HSP 154H Fall 2005
Steinhauer
Tuesday 10:00-12:00am
Thursday 10:00-11:00am

The Rise and Fall of Communism

The theme of this course is the rise and fall of communism as epitomized by the painful transition from communism to capitalism and from dictatorship to democracy that is currently taking place in Russia. The course will begin with a look at one of the earliest utopian visions of a society: Plato’s Republic. This will provide us with a model with which to examine Marxism: another but very different utopian paradigm. But before we examine Marxism, we will turn our attention to a political-economic system that no one invented: capitalism. We will study capitalism in both its static and dynamic manifestations and examine the question of whether there is a link between capitalism and democracy. We will then look at the scientific socialism of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, why it captured the imagination of many nineteenth and early twentieth century revolutionaries and the link between Marxism and dictatorship. Communism will be looked at both as a response to the excesses of capitalism and as a kind secular religion with promises to create a heaven on earth. Issues of economic fairness and justice will also be examined. Finally we will look at the actual Communist dictatorships established in the Soviet Union, why it collapsed, and how successful Russian has been in making the transition to capitalism and democracy.

Possible Readings
“The Republic” Plato
“Property and Freedom” Richard Pipes
“Economic Parables and Policies” Laurence Seidman
"Marx: A Very Short Introduction" Peter Singer
“Marxism: For and Against” Robert Heilbroner
"Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism" Joshua Muravchik
“The Piratization of Russia: Russian Reform Goes Awry” Marshall Goldman

Grade Making Situations
3-4 short (5-6 page) reaction papers to the readings.
One longer (10-15 page) synthesis paper at the end.
Class participation, including leading of at least 1 group discussion
Regular Contribution to a Web discussion board.

Mode
This course will count for Modeling and Analysis Mode.