Modern East Central Europe
THE OTHER EUROPE:
MODERN EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE
HIST-31300-01
FALL 2011
Prof. Zenon V. Wasyliw
Muller 427, 274-1587, 274-3303
http://faculty.ithaca.edu/wasyliw
Office hours:
Monday 11-12:00
Tuesday 1-2:00
Wednesday 2-3:00
Friday 11-12:00
Other days and times by appointment
I am often in my office additional times
Stop by if my office door is open
Introduction
The revolutions of 1989 in Eastern and Central Europe and the 1991 revolutions in the former Soviet Union changed the course of history in the countries of these regions and the world. Soviet hegemony over the area ended as did the various experiments in implementing a Marxist utopian model of political, social and economic development. Many declared communism dead, to be most likely replaced by a new free market liberal democratic model with an ultimate goal of integration into the European Union. The transition has not been a simple and direct process. The former “Other Europe” continues to deal with its historical legacy as the “New Europe.”
This course concentrates on developments and events in the immediate post-World War Two period through the present. We first begin with a general historical and cultural overview predating the principal period of study. This comparative overview sets a historical context with a brief analysis of conditions and identities in the nineteenth century through the Second World War with an eye toward the creation national diasporas as a result of continuous immigration of peoples from Eastern and Central Europe to North America and elsewhere since the end of the 19th century. World War One and the period between the two world wars is evaluated as a defining period in the evolution of political extremism. The Second World War is also examined as a precursor to Soviet domination and the tragedy of the Holocaust.
The post-1945 period is examined in light of common and differing patterns of governance, ideology, politics, economics, society and culture. A revisionist history of immediate post-1945 transitions will be assessed that eventually concluded with the consolidation of communist rule throughout Eastern and Central Europe. We then concentrate on the development of independent dissident activities, ideas, social change, cultural movements and individuals which challenged the authoritarian models throughout the region. Examples include Titoism, the Hungarian Revolution, Prague Spring and the Solidarity Movement among others. This course concludes with a reflection upon contemporary events and transformations in Eastern and Central Europe and an evaluation of what the future may bring for this region based upon recent historical and cultural legacies. It is important to note that we are studying the lands between and not focusing upon Russia and Germany, although we deal with Communist East Germany.
Books
The following books are required for this course and may be purchased at the college bookstore. Please follow the Topics and Reading Assignments section of the syllabus to ascertain when specific readings should be completed.
Timothy Garton Ash, The Magic Lantern.
Neil Barnett, Tito
Tadeusz Borowski, This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
Slavenka Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Gail Stokes, From Stalinism to Pluralism
Geoffrey Swain and Nigel Swain, Eastern Europe since 1945
Making the History of 1989: The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe –
The Collapse of the Soviet Union: The Oral History of Independent Ukraine -1988-1991 –
On-line book: Zdenka Novak, When Heaven’s Vault Cracked Zagreb Memories.
http://www.ithaca.edu/dani/Dani/personal_my_mothers_book.html
Dani’s recent visits and reflections –
http://www.ithaca.edu/dani/Dani/personal_my_journey_to_the_past.html
Recommended
Jules Benjamin, A Student’s Guide to History
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/benjamin10e
Hacker/Fister, Documenting History Papers
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch10_s1-0001.html
Additional Sources
These sites serve as supplementary information for topics we cover in class, contemporary issues and initial background research for assigned papers.
The Library of Congress European Reading Room
This site offers an interesting overview and sources related to the more general topic of the Cold War.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars offers access to four relevant programs. Click programs on the home page and then check the Cold War International History Project, East European Studies, the Southeast Europe Project and the Kennan Institute.
The following sites provide analytical assessments of current events.
Central Europe Online http://www.centraleurope.com
Transitions Online http://tol.cz
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty http://www.rferl.org
The BBC site offers the best in current news and has strong historical chronologies, summaries and assessments.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/europe
EINnews is a news monitoring service.
This site offers a broad range of historical topics. Please find links specifically related to East Central Europe.
History Index http://vlib.iue.it/history/index.html
The European Roma Rights Center – the Roma used to be more commonly referred to as “Gypsies.” http://www.errc.org
These are just two of many universities that offer valuable resources related to Eastern and Central Europe
University of Illinois http://www.reec.uiuc.edu
University of Pittsburgh http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/reesweb
The Soros Foundation – an NGO
Central European University sponsored by the Soros Foundation.
Requirements
1. “Students at Ithaca College are expected to attend all classes, and they are responsible for work missed during any absence from class.” (Ithaca College Undergraduate Catalog) Absences adversely affect the comprehension of course material and one’s grade. You are expected to read the assigned readings and participate qualitatively in class discussion.
2. Each student is required to take two interpretive essay examinations. Essays are conceptual in nature and test your comprehension and analysis of material covered in class and assigned readings. Take careful notes of lectures and discussions. Review essay questions and objective terms are distributed one week prior to the examinations. The final examination includes a comprehensive essay. Please note “How to Write History Essays” –
http://legacy.ncsu.edu/classes/hi300001/write.htm
A helpful guide from Canada
http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/historyandclassics/essaywritingguide.cfm
3. A research paper of 15 double-spaced pages is required. A topic is selected jointly by the student and professor. The paper then follows several stages and deadlines as noted in the “Topics and Reading Assignments” section of the syllabus. The stages followed are: 1.) selection of a research topic; 2.) a thesis statement and bibliography; 3.) an outline; 4.) completion of the paper with possibility of revision. The format, research and documentation must adhere to the Chicago style for writing history papers guidelines presented in -
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/index.htm Also –
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/prh3/257/classmats/papertip.html
4. The collaborative semester project. Two or three students will work collaboratively to produce a historical and contemporary evaluation or impression of one country, diaspora community, or a variety of social or cultural issues selected jointly by students and the professor. Possible projects may include establishing social networking communications with college students in Eastern and Central Europe, oral histories of people engaged in a variety of ways in the region, organizing a field trip and other creative options.
5. One page reaction papers are required at the time of scheduled discussions of the Drakulic, Kundera and Barnett books.
6. Qualitative class participation in thoughtful discussion of assigned readings, topics and creative collaborative group projects is required.
7. The writing of essays, critiques and papers follow specific criteria and all sources must be properly documented. Carefully read the Ithaca College Standards of Academic Conduct found at the end of the syllabus and at the following Student Policies link –
http://www.ithaca.edu/attorney/policies/vol7/Volume_7-70104.htm
8. In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Services and provide appropriate documentation to the College before any academic adjustment will be provided.
9. Diminished mental health (stress, depression, untreated mental illness) can interfere with optimal academic performance. There are many potential sources of personal difficulties. Academic studies, family, friends, poor health and difficult romantic relationships can contribute to personal difficulties – and impaired academic performance.
Through the office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), cost-free support can be obtained when personal difficulties threaten your well-being.
In the event I suspect you might benefit from additional support, I will express my concerns, my reasoning, and remind you of resources (e.g., CAPS, Health Center, Chaplains, etc.) that might be of help to you. It is not my intention to know details of what you might be experiencing, but simply to let you know I am concerned and that help, if needed, is available.
Getting help is a smart and healthy thing to do… for yourself and your loved ones.
10. The syllabus outline, topics and assignments are subject to change.
Grading
All work must be completed to earn a passing grade.
Examination #1 20%
Examination #2 and Final 30%
Research paper 30%
Semester project, reaction papers and
class participation 20%
100%
Miscellaneous
1. Try to attend presentations outside of class that relate to our course. Cornell University often offers relevant lectures and films. We might organize a field trip to visit an East European community outside of Ithaca if an opportunity arises.
2. Make-up examinations (for those with a valid excuse) will be given at the professor's convenience.
3. Please stop by during scheduled office hours or by appointment to discuss course material or life in general. The best way to communicate questions and make appointments is by email –
TOPICS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Students are responsible for completing the assigned readings and being prepared to engage in qualitative discussion.
Week 1 31 August, 2 September
A short introduction and course overview. Historical Roots and Cultural Diversity: The Early History of East Central Europe.
Handouts and internet sites
Week 2 7 and 9 September – 5 September no class Labor Day
The Geography and Politics of Empire and the Rise of Nationalism.
World War I and the Creation of a New Eastern and Central Europe. Migration to America: Daily Life, Values, and Connections with the “Old Country.” Inter-war Politics and Tribulations on the eve of World War Two and developments in Eastern Europe during the Second World War.
Swain and Swain, beginning to page 30 (for this week and next)
Barnett, Tito beginning to page 73
Handouts and sites
Read Borowski, This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen (for next week)
Read the online book by Zdenka Novak, When Heaven’s Vault Cracked Zagreb Memories
Week 3 12, 14, 16 September
The Research Paper: Topics, Concepts and Process. The Second World War: Conflicts, Alliances and the Holocaust. A discussion of the Borowski book and the Zdenka Novak book with guest discussant Dani Novak
Collaborative Semester Project Topic Proposal is due
Swain and Swain, Chapter 2 and 3 (for next week)
Week 4 19, 21, 23 September
The Yalta Agreement
“Different Roads to Socialism” - Ideology, Power and Eastern/Central Europe's Collapse Under Soviet Domination. A Study of Revisionist Historiography - Was there a Stalinist Strategy Towards Socialist Transformation. Social and Economic Restructuring. The Communist Political System and the Military. Democracy, Markets and Security in Eastern Europe. “An End to Diversity.”
Barnett, Tito pp. 74-93
Stokes, From Stalinism to Pluralism, Readings 1-8
Read Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed
Research Topic is Due
Week 5 26, 28, 30 September
Industrialization, Modernization and the Command Economy.
The Creation of a "Modern" Socialist Society and Culture and Traditional Values as a Form of Resistance. “Actually Existing Socialism in Operation”
Swain and Swain, Chapter 5
Thesis Statement and Bibliography is Due
Week 6 3, 5, 7 October
Marxist Alternatives, “Liberal” Socialism and the New Democracy. Women’s Rights, Roles, and Status in Eastern and Central Europe. Gender Relations, Social Services, and Consumerism from 1945 to the present.
Discussion of the Drakulic book as an introduction to next week’s topic
Examination
Week 7 10, 12, 14 October
The Economic Challenges of Post-Communist Marketization. Yugoslavia, the Challenge of Titoism and a Continued Biography of Tito. De-Stalinization, Rehabilitation and Popular Rebellion.
Barnett, pp. 94-115
Stokes, Readings 12-18
Swain and Swain, Chapter 4 (for this week and next week)
Week 8 17, 19 October (21 - Fall Break)
The Death of Stalin and De-Stalinization. Rehabilitation and Popular Rebellion. “Little Stalins” vs. Reformers. East German and Bulgarian Conservatism vs. the Polish October. “1956: Communism Renewed?”
Swain and Swain, Chapter 4
Swain and Swain, Chapter 6 (for next week)
Begin reading Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Work on your Research Paper
Week 9 24, 26, 28 October
Hungarian History and Stages of the Hungarian Revolution. The Hungarian Economic Experiment: the New Economic Mechanism and Goulash Socialism. “Reform Communism or economic Reform.”
Finish reading Unbearable Likeness of Being
Swain and Swain, Chapters 4 and 6
Week 10 31 October, 2, 4 November
The Hungarian Revolution in Retrospect. Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring of 1968 – the fortieth anniversary. Viewing of the Milos Forman film Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Swain and Swain, Chapter 6
Stokes, Readings 19-21
Week 11 7, 9, 11 November
Discussion of Kundera, Unbearable Lightness of Being within the context of the Prague Spring’s “Socialism with a human face” and the Implementation of the Brezhnev Doctrine. The Human Rights Movement. Poland’s Historical Legacy and the Solidarity Movement. “Neo-Stalinism Triumphant.”
Swain and Swain, Chapter 7
Stokes, Readings 22-29, 31, 34-39
Research Paper Progress Report
Week 12 14, 16, 18 November
Pope John Paul II and Parallel Society in the 1980s: Religious and Ethnic Currents. The Return of Politics and the Role of Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika. The Revolutionary Student Youth Movement. Religion and Politics in Post-Communist East Central Europe.
Swain and Swain, Chapter 8 (for this week and the following week)
Stokes, Readings 32-33, 40-41, 52-53
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! No classes week of 21 November.
Finish Research Papers. Read Ash, The Magic Lantern
Week 13 28, 30 November, 2 December
Popular Culture as Resistance and Identity: Music as Dissent and Frank Zappa as Hero. East Central European Cinema.
The Revolutions of 1989 and the Expansion of East Central Europe: Ukraine and the Baltics - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - Independence and the Belarusian Question.
Swain and Swain, Chapter 8
Stokes, Readings 42-47
Special focus and collective appraisals of –
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/ 1989-The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
http://oralhistory.org.ua/en The Collapse of the Soviet Union – Independent Ukraine
Handouts and directed on-line sources
Finish Barnett for next week
Research Paper is Due
Week 14 5, 7, 9 December
The Other Europe as Part of A New Europe: New Identities and Directions. The Disintegration of Yugoslavia and Conflict in the Balkans. Democracy, Tolerance and the Cycles of history. Discussion of The Magic Lantern and Barnett, Tito
Week 15 12, 14, 16 December
Contemporary Issues in the Other Europe – “Adapting to Capitalism Enthusiastically: Central Europe,” “Adapting to Capitalism Hesitantly: the Balkans.”
The European Union, United States, and the “New” Europe.
Handouts and directed on-line sources
Swain and Swain, Chapters 9, 10 and conclusion.
Research Paper Presentations
Week 16 Week of 19 December
Final Examination Week. Good Luck!