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Table of readings for the course, "The Rise and Fall of World Communism" in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.

Day	Topic	Readings and related resources
Founders
1	Leadership versus Institutions
2	Discussion	Stephen F. Cohen, Rethinking the Soviet Experience, ch. 2. “Z” (Martin Malia), “To the Stalin Mausoleum,” Daedalus, 119, 1 (1990): only sections I, II, XI, and XII.
3	The Founders: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto	Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1848). Read only sections 1, 2, and 4. A useful Study Guide for The Communist Manifesto
4	The (First) Rise and Fall of Communism: Western Europe	Eduard Bernstein, Evolutionary Socialism (1899), Preface. Rosa Luxemburg, “Reform or Revolution” (1900), Introduction.
5	Discussion
6	The World Revolution’s Unexpected Setting: Backward Russia	Robert Tucker, The Marxian revolutionary idea, “Marxism and Modernization” William Rosenberg and Marilyn Young, Transforming Russia and China, pp. 3-34. Image: St Petersburg: Palace Square Image: St. Petersburg: Peterhof
7	Lenin asks and answers the Question: “What is to be Done?”	Vladimir I. Lenin, What is to be Done? (1901-1902): Excerpts in the Course Reader. Vladimir I. Lenin, State and Revolution (1917). (excerpts) Rosenberg and Young, Transforming Russia and China, pp. 35-71. Background reading about Lenin: The History Guide. Video: Sergei Eisenstein’s depiction of the Revolution: Oktober
8	Discussion
9	The Battles over the Russian Path to World Revolution	Rosenberg and Young, Transforming Russia and China, 120-35, 147-66. “Z,” “Stalin Mausoleum,” sections II-V. Nikolai Bukharin,"The New Economic Policy of Soviet Russia,"July 8, 1921. J. V. Stalin, “The October Revolution and the Tactics of the Russian Communists” (excerpt), Dec. 17, 1924. J. V. Stalin, "Bukharin’s Group and the Right Deviation in our Party," January 1928.
10	Making Revolution from Above versus Struggling from Below?	Rosenberg and Young, Transforming Russia and China, pp. 72-119. Sun Yatsen in Paris (image) Robert Tucker, The Marxian revolutionary idea, “Marxism and Communist Revolutions” Mao Zedong, “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan,” March 1927.
11	Discussion
Competitors
12	Enemies of the People	“Z”, “To the Stalin Mausoleum,” section VI. Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon. Read the first half of the book. Nikolai Bukharin’s secret letter to Stalin, December 10, 1937.
13	FILM: “Interrogation“	Movie review
14	The Stalinist Model spreads to East-Central Europe	Wolfgang Leonhard, Child of the Revolution, “The Comintern School.”
15	Discussion	Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon. Complete the book. Reread Nikolai Bukharin’s secret letter to Stalin, December 10, 1937.
16	The Path of Armed Struggle	William Rosenberg and Marilyn Young, Transforming Russia and China, pp. 135-47. Mao Zedong, “Rectify the Party’s Style of Work,” February 1, 1942.
17	The Path of the Populist Revolutionary	Fidel Castro, “The Revolution Begins Now” (excerpt), January 3, 1959. Brief background on Fidel and the Cuban revolution Background on North Korea, “Origins of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” Kim Il-sung, “On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and establishing Juche in Ideological Work” (1955).
18	No discussion session
Defenders
19	Khrushchev Attempts to Rejuvenate Leninism	“Z” (Martin Malia), “To the Stalin Mausoleum,” section VIII. Nikita Khrushchev: "Speech to the 20th Congress of the CPSU", February 25, 1956. William Rosenberg and Marilyn Young, Transforming Russia and China, pp. 244-74.
20	Crisis in Eastern Europe: Hungary and Poland	Previously secret: The politburo of the CPSU meets to discuss the situation in Hungary and Poland, October 24, 1956. Previously secret: In an, at times, perversely sardonic speech, Nikita Khrushchev reports to party activists, November 4, 1956. Map of Budapest (for lecture). Chronology of the Hungarian Revolution.
21	Discussion
22	Re-revolutionizing Communism in China	Mao Zedong, “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People,” February 27, 1957. Deng Xiaoping, “Correctly Disseminate Mao Zedong Thought,” May 25, 1960. “Circular on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,” May 16, 1966. Rosenberg and Young, Transforming Russia and China, remaining chapters on China, including the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Previously secret: CIA Intelligence Report, “The Cultural Revolution and the New Political System in China,"pp. 1-28, October 30, 1970.
23	Debate
24	Discussion
Reformers
25	Sealing the European Divide	Previously secret: Letter from Walter Ulbricht to Nikita Khrushchev, September 15, 1961 Previously secret: Nikita Khrushchev responds to Walter Ulbricht, September 28, 1961. Map: Divided Germany Map: Inter-German Border Map: Berlin Wall
26	Czechoslovakia	The Prague Spring 1968: Excerpts from The “Action Program” of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, April 10, 1968. (Print version will be clearer than the screen) The Prague Spring 1968: “Two thousand words that belong to workers, farmers, officials, scientists, artists and everybody,” June 27, 1968. (Print version will be clearer than the screen) Video of the “Prague spring”: Czechoslovakian Revolt 1968 Video: “The Unbearable Lightness of Being and the Soviet Invasion of Prague” The Prague Spring 1968: "Pravda Editorial Justifying the Invasion", August 22, 1968. (Print version will be clearer than the screen)
27	Discussion
28	Strategies of Stabilization	Kadar’s “Goulash Communism”: Kadarism - Is it Here to Stay? Video announcing the new “Wartburg 1000″ Video: Building East German Car - Trabant Video: “Wir tragen die blaue Fahne” Vaclav Havel, Open Letters. Read the first half of the essay “Power of the Powerless.”
29	An emerging Culture of Dissident in the Soviet Bloc	“Second Wind,” in Vaclav Havel, Open Letters, pp. 3-9. Video: Plastic People of the Universe (From what song did Havel’s favorite band get its name?) “Declaration of Charter ‘77,” January 1, 1977 Previously secret: Central Intelligence Agency, “Dissident Activity in Eastern Europe: An Overview,” April 1, 1977.
30	Discussion
31	The End of the Cultural Revolution and the Makings of a “New China"	Deng Xiaoping, “The ‘Two-Whatever’ Policy Does Not Accord With Marxism,” May 24, 1977 (excerpts) Deng Xiaoping, “Mao Zedong thought must be correctly understood," Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, July 21, 1977 (excerpt)
32	FILM: “Journey to Russia”
33	Discussion
Losers
34	Two Challenges to Communism in Poland	Holy Mass: Homily of his Holiness John Paul II, June 2, 1979, Warsaw, Poland (look for the potentially incindiary issues in this homily) Two key documents from the early days of the Polish upheaval: “The 21 Demands” (August 31, 1980); and the “Solidarność statute” (November 17, 1980) (English originals). Program of the First Solidarność National Congress (October 7, 1981).
35	Gorbachev’s Revolution of Reform	Mikhail Gorbachev, Report to the Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the CPSU, January 28, 1987. Video: Trabant Crash Test “Z” (Martin Malia), “To the Stalin Museum,” Daedalus, 119, 1 (1990): section IX. “Stories and Totalitarianism,” in Vaclav Havel, Open Letters, pp. 328-50.
36	No discussion session
37	Violence Amidst Reform in China	Deng Xiaoping’s Education Policy Editorial: “It is necessary to take a clear stand against disturbances,” People’s Daily, April 26, 1989. Deng Xiaoping, “Address to officers of the troops enforcing martial law in Beijing,” June 9, 1989. Previously secret: CIA analysis of the speech (declassified, but it’s amusing to see what’s left) Map: Tiananmen Square
38	Gorbachev was not alone	“Z” (Martin Malia), “To the Stalin Museum,” Daedalus, 119, 1 (1990): section X. “Meeting Gorbachev,” in Vaclav Havel, Open Letters, 351-354. Image: Hungarian Border
39	Those who refuse to learn are punished by history	“Testing Ground,” in Vaclav Havel, Open Letters, pp. 373-376. Previously secret: Record of Conversation between Mikhail Gorbachev and the politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of East Germany, October 7, 1989. PDF Previously secret: Conversation between Vadim Medvedev and Kurt Hager in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet union,October 13, 1989. PDF A. James McAdams, Germany Divided: From the Wall to Reunification (Princeton University Press, 1983), ch. 6.
40	Discussion
41	Yet others learn what we don’t want them to learn and somehow survive	An interview with Fidel Castro, “Blaming Stalin for everything would be historical simplism,” June 3, 1992.
42	Concluding Reflections

Cite/attribute Resource. McAdams, A. J. (Mar 26, 2012). Readings. Retrieved May 25, 2013, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/political-science/the-rise-and-fall-of-world-communism/readings/copy2_of_discussion.

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