviet republics today (such as popular attitudes toward Stalin and Russia’s war against Ukraine).
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate a high-level understanding of the cultural and political history of the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s.
2. Evaluate the relevant historiography, including the most recent developments in the field.
3. Explain the life experiences of varied sectors of society within the Soviet Union, and the ways in which important social trends emerged and evolved during the period in question.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Critically analyse and interpret a variety of primary sources relating to this historical period, including official documents, the press, literature, photographs, film, and testimony.
5. Construct and express compelling and historically rigorous arguments with concision.
6. Demonstrate proficiency in use of technology for digital creation and communication.
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 | ||
Oral feedback will be provided via on-going class discussions and comments on an essay plan. Students are strongly encouraged to take up opportunities for preliminary discussion of essays with the tutor.
Essay feedback will be provided through one-to-one discussion.
Semester 2 teaching will include in-class exercises intended to prepare students for the presentation (such as practice with relevant software). Students will also be strongly encouraged to take up opportunities for preliminary discussion of presentation plans.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Coursework | Recorded presentation | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
For this assessment you will be permitted to resubmit an improved version of your original submission, taking into account the tutor’s written feedback to help improve the reworked version.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 20/04/2026
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