Annotation
This course explores the relations between Communism and Nationalism. We will examine the role of Nationalism both in Communist theory (Marxism, Austro-Marxism, Marxism-Leninism etc.) and in particular policies of Communist states in various historical periods.
We will address the issue of Nationalism as an instrument for both building and dismantling Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. The main attention will be paid to the ideas and policies elaborated in the USSR which served as a role model for the rest of the Communist Europe.
By the end of this course, students will have a deep understanding of inherent conflicts between Communism and Nationalism as well as of the way how these conflicts were resolved in theories and practices of Communist states. Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of notions such as “korenizatsiya”, “Titoism”, and anti-Zionism.
They will know how Communism eventually produced Nationalism despite of various attempts to suppress it. The course is a combination of a lecture and a seminar.