**This course will be taught In-Person**
For almost three decades Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union. During that time he reshaped the country and established its place as one of the dominant powers of the twentieth century. This course will trace his rise to power, the transformations he effected, and the legacy he left behind.
1. Background
a) Imperial Russia and the Revolutionary tradition
b) Stalin to 1917
2. Revolutionary Russia
a) NEP Russia
b) Political struggles of the 1920s
3. The Revolution from above
a) Industrialization drive
b) A war against the nation
c) Cultural revolution
4. The Great Terror
a) What happened
b) Why?
5. The Fatherland War and Stalin's last years
a) The road to war
b) The course of battle
c) The aging dictator and his empire
6. The Aftermath
a) The problem of Stalinism
b) Attempts at reform
c) Is Stalin really dead?