Soviet history

Question 1:

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Discuss the development of morale in different segments of Soviet society during World War II, including soldiers as well as civilians in both the occupied areas and the rear. Choose 2-3 significant factors that shaped Soviet citizens’ experiences and attitudes and trace their impact over time. Some possibilities, by no means exhaustive, include Soviet military fortunes at different points of the war; Soviet and/or German violence and terror; Russian or non-Russian nationalism; Soviet ideology; leadership; propaganda. Make sure to incorporate evidence from the assigned readings into your answer.

Question 2:

To what extent were Soviet foreign and domestic policies in the postwar Stalin period driven by an “instinctive Russian sense of insecurity” and implacable enmity toward the capitalist world (as George Kennan argues)? To what extent did they grow out of genuine security threats (as Nikolai Novikov suggests)? To what extent were they determined by Stalin’s cruel, intolerant personality? Or by Russian messianism in a Soviet guise (as Hosking frequently suggests)? In your answer, discuss some key actions taken by the Stalin regime between 1945 and 1953 in the foreign and domestic arenas, and consider whether you see any connections between these two policy spheres.