HIST245

043300

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of movements, organizations, as well as political and intellectual figures that claim to draw inspirations directly from the long history of \"socialism\" and sometimes even of \"communism.\" That is in direct contrast with the situation just a decade ago, when the victory of capitalism (in practical and ideological terms) seemed assured and, in the US, the term \"socialist\" was at best an insult with frightening echoes of the Red Purges. But what is \"communism\" exactly? What do we mean when we talk about a socialist alternative? This course tries to address these (and other questions) by following the history of the communist movement(s) globally, from its inception in the European industrial revolution, to its unexpected victory in Russia, to its expansion and transformation in former colonial or semi-colonial states, to its apparent demise after 1989. We trace the possibilities this movement opened for those who embraced it, the tragedies it sometimes engendered, and the extent to which it constituted an alternative to the triumph of capitalism. We also explore how this history appears in more \"popular\" forms, from documentaries to propaganda films to Hollywood productions, with the goal to explore how communist movements have been represented and how these representations also function as specific political interventions and historical documents of sorts.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

GEED - BC (Gen Ed: Building Connections)