Faculty
 |
Zenon WasyliwProfessor and ChairHistory |
Global Revolutions
TWENTIETH-CENTURY GLOBAL REVOLUTIONS
HIST-27300-01
Zenon V. Wasyliw
Fall 2006
Muller 427 History Department
Ithaca College
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-10:45 and
12:00-12:45 and T Th by appointment
274-1587 wasyliw@ithaca.edu
http://faculty.ithaca.edu/wasyliw
INTRODUCTION
Twentieth-Century Global Revolutions offers a critical interdisciplinary survey of twentieth century world history through the thematic study of revolutions. The course begins with a brief overview of pre-twentieth century revolutions, revolutionary theories and transformations within a global historical context. The major focus of this course is the study of specific revolutions and revolutionary movements of the twentieth-century with an eye towards comparative evaluations and the search for global connectivity and/or conflict. An additional component of this comparative study is assessing the adaptive evolution of revolutionary movements outside of the western European and United States core, in the cultures and civilizations of East Central Europe, Eurasia, South and Southeast Asia, the Far East, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. The course concludes with revolutionary interpretations and responses to issues related to globalization, civil society, trans-nationalism, civilizational divisions and other relevant global transformations of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
The TOPICS section of this syllabus offers, on a weekly basis, specific subjects and themes under study. After first analyzing the underlying causes, theories and models of revolutions, we shall then evaluate specific revolutions and revolutionary movements. European conditions and activities are examined with special emphasis placed upon the Russian/Soviet revolutions. The Chinese Revolution is evaluated within the context of a western revolutionary model implemented and modified by a non-western people, with special emphasis placed upon evaluating the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Two autobiographical works will enhance comprehension of the human toll of both Russian and Chinese revolutions as comparatively examined through the prism of Stalin’s and Mao’s cultural revolutions. The post World War Two period introduced a global revolutionary movement of de-colonization. India's Gandhi proposed a unique, nonviolent path of civil disobedience, the revolutionary nature of which is still under debate. We shall evaluate Gandhi's model and judge its implementation in the United States by Martin Luther King and reflect upon the American Cultural Revolution of the nineteen sixties. We shall reevaluate the nonviolent model of revolution toward the end of the semester through the appraisal of recent revolutions and the practical model offered by Gene Sharp in From Dictatorship to Democracy.
Twentieth-Century Global Revolutions continues a global course by examining revolutions in other regions of the world. We shall begin with an overview of conditions on the African continent and then specifically appraise Nelson Mandela and the South African revolutionary struggle. An evaluation of Latin American revolutions will focus upon Cuba and its impact on other countries in the region. The Middle East (or South West Asia) provides examples of a new revolutionary paradigm based upon religion and anti-modernist values. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 will serve as a focal point for studying the rise and expansion of an Islamic fundamentalist revolutionary path. We shall appraise the most recent revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe and will conclude with current and future revolutions and revolutionary trends and movements, mentioned in the first paragraph, that often transcend state borders, politics and conventional wisdom.
BOOKS AND READINGS
The following books are required for this course and may be purchased at the college bookstore.
Collection of Readings – Meridian. Sources in World History.
DEFRONZO, James. Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements.
GINZBURG, Eugenia. Journey into the Whirlwind.
HUNTINGTON, Samuel, et. al. The Clash of Civilizations? The Debate.
KAPUSCINSKI, Ryszard. Shah of Shahs.
KAPUSCINSKI, Ryszard. The Soccer War.
SHARP, Gene. From Dictatorship to Democracy. A Conceptual Framework for Liberation.
ZHENHUA, Zhai Red Flower of China.
Recommended:
BENJAMIN, Jules. A Student’s Guide to History.
The Guide is also found online:
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/benjamin
Additional articles and primary sources will be distributed throughout the semester. Students will arrange to watch the video version of the film Gandhi on their own time.
Please refer to the list of internet linked sites. They will be utilized throughout the semester. The links provide valuable historical backgrounds and contexts for the specific topics under study without my having to assign additional books. Please refer to my homepage course syllabus for easy access to these relevant sites.
http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/wasyliw
SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER EDUCATION
This course was also developed to provide a content/thematic and conceptual base for teaching the twentieth-century component of high school global history. Please note links listed in this syllabus that directly relate to teaching social studies. These links provide a variety of sources and ideas for lessons.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Scheduled office hours are set for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:00-10:45 and 12:00-12:45, Tuesday, Thursday by appointment. I may be reached for appointments, information or questions at 274-1587 and most readily by e-mail: wasyliw@ithaca.edu. Please stop by my office in Muller 427 to discuss course material or life in general.
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, 2005-2006, p.282) Absences adversely affect the comprehension of course material and one's grade. Students are expected to read the assigned readings and participate in class discussion.
2. Each student must complete two interpretive essay examinations and a final comprehensive examination. The essays are conceptual in nature and test the students' comprehension and analysis of the material covered in class and the readings.
3. A comparative book critique is another course requirement. The critique will compare the Ginzburg and Zhenhua books. The following book critique guideline will be followed.
The book critique will consist of four sections:
a. Introduce the author's main thesis. Include a brief summary of the critique’s contents.
b. Provide a brief comparative historical background on the Stalinist policies of the 1930s and Mao’s Cultural Revolution policies of the 1960s,
c. Compare and contrast the experiences of Eugenia Ginzburg and Zhai Zhenhua in terms of their dedication to Marxist ideology and their life experiences.
d. Provide a critique of both works strong and weak historical and stylistic points. Decide how the books relate to the Global Revolutions course and recommend an appropriate readership.
4. Brief one page critical analyses will be submitted for each Kapuscinski book.
5. Cooperative learning project. The course of the Chinese Cultural Revolution is assessed by group presentations and Maoist critiques of Red Flower of China. Appointed student communes will accomplish this task with the appropriate revolutionary zeal. A concise communal written report will also be required. More specific instructions will be forthcoming.
6. The writing of essays, critiques and papers follows specific criteria and all sources must be properly documented. Carefully read the sections of the hard copy syllabus dealing with plagiarism and writing papers. A Student’s Guide to History offers excellent information in this area.
GRADING
All work must be completed to earn a passing grade!
One comparative book critique 30%
Midterm examination 20%
Final examination essays 30%
Qualitative class participation and
Kapuscinski evaluations 20%
100%
INTERNET LINKS
General Sites:
http://worldhistoryconnected.org
http://vlib.iue.it/history/index.html
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/global/globalsbook.html
http://www.history1900s.about.com
http://members.aol.com/historyresearch/
Social Studies Teaching Sites
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/social.html
http://k-12historysocialstudies.com/boals.html
World War One
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/
Russian Revolution and the USSR
http://www.barnsdle.demon.co.uk/russ.rusrev.html
http://www.infoukes.com/history/famine
Europe and the Holocaust
http://library.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/
The Chinese Revolution
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~felsing/cstuff/prchist.html/
http://www.iisg.nl/exhibitions/chairman/chnintro.html
Vietnam and Southeast Asia
http://vassun.vassar.edu/~vietnam/
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html
India and Pakistan
http://www.southasianist.info/pakistan/index.html
U.S. Civil Rights
http://afroamhistory.about.com/cs/civilrights
http://historicaltextarchive.com
http://www.historymatters.gmu.edu
Africa
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Home_Page/Country.html
Latin America
http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/svolk/latinam.htm
Middle East
http://link.lanic.utexas.edu/menic
Global Issues
http://www.ithaca.edu/sustainability
http://womeninworldhistory.com
http://www.globalisationguide.org
WEEK/DATE TOPICS AND READINGS
1. 30 August - Course Introduction and Expectations.
What is a Revolution? Definitions and Theories within the Context of Globalization
Meridian, pages 1- 99 for discussion the next two weeks
Begin reading Journey Into the Whirlwind
2. 4 September Foundations of a World-System. The Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary Ideologies in Response to an Industrializing Modern World. The World-System of Development, Western Imperialism, Colonialism and Global Cultural Revolution.
DeFronzo, Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements, Chapter 1
3. 11 Sept. Labor Day – No Classes on Monday
World War I – Make the World Safe for Democracy or a Basis for Marxist Revolutions? Women and Revolution.
Meridian, pages 100-136 for discussion this week and next
DeFronzo, Chapter 2 for next week and beyond
Finish reading Journey Into the Whirlwind, begin reading Red Flower of China
4. 18 Sept.. The Implementation of a Revolutionary Model. The Russian Marxist Revolution: A Link to Global Revolution?
Marxism-Leninism and Stages of the Russian Revolution.
Phases of the Soviet Cultural, Economic and Social Revolutions Leading to the Marxist-Leninist Stalinist Model of Rapid
Industrialization, Collectivization According to a Five Year Plan.
An Industrial World Power and Revolutionary Icon. At What Price? The Ukrainian Famine, Purges and the Gulag.
Revolution Betrayed or Accomplished: An Appraisal of the Stalinist Revolution.
Continue reading Red Flower of China
5. 25 Sept. Discussion of Journey into the Whirlwind.
Revolutionary Loyalty Betrayed?
Interwar Europe in an Age of Uncertainty, and the Rise of Totalitarianism.
Fascism, Hitler's Germany and the Racial Revolution: the Holocaust and Its Legacy.
DeFronzo, Chapter 3 for next two weeks
Meridian, pp.137-166 for the next two weeks
6. 2 Oct. World War Two and A New World Order. Revolutionary Transformation in East Asia: Japan and the West.
The Origins of the Chinese Revolution
The Course of the Chinese Revolution and Communal Organization
Finish Reading Red Flower of China
Comparative Book Critique is Due October 23
7. 9 Oct. Communal Presentations and a Critical Evaluation of Red Flower of China. An Analysis of Mao, the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution and the post-Mao years.
Western Colonialism and the Periphery: Revolutionary Paths towards Political and Cultural Independence.
DeFronzo, Chapter 4 for next week
Midterm Examination is Due on October 13
Watch the film Gandhi at home
8. 16 Oct. The Vietnamese Revolution and Southeast Asia
Fall Break 19-20 October
Meridian, pages 167-196 for next week
Comparative Book Critique is Due 23 October
9. 23 Oct. India: Colonialism and the Struggle for Independence.
Gandhi and the Establishment of India and Pakistan.
A Critical Evaluation of Gandhi and Discussion: Are Gandhi and Non-violent Civil Disobedience Revolutionary?
Cultural Repercussions of the Cold War.
A Time for Justice: The American Civil Rights Movement and Cultural Identity: Peaceful or Violent Revolution? The American Cultural Revolution of the Nineteen Sixties:
Issues of Race, Class, Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation.
Meridian, pages 212-234 for next week
DeFronzo, Chapter 8 for next week
Begin reading The Soccer War
10. 30 Oct. 1968: Comparative Youth Revolutions
Western Colonialism in Africa and Internal African Revolutions: In Search of Stability. Challenges to Western Revolutionary Models.
DeFronzo, Chapters 5 and 6 for next week
Meridian, pages 197-211
Finish reading The Soccer War. A one page critical review is due
November 10
11. 6 Nov. Revolutions in Latin America. The Cuban Revolution: Transcontinental Revolution or Chaos?
DeFronzo Chapter 7 for next week
Meridian, pages 235-249 for after Thanksgiving
Read Shah of Shahs for after Thanksgiving
12. 13 Nov. Revolutions, Soccer Wars and Other Conflicts.
The Middle East - Cultural Revolution, Westernization and Comparative Cultural Revolutions in Ataturk’s Turkey, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Islamic Fundamentalism as a Revolutionary Model: the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the Impact of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in the Contemporary World.
Discussion of The Soccer War
13. Thanksgiving Vacation 18-26 November. Finish reading Shah of Shahs. A one page critical review is due November 27.
Begin reading Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations? The Debate.
13. 27 Nov. Islamic Fundamentalism as a Revolutionary Model: The Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 and Its Impact on the Contemporary World. Reflections upon 9/11.
Discussion of Shah of Shahs and the Usama bin Ladin article.
Begin reading From Dictatorship to Democracy.
15. 4 Dec. The Revolutions of 1989-1991 in Eastern and Central Europe: The End of Ideology? The End of History? The Clash of Civilizations? The European Union, the Rise of India and China.
Globalization, Trans-nationalism or Global Revolutions in a Post-Modern and Post-Industrial World.
The Environment and Sustainability: A Revolutionary Reappraisal of Global Consumption and Ecological Values?
Finish reading From Dictatorship to Democracy
16. 11 Dec. Recent and Future Revolutions.
Discussion and Application of Gene Sharp’s Non-Violent Revolutionary Model – From Dictatorship to Democracy
Globalization, anti-Globalization and the Future of Revolutions:
Media, Consumerism, Technology, Genetics, the Internet and the Counter Cultural Revolutionary Resistance.
18 December Final Examination Week