Course Description
A long-term history of communism in theory and in practice, as well as its origins in pre-modern Western thought. The course begins with classical and medieval European communalist utopias but emphasizes modern Marxism, its Soviet variant, and communist experiments worldwide in the 20th century.
Athena Title
Red World: Communism Hon
Prerequisite
Permission of Honors
Pre or Corequisite
Any course in HIST or POLS or INTL or RELI or PHIL
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of the semester, students will have the vocabulary and historical context to discuss and assess communism as an idea and a set of historical political systems.
- By the end of the semester, students will be able to distinguish pre-modern communalist ideas from Marxist theory and real-world practice.
- By the end of the semester, students will understand the many human disasters that unfolded under the banner of communism, but also the extraordinary speed at which communist ideas spread worldwide in the 20th century.
- Students will complete this class with practical historical knowledge that will make sense of a wide range of other modern history courses.
Topical Outline
- 1. Communalist utopias of the ancient period
- 2. Socialism and early Christianity
- 3. Medieval and early modern utopias
- 4. Thomas More’s Utopia
- 5. Enlightenment thought
- 6. Industrial revolution and the working class
- 7. Marx and Marxism
- 8. Marxism-Leninism
- 9. Russian Revolution
- 10. Soviet Communism and Stalinism
- 11. Eastern Bloc
- 12. Chinese communism
- 13. Maoism
- 14. Decolonization
- 15. Communism in North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia
- 16. Soviet collapse
