BEXP 12A13 - An International History of Communisms

This course will provide an introduction to the history of revolutionary thought and movements throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It will focus mostly on Eurasia, with some short glimpse of situations in Latin America. The objective of this course is to examine the evolution of revolutionary thought, in particular communist ideology, as it was confronted to various experiences, victories and failures, over the course of more than 200 years. It will start with the origins of the socialist ideology in the French Revolution and the beginning of the 19th century and will end on the transformations of communist thought after the fall of the USSR in 1991 and the advent of new revolutionary movements, such as altermondialism, in the first decades of the 21st century. Major topics will include historical examination of various communist doctrine elements, such as the class struggle, the debate around the necessity of the state, the reform against revolution argument, the concept of a Communist Party, etc. as these evolved over the studied period. It will also look at different revolutionary experiences around the world and discuss how these processes influence changes in perception, theory and eventually doctrine. See list of sessions for examples studied.

The overall aim of this class is to provide students with key elements to understand the importance of revolutionary movements around the world and how they shaped contemporary history. Sessions will be divided in two parts: First, a lecture for about 90 minutes which will focus around a theme and one or more concrete examples in revolutionary history. Second, a discussion for the remaining 30 minutes around provided primary sources. Selected students will be assigned primary source(s) for every session and will have to shortly present them in class. Other students will be expected to discuss the presentations and presenters’ conclusions as part of their participation grades.

At the end of the course, the student is expected to : 1°) Have a greater understanding of the history of revolutionary movements of the 19th and 20th centuries 2°) Be able to discuss primary sources, especially revolutionary political texts 3°) Be at ease with engaging in historical debates surrounding political history

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments (at least three grades):

1°) Participation in class: Students will be expected to ask questions and discuss primary sources presentations during the various sessions of the class (20% of total grade) 2°) Primary source in-class presentation assignment: At the beginning of the semester, students will pick a session and present the primary sources selected for that session to the class (30 % of total grade)

3°) Final exam : At-home dissertation assignment given 3 weeks before the end of the semester (50% of the final grade)