HISTORY 365: RUSSIAN HISTORY TO 1917---REACTION PAPERS.

Five reaction papers will be assigned during this semester. Below are the questions for this semester's reaction papers. You are expected to express your reaction and answer the question(s) given for each due date in a the equivalent form of a typed,and double spaced paper at least two but not more than three pages in length. The two lowest score of the five reaction papers will be dropped. Each reaction paper will be worth 50 points for a total of 150 points toward the course grade. Each reaction paper will be due by E-MAIL to his_ncp@shsu.edu by 12:00 PM on the day stated in the syllabus. Only those who can show that they have no possible access to a computer will be allowed to turn in a hard copies of the reaction paper. No reaction papers will be accepted after this deadline and there are no makeups.

1st Reaction Paper Questions (due September 17). Choose one.

• 1) Compare and contrast the state, military organization and life style of the Scythians, Parthians, Huns, Goths, and Mongols as described by Herodotus, Trogaius, Jordanes, Ammianus Marcellinus, and Marco Polo. What are the common denominators of these steppe societies and states?
• 2) Discuss the Normanist conroversy in early Russian historiography. Present the main arguments of the Normanist and nationalist schools regarding the origins and early development of the Kievan Rus'. What sources and evidence to the conflicting interpretations use to support their positions and refute the opposition's? Are the opposing viewpoints inserting modern concepts (e.g. nationalism) into the interpretation of a medieval phenomenon? After studying the evidence, which version of early Kievan history is most valid in your opinion? Can the controversy be solved or reconciled?
• 3) Analyze the Russian-Byzantine Treaty of 911. What does it say about the economic nature of the early Kievan Rus' state. Does it support the contention by Omeljan Pritzak that the Kievan Rus' State was similar to a trading company.
• 4) Comment on the conversion of Vladimir as described in the Primary Chronicle. Was it primarily a conversion brough about by political considerations? What does Hilarion's Eulogy say about the conversion?
• 5) Analyze the Russkaia Pravda as a law code. Does its description of crime and punishment resemble early Germanic law, as in the case of the Salic Law, or Roman Law, as in the Justinianic Code. See the Readings page of History 265, for sampl;es of these codes.
• 6) Compare and contrast the Martyrdom of Boris and Gleb with early Christian martyrdoms, such as those as Justin and his Companions, as decribed in a reading found on the History 265 home page.

2nd Reaction Paper Questions (due October 8). Choose one.

• 1) Compare and contrast the image of Alexander Nevsky in the written sources and the 1938 film, Alexander Nevsky, directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Analyze how the film has interjected modern ideology into the story of a medieval personality. In addition comment on how accurately the film depicts the state, society, and culture of Novgorod in the 13th century.
• 2) Compare and contrast the epic poems Slovo o polku Igoreve ("Lay of Igor's Raid") and Zadonshchina ("Deeds Beyond the Don"). What historical conditions had changed between the writing of these two poetic accounts? What do they tell us about the struggle between the East Slavic prinicipalities and the steppe peoples and the early Russian/Ukrainian views of these struggles? How do the epics and military tales treat with the conflict between the sedentary east Slavs and the nomadic Polovtsy, Mongols and Tatars. How do the Medieval Russian accounts explain defeats and victories in this struggle?
• 3) Comment on the Ivan the Terrible-Andrei Kurbskii correspondence from the point of view of its contrasting description the change in Ivan's personality and reign in the 1560's. If the letters are forgeries, what do you believe was their purpose? What point of view do they represent?
• 4) Compare and contrast the Russkiai Pravda of the Kievan Rus' and the Ulozhenie of 17th Century Muscovy. How do the differences in these codes indicate fundamental changes and differences in the nature of Russian state and society?
• 5) Compare and contrast Hawkins's and Kovalevski's view of the role of representative or legislative bodies in Muscovy. In their views, what role did they play in the evolution of autocratic government in pre-Petrine Russia?
  

3rd Reaction Paper Questions (due October 15). Choose one.

• 1) How were Russian writers influenced by the ideas of the enlightment in the eighteenth century, especially in relation to tradtional Russian religion and culture? In answering this question, consult the works of Prokopovich, Tatishchev, Lomonosov, Dashkov, Metropolitan Platon, and Shcherbatov.
• 2) Briefly compare and contrast Russian and western descriptions and assessments of Peter I and his reign. In answering the question, consult the works of Polotski, Burnet, Alexander Gordon, Patrick Gordon, Von Korb, Perry, de Missy, Procopovich, and the later assessment of Michael Shcherbatov.
• 3) Read the descriptions of Russian social classes in the writings of Kotoshikhin and Pososhkov. How are these views of late 17th and early 18th century Russian society similar or different from the views presented in secondary sources and in the lectures?
• 4) Briefly compare and contrast Russian and western descriptions and assessments of Catherine II and her reign. In answering the question, consult the works of Danilov, Gribovski and the English Ambassador.
• 5) Read and analyse the writings of Poroshkov and Radishchev on the condition of the peasantry in the early and late eighteenth century. Compare and contrast these two accounts. Was there any improvement in the peasant's status and lot as a result of the westernization of the eighteenth century?
• 6) What do the letters, diaries and/or memoirs of Catherine II, Danilov, Dashkov, Dolgoruki, Gribovski, Lomonosov, and Poroshin tell you about the literate classes of 18th Century Russia? What was their social background, what were their values and perspective on life?

4nd Reaction Paper Questions (due November 24). Choose one.

• 1) According to Czartoryiskii, why did Alkexander I's reform minded tendencies never amounted to much basic reform. In your view, what role did personality and events play play in role in the accomplishments of Alexander's reign.
• 2) In analyzing at the sources on Poland's first and second partition under Catherine, Czartoryiski's menoirs, the protocols of the Congress of Vienna, and Nicholas I proclamation on the Polish constitutiion, how would you characterize Russian-Polish relations in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
• 3) Read de Lagny's descriptions of Russian criminal justice and the personality of the sovereign in the reign of Nicholas I. Do the accounts contradict one-another? How do they compare and contrast with secondary accounts of Nicholas I and his reign?
• 4) Read Taylor's deescription of the Foundling Hospital in Moscow in 1859. Does it affirm or contradict your views and the views of other sources regarding Russian state and society in the mid-19th century.
• 5) Read and analyse the writings of Herzen, Kropotkin, Turgenev and Stepniak on the development of the radical intelligentsia in 19th century Russia. In their view, why did a significant segment of the educated classes come to oppose the status quo in Russia?
• 6) Why did the emancipation of the serfs open up a Pandora's box of problems in the Russian countryside? According to Kovalevksy, what was the nature of the peasants' status, land tenure, and relation to the village commune prior to and after the emancipation?

5nd Reaction Paper Questions (due December 3). Choose one.

• 1) Read the sources on the indutrialization of Russia in the late 19th Century. In your view, how did industrial development affect Russian society? Did it have positive or negative consequences?
• 2) How was the Stolypin Reform to change the nature of land tenure and the village in Russia? How would it affect the status of the Peasantry as described by Kovalevsky?
• 3) Do you detect a disparity between industry and agriculture in Russia before 1913? In answering this question use Kovalevsky, Stolypin, Witte, and Morfill.
• 4) How did Russian revolutionaries like Plekhanov and Lenin receive Marxism? How did they alter it to fit Russian conditions? How did their views on revolution and class conflict differ from those of Bernstein and the German Social Democrats?
• 5) Compare and contrast the programs of the revolutionary parties of 1905-1906 (the S.R., Mensheviks, and Bolsheviks) with the description of their leadership and ideologies as described by Hingley, the Atlas or secondary web sources?
• 6) From your perusal of the documents of 1914, how culpable do you believe Russia was for the outbreak of World War, when compared to other powers such as Austria-Hungary, and Germany?
• 7) What does the film, DERZU UZALA, say about the nature of Russian expansion and colonization in Siberia? How does it portray the relationship of Russians to native peoples of Siberia? What did you think of the film?

Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria for the Reaction Papers:

1. Coverage of Subject: Be sure that your reaction paper directly addresses the question. Fully answer the question without side issues or repetition. Make a significant effort to fully cover and reiterate the question or topic of the reaction paper in the conclusion. (10 points)

2. Analysis: The focus on the question should be maintained thoughout the reaction paper. Points and/or subtopics should be clearly conceived, presented and discussed. Be sure to present your own view as well as the view of the sources. (10 points)

3. Content: The information you present to subtantiate points and topics ought to be accurate and clearly presented. The facts and the interpretation of those facts that you offer in the reaction paper should contribute evidence to the general arguments you present. Do not make assertions in your paper without backing them up with evidence from the sources. (10 points)

4. Organization and Form: Your reaction paper should be composed in a clear and logical manner. If your reaction paper is a narrative essay, events should be covered in a clear chronological outline. If your reaction paper is analytical or descriptive, your points should be presented in a logical sequence which enhances your general argument. Make certain that your reaction paper has an introductory statement, a body of evidence, and a conclusion. (10 points)

5. Writing and mechanics: The writing style of your reaction paper should be clear and concise. Your reaction paper should be written in proper English and addressed the prospective audience of educated lay people. Be sure that each paragraph leads logically into the other and that all terms, events, people and other items are adequately defined. Be certain that all information is properly documented. Make sure that you follow the fundamentals of paragraphing, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Be certain that you have maintained proper margins and form. Have your reaction paper carefully proofread for mechanics, organization, continuity, and transition. (10 points)

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE---50 POINTS

SCORE SHEET FOR EACH REACTION PAPER:

1. Pertinance and coverage:	__________	Out of 10
2. Analysis:	__________	Out of 10
3. Content:	__________	Out of 10
4. Organization & Form:	__________	Out of 10
5. Writing & Mechanics:	__________	Out of 10
TOTAL	__________	OUT OF 50