OVERVIEW

History of Russia and Eastern Europe

The course aims to provide a basic competence in the history of Russia and Eastern Europe from the Ninth century to the present day. It will pay particular attention to the processes of cultural, economic, institutional, political and social transformation of the Russian Empire and Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The objective of the course is to equip students with a basic knowledge of both the history of Russia from the Ninth century to the present day and of the history of Eastern Europe, especially in the modern and contemporary age.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Enrolling on the course will give students the opportunity to gain a general knowledge of the history of Russia and Eastern Europe from the Ninth century to the present day. Particular attention will be paid to the processes of cultural, economic, institutional, political and social transformation of the Russian Empire, of the Soviet Union and of today's Russia.

The goal is to provide students with a detailed picture of the historical, political, economic, social and cultural situation of Eastern Europe (up to the present day). Particular regard will be paid to the role which Russia played in this area over the centuries . On the one hand, the course will examine the progressive emergence of Russian power in Eastern Europe, a process which started from Peter the Great; on the other hand, it will analyse the problems which arose from this rapid ascension: a fact that influences, perhaps even today, many aspects of European policy.

At the end of the course students will be able to orient themselves in the specific realities of Eastern Europe and Russia and in the context of the historical period examined during the lectures; they will acquire the specific technical language of the discipline and be able to demonstrate the knowledge of the political, social, economic and cultural events and dynamics of the history of Tsarist Russia, of the Soviet Union and of present day  Russia. More specifically, students will have gained an adequate understanding of the methods adopted in the analysis and in the interpretation of the great processes of Russian and Soviet history, seen both from an internal and an  international perspective, from the beginning up to the present time;  they will, finally, acquire a basic knowledge of the main historiographical debates dealing with  the main topics of the course.

PREREQUISITES

Students will gain a general knowledge of the European history

TEACHING METHODS

University lectures given by the professor, in-class presentations.

The lessons will hopefully be held in person, with the possibility for students to follow them remotely via videoconference on the Teams platform.

The code is as follows: 82d1b2r

Students will be supported in their learning by teaching materials and resources related to the lectures and made available on  a website (Aulaweb).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will be divided into two parts:

- The first part will address the general long-term historical themes, which are essential for understanding the specific realities of Eastern Europe in the period examined during the lectures.

- The second part will be focused on the role played by the Russian Empire, then by the Soviet Union and finally by Russia in European and Eastern European history. More specifically, this part will deal with political, social, institutional and cultural issues. Namely:  the formation of the Russian state, the migration of populations, social and economic reforms, the revolts, the balance of international politics and diplomacy.

- a part of the course will be dedicated to the Stalinist period and to the social and cultural history (literature, painting, cinema, architecture) of the U.R.S.S.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reading list for students for whom this course is worth 6 ECTS

A book chosen from the following:

P. Bushkovitch, Breve storia della Russia. Dalle origini a Putin, Einaudi, Torino, 2013

Giulia Lami, Storia dell'Europa orientale. Da Napoleone alla fine della prima guerra mondiale, Le Monnier, Milano, 2019.

In addition, the student is required to show a good understanding of the problems of Russian history dealt with in:

Marco Natalizi, Il burattinaio dell'ultimo Zar. Grigorij Rasputin, Salerno editrice, Roma, 2016

Reading list for students for whom this course is worth 9 ECTS

A book chosen from the following:

P. Bushkovitch, Breve storia della Russia. Dalle origini a Putin, Einaudi, Torino, 2013

Giulia Lami, Storia dell'Europa orientale. Da Napoleone alla fine della prima guerra mondiale, Le Monnier, Milano, 2019.

With

Marco Natalizi, Caterina di Russia, Salerno Editrice, Roma, 2021

Or

David Saunders, La Russia nell'età della reazione e delle riforme (1801-1881), Il mulino, Bologna, 1997

In addition, the student is required to show a good understanding of the problems of Russian history dealt with in:

Marco Natalizi, Il burattinaio dell'ultimo Zar. Grigorij Rasputin, Salerno editrice, Roma, 2016

Reading list for students for whom this course is worth 12 ECTS

A book chosen from the following:

P. Bushkovitch, Breve storia della Russia. Dalle origini a Putin, Einaudi, Torino, 2013

Giulia Lami, Storia dell'Europa orientale. Da Napoleone alla fine della prima guerra mondiale, Le Monnier, Milano, 2019

With

Marco Natalizi, Caterina di Russia, Salerno Editrice, Roma, 2021

Or

David Saunders, La Russia nell'età della reazione e delle riforme (1801-1881), Il mulino, Bologna, 1997

In addition, the student is required to show a good understanding of the problems of Russian history dealt with in:

Marco Natalizi, Il burattinaio dell'ultimo Zar. Grigorij Rasputin, Salerno editrice, Roma, 2016

Oleg. V. Clevnjuk, Stalin. Biografia di un dittatore, Mondadori, Milano, 2016

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARCO NATALIZI (President)

ROBERTO SINIGAGLIA

EMILIANO BERI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

28th September 2020

Class schedule

HISTORY OF EASTERN EUROPE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral Exams:

The required knowledge will be verified through a final oral exam. The student will have to answer four / five open questions on the topics examined during the course.

In addition, the most important topics will be debated during some of the lectures with the aim of preparing the students for the oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The actual achievement of the expected learning outcomes will be verified through an oral exam that will ascertain:

- the effective acquisition of knowledge related to the history of Russia and Eastern Europe, the ability to place single historical events within the broader international context (15/30)

- the ability to make causal connections between historical events in the political, social and cultural sphere; the knowledge of the historiographical debates (10/30)

- the quality of the presentation, the speaking ability, the acquisition of the correct lexical terms related to the discipline (5/30)

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Curriculum of the Lecturer

Marco Natalizi (1963) is Associated Professor in History of Eastern Europe. After graduating at the University of Pisa he was trained at the Universities of Florence and Siena. His most significant publications are: Il burattinaio dell’ultimo Zar. Grigorij Rasputin (Salerno, 2016); Pietro il Grande. Uno zar in Europa (EDISES, 2014); L’ingresso della Russia in Europa, in Storia d’Europa e del Mediterraneo. Dal Medioevo all’età della globalizzazione, Sezione V. L’Età moderna (secoli XVI-XVIII), Vol. XII. Popoli, stati, equilibri del potere (Salerno, 2013); La rivolta degli orfani. La vicenda del ribelle Pugačëv (Donzelli, 2011); Il caso Černyševskij (Bruno Mondatori, 2006); All’ombra della legge. L’amministrazione delle comunità urbane in Russia nella metà del XVIII secolo(Bruno Mondatori, 2003); Nikolaj Gavrilovič Černyševskij, Scritti politico-filosofici, traduzione, introduzione e note a cura di Marco Natalizi (Maria Pacini Fazzi, 2001). He is member of Società Italiana per la Storia dell'Età Moderna (SISEM) and of  Società Italiana di Studi sul Secolo Diciottesimo (SISSD).