Williams College
History 240
Spring, 2003
Mr. Wagner

Muscovy and the Russian Empire

This course traces the emergence and expansion of the Muscovite and Russian empires between the fourteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries and the subsequent decline of the Russian empire and its collapse in 1917.  Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, we will explore the forces, processes, and personalities that shaped these developments and the fundamental political institutions, social structures, and cultural values that both gave rise to and resulted from them.  Since the period covered extends over 600 years, the course cannot provide a comprehensive survey of this period.  Classes therefore will be devoted to the discussion of several key topics and themes, as illuminated by the readings for each class.  Students consequently should arrive in class already having read and reflected on the assignment for that day in order to be able to participate actively in class discussions.  Among the topics to be examined are the character of the Muscovite and the Russian imperial states; the nature of the relationship between the state and society across time; the formation of imperial and national identities; the social and political role of women and the significance of definitions of gender; the impact of religion and of European cultural influences; the process and effects of state-led reform after Russia's defeat in the Crimean War; the impact of industrialization, urbanization, and the spread of education and a commercial press; and the emergence of civic and socialist revolutionary movements after the mid-nineteenth century.  A main text provides a narrative history of the period, which students are expected to assimilate on their own.  To familiarize themselves with the terrain, students may wish to skim the relevant parts of this text early in the semester.

BOOKS

The following books can be purchased at the Williams College Bookstore:

 

G. Freeze, ed., Russia. A History (main text)

D. Kaiser and G. Marker, eds., Reinterpreting Russian History. Readings(Abbreviated RRH)

D. Lieven, Empire

R. Bisha et al., eds., Russian Women, 1698-1917

D. Lieven, Nicholas II

In addition, a packet of photocopies should be obtained from the History Department Secretary, Mrs. Swift (310 Stetson), for a charge that partially covers reproduction costs.

REQUIREMENTS

Course requirements include thoughtful participation in each class (15% of the final grade), a map quiz (10% of the final grade), three short essays based on class readings (each essay constitutes 15% of the final grade), and a group oral report, also based on class readings (15% of the final grade).  In addition, throughout the semester several unannounced quizzes based on the reading for the day will be given in class (the lowest of the grades will be disregarded and the average of the remaining grades will constitute 15% of the final grade).  Extensions will not normally be given for essays.

NORMAL HONOR CODE RULES APPLY TO ALL WRITTEN WORK FOR THIS COURSE.  If you have any questions regarding how these rules apply in particular situations or for particular assignments, please ask me.  For all papers, references to course readings may be placed either in footnotes or endnotes or in parentheses within the text (e.g., Lieven, Empire, 46; Bisha, Russian Women, “Abused Peasant Women,” 103; Hoch, “Peasant Economy,” 341; or Freeze, 51).  References to other works should always be placed in a footnote or an endnote and should include full bibliographic information.

CLASS DISCUSSION:  Discussion and debate, over evidence and how to interpret it, are central to the process of gaining an understanding of the past.  Class discussions therefore are an important part of the course.  I will try to create an environment in which you feel comfortable expressing your views and responding critically to one another, as well as to me, but for class discussions to be productive it is essential that each of us be willing to put forward our ideas and reactions to the readings.  It is my expectation, then, that students will come to class having read and reflected on the assigned readings for that day.

MAP QUIZ:  A map quiz, based on maps handed out in class, will be held in class on 20 February.

FIRST ESSAY:  Historical arguments and evidence:  In “Individualism in Muscovite Literature” (Kaiser and Marker, RRH, pp. 197-205), Dmitrii Likhachev argues that a greater awareness of the individual and a new sense of individualism were beginning to emerge in seventeenth-century Muscovy.  In an essay of not more than seven pages, discuss the concept of the individual that you see reflected in the primary documents read for classes 2, 6, and 7, using as your principal example the position of women.To what degree do concepts of the individual, as reflected in the representation of women, appear to be changing between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries?  Due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 28 February, in the instructor’s box in Stetson.

GROUP ORAL REPORT:  To be presented in class number 11 (13 March).  The nature of the relationship between the state and society constitutes a central issue of debate among historians of imperial Russia.  In particular, while some historians argue that, especially prior to the mid-19^th century, society was shaped and structured primarily by state action, others contend that behind the “façade” of autocracy and formal state categories society enjoyed substantial autonomy.According to adherents of the latter position, actual social relations and identities were more fluid than imperial laws would suggest, and in reality a process of constant, mutually influencing interaction shaped the relationship between the state and society.  To explore this issue, the class will be divided into three groups, each of which will make a 10-12 minute oral report on one of the principal social groups (nobility, merchants, and peasantry) discussed in the readings for 13 March.  In preparing and organizing its presentation, each group should concentrate on two broad sets of questions:  1) What was the relationship between your group and the state, and in what ways had this relationship changed or remained unchanged since the Muscovite period (15^th-17^th cc.)?  How was this relationship structured, and what were the main structuring forces?  To what extent had your group developed a corporate identity or organization by the late 18^th century?  2) What, as a member of the nobility, a merchant, or a peasant, were you trying to achieve, and by what means?How did you look at and understand the world, society, and other social groups, and what were your values?What did the world look like to you, and how would you have liked it to look?  At the beginning of class, each group should distribute a typed outline for its presentation to the other members of the class and to me (you can use the photocopying machine in the History Department office to make a sufficient number of copies).  I will be happy to meet with the members of a group prior to class to discuss the readings, ideas for your presentation, etc.

SECOND ESSAY:  Interpreting historical evidence:  In an essay of not more than seven pages, discuss any aspect of post-emancipation imperial Russia using principally primary sources assigned for classes 14-21 (you should use sources from several classes, and may use material from either Bisha, Russian Women, or Kaiser and Marker, RRH, that has not been assigned for class, as well as the photographs in the Dmitriev exhibition at the WCMA).  For example, you might discuss the emergence and character of the radical intelligentsia, political movements and parties, or social protest more broadly; gender and the status of women; changing social identities and processes of social change; the relationship between society and the state; religious beliefs, “secularization,” and cultural change;or economic growth and technological change.  Whatever your topic, however, your paper should present a clear argument that is built principally from and supported by primary sources.

THIRD ESSAY:Critical review:  In an essay of not more than six pages, critically assess Dominic Lieven’s book Nicholas II.  Your review should identify the principal thesis of the author and critically assess both the thesis and the author’s underlying assumptions and use of evidence.  In engaging critically with Lieven’s thesis, you also should evaluate its strengths and weaknesses relative to the arguments made by the authors of other readings for this part of the course (particularly the readings assigned for classes 19 and 22-5).  Due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 19 May, in the instructor’s box in Stetson.

The website for this course can be accessed through the History Department website, by going either to my personal page or to the research page and then choosing Research in Russian and Soviet History/History Site.  The website includes the syllabus and links to library and other research and internet resources.

CLASS MEETINGS

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:55-11:10 a.m.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION AND LECTURE

An exhibition of photographs, entitled “Chronicling Faith:  Maksim Dmitriev and the Renaissance of Orthodox Monasticism in Late Imperial Russia,” will be presented at the Williams College Museum of Art in conjunction with this course.Students should view this exhibition on their own before Thursday, 10 April.  As part of the course, I will be presenting a lecture in connection with the exhibition on Thursday, 10 April, at 4:00 p.m. in room L3, Lawrence Hall.  Attendance at the lecture is expected.

OFFICE HOURS

Tuesdays, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and Fridays, 1:30-2:30 p.m., or by appointment, Stetson 310 (ext. 2394)

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

Have a pleasant and relaxing summer!!