History of the Soviet Union Credit Hours: 3 hours The Soviet Union stands alone in modern history for the ambition of its utopia - Soviet communists imagined a world free of exploitation, in which material abundance would foster the self-realization of all individuals and a radical equality of class, gender, and ethnicity. But applying that vision to the old Russian Empire forced compromise or, more often, a dangerous disregard for reality. The result was a tragic, often violent, and ultimately failed experiment, though one not without significant accomplishments. Soviet history is dramatic, contentious, and still being written; students will leave this course conversant in all of its major questions. Level: Undergraduate
