{"id":8,"date":"2017-08-14T11:40:27","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T15:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2018-03-05T12:19:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T16:19:46","slug":"part-i","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Leninist Alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PART III<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

This section of our course is devoted to the emergence of the Leninist Nation-state.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s something we can all agree upon: \u00a0The communist regimes of the past century frequently \u00a0pursued policies that led to \u00a0the deaths of millions of people. This is a fact. \u00a0Still, we have to ask why these regimes lasted as long as they did.\u00a0 After all, for much of the twentieth century there were as many \u00a0Leninist\u00a0<\/strong>Nation-states<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0in the world as\u00a0Liberal Democratic<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0states. \u00a0The answer to this question is that Leninism<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0represented the preeminent challenge to Liberal Democracy<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>in the modern age.<\/p>\n

My personal confession: Covering this historical period isn’t just a matter of appreciating a now deceased historical tradition. \u00a0As I shall argue in this section, the legacy of\u00a0Leninism\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>helps us to understand the likes of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un today. Even more important,\u00a0this period provides essential clues to understanding why people might support populist and dictatorial ideologies today–and why others might break away from these ideologies. \u00a0In other words, the past is present—and future.<\/p>\n

I have written extensively on this issue. \u00a0\"\"If you like, feel free to read my new book,\u00a0Vanguard of the Revolution<\/em>. \u00a0NOTE: my book is emphatically not<\/em> a required reading in this class.<\/p>\n


\n15. LECTURE: Monday, September 25<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on Karl Marx\u2019s Communist Manifesto and its\u00a0significance for the history of world communism.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Question<\/em>: Why did so many smart people become Marxists<\/em><\/strong>? My argument is that Marxism<\/strong><\/em> shared many of the same foundations as Liberalism,<\/strong><\/em> even though it represented a radical critique of Liberal<\/em><\/strong> thought.<\/strong> \u00a0It is essential to understand Marxism<\/em><\/strong> because it paved the way for a fundamentally different path to the Modern Nation-state<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the contemporary world, it is equally important to ask why any intelligent person would support extremism. \u00a0The problem just won’t go away.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0 Read the\u00a0Manifesto<\/em>\u00a0carefully–at least three times.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Look beyond the details for Marx\u2019s overarching argument.\u00a0 How does this famous essay represent a critique of capitalism?\u00a0 Why would it have been so appealing to many 19th and 20th century thinkers? \u00a0Why might it even be appealing to people caught up in populist politics today, especially to the enthusiasts of Bernie Sanders and, yes, even Donald Trump (but not to the non-populist enthusiasts of Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan). \u00a0Pay close attention to what Marx says about the revolutionary character of the bourgeoisie.<\/p>\n

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, \u00a0The Communist Manifesto<\/em>, sections, 1, 2, and 4.<\/p>\n

Friedrich Engels, \u201cOn the Condition of the Working Class in England\u201d \u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

M. Faraday, July 7, 1855, \u201cThe Filth of the Thames\u201d \u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

John McCain, \u201cSalute to a Communist\u201d \u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

16. LECTURE:\u00a0\u00a0Wednesday, September 27<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on the causes of the Bolshevik revolution and its roots in the unintended consequences of tsars’ imperial ambitions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>:\u00a0 Marx never expected that his revolution would take place in the East.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, he predicted it would not. \u00a0So, how did\u00a0the event\u00a0happen? \u00a0One must consider the setting of the Bolshevik revolution in order to understand why this context was better suited than the industrial world to mass upheaval.<\/p>\n

In considering the Bolshevik revolution, I also mean to address the issue of historical and political change. \u00a0Since people use and overuse the word “revolution” all the time, I want you to think about how we should distinguish between “revolutionary” events and events that are only highly significant. \u00a0In my view, with which some observers would disagree, there haven’t been many revolutions. \u00a0Indeed, I am not totally convinced that the American Revolution was a “revolution.” \u00a0Please feel free to disagree with me.<\/p>\n

You are at an historic moment! \u00a0This year marks the centennial of the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917. A stunning event, the implications of which are still with us today:<\/p>\n

\u201cRussian Revolution of 1917,\u201d\u00a0New World Encyclopedia\u00a0<\/em>READ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russian Revolution,\u201d DocumentaryTube.com (1:33.54) \u00a0WATCH<\/a>\u00a0 (Watch as much of this film as you can. \u00a0It’s fascinating and full of terrific footage)<\/p>\n


\n17. DISCUSSION SECTION:\u00a0 Friday, September 29<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/em>: \u00a0The\u00a0Communist Manifesto<\/em>\u00a0was once banned across the United States (along with other classic works, such as\u00a0Catcher in the Rye, The Canterbury Tales<\/em>, and\u00a0Ulysses<\/em>).\u00a0 Now you can read it and try to figure out what all the fuss was about.\u00a0 In some ways, Marx\u2019s thinking was consonant with Liberal<\/strong><\/em> values.\u00a0 But at the same time, he came to radically different conclusions about how Liberalism<\/strong><\/em>\u2019s leading principles could be realized. \u00a0How can both of these claims be true?\u00a0 Keep in mind that Marxism<\/strong><\/em> did not come from nowhere, at least not initially.\u00a0 It had the same historical roots as Liberalism<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0If you had been alive in 1848, what is the single-most important point in the\u00a0Communist Manifesto<\/em>\u00a0that would have made you decide to become a communist\u2014and why? \u00a0One paragraph.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

18. LECTURE:\u00a0 Monday, October 2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on Vladimir Ilyich Lenin\u2019s transformation of elementary Marxism<\/strong> into a new political identity: Leninism<\/strong> (originally known as Bolshevism).<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: Leninism<\/strong><\/em> had more to do with defining Marxism<\/em><\/strong> than the other way around. \u00a0\u00a0Lenin was a mediocre philosopher but a great revolutionary.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew instinctively how to apply a western recipe for radical change to a backward country.\u00a0 For this reason, one\u00a0could argue that \u201cMarx was\u00a0<\/a>archaeopteryx\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0and Lenin was a bird.\u201d \u00a0See HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0 The best way to understand the full implications of Leninism<\/strong><\/em> is to see how it was implemented at the height of the Soviet revolution under Josef Stalin. \u00a0To this end, I am asking you to read the Man<\/span> himself.<\/p>\n

Selections from Josef Stalin,\u00a0\u00a0Foundations of\u00a0<\/em>Leninism. \u00a0<\/em>PRINT AND READ<\/a>\u00a0Section 4 (\u201cDictatorship of the Proletariat\u201d) and Section 8 \u00a0(\u201cThe Party\u201d)<\/p>\n

Watch Pete Seeger sing the \u00a0The Internationale<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 I sang it to my tour guides when I was in Pyongyang, North Korea and it drove them crazy.\u00a0\u00a0How could they prevent me from paying tribute to one of their ideological forebears!\u00a0 Yet the entire time I was in North Korea, I only saw one picture of Marx and Lenin.<\/p>\n

More versions of the International:<\/p>\n

The classic Soviet version WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, from the movie ‘Reds’ starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton: \u00a0\u00a0WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, Chinese pop version WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, Bill Murray’s puppet sings: WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, Rage Against the Machine: WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, listen to “Occupy Wall Street” protesters sing the Internationale WATCH\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0(I’m not sure how so many knew the song)<\/p>\n


\n19. LECTURE: \u00a0Wednesday, October 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on the transmogrification of Leninist<\/strong>\u00a0utopia into Stalinist<\/strong> terror.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: Stalin\u2019s regime of terror was intrinsically, if not inevitably, rooted in the goals and institutions of Leninism<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0Leninism<\/em><\/strong> also degenerated into horrific violence in other countries, especially China. But as I will suggest in a coming lecture, it had different roots due to the fact that not all communists followed the same path to power.<\/p>\n

Assignments<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201cPurges and Hysteria in the Soviet Union\u201d:\u00a0READ<\/a>\u00a0 (all six pages)<\/p>\n

Ode\u00a0to Stalin:\u00a0\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

20. DISCUSSION SECTION: \u00a0Friday, October 6<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paragraph assignment<\/em>: \u00a0\u201cWas\u00a0Marx an\u00a0archaeopteryx\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0and Lenin his bird?\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/em>: \u00a0You have been assigned to start a revolution\u2013a real one!\u2013at Notre Dame. \u00a0Based upon your reading of the chapters from Stalin\u2019s\u00a0Foundations of Leninism<\/em>, please exuberantly and passionately discuss the following two questions: \u00a01) what would Lenin (and Stalin) advise you to do to foment this revolution? and 2) what kinds of problems would arise once you have this revolution going?<\/p>\n

To put the question more generally: Are all true revolutions inevitably destined to spiral into violence?<\/p>\n


\n21. LECTURE:\u00a0\u00a0Monday, October 9<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Reflections on the Leninist\u00a0<\/strong>challenge to Liberal Democracy<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: Leninism\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>was initially a credible challenge to Liberal Democracy<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0Its lasting appeal was reinforced by a variety of factors. \u00a0In the 1980s, I had the rather unusual experience of living in East Germany. I\u2019ll attempt to give you a sense for these factors by sharing some of my experiences in the years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0 In the 1980s, all of the experts, including yours truly, were skeptical about the idea that people living under communism could rise up spontaneously against their leaders.\u00a0 Yet in the late 1970s, dissidents like the physicist Adrei Sakharov and the playwright Vaclav Havel, were already thing in about why such events might occur.<\/p>\n

Havel’s essay is not only about life in Czechoslovakia. \u00a0It is about what it means to “live within the truth” in any social, including the US. \u00a0This is a big theme in\u00a0Fahrenheit 451<\/em>. \u00a0The dispute over the meaning of “truth” and its implications for our behavior is also central to the crisis of American democracy today.<\/p>\n

V\u00e1clav Havel, \u201cPower of the Powerless,\u201d in\u00a0Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965-1990<\/em>, sections I-VI.<\/p>\n

The \u201cPower of the Powerless\u201d is challenging reading. I am honored that you will take up this challenge.<\/p>\n

For background, see my comments on\u00a0Charter 77<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0as well as a short article on\u00a0Havel\u2019s life<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

22. IN-CLASS FILM:\u00a0 Wednesday, October 11<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Film II<\/em>: \u201cA Journey to Russia \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This film chronicles the experiences of an American debate team as its members travel around the Soviet Union in 1983, two years before Mikhail Gorbachev came to power.<\/p>\n

Do not be late for class.\u00a0 We will start promptly at 9:30.<\/p>\n

Reflect<\/em>:\u00a0 Why would Stalin still be popular in Russia?\u00a0\u00a0VIEW<\/a><\/p>\n

Stalin returns:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

23. \u00a0DISCUSSION SECTION: \u00a0Friday, October 13 \u00a0 \u00a0 Your TAs are setting up different dates for this discussion section. \u00a0Please make sure you know when and where you should go.
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Discussion<\/em>:\u00a0 Discuss the first half of \u201cPower of the Powerless.\u201d\u00a0 Why is the green grocer so important to Havel\u2019s argument?\u00a0 Would you have acted differently than the green grocer if you had lived in a Leninist\u00a0<\/i><\/b>state?\u00a0 What kinds of events would be required to the green grocer to rebellion (or perhaps you, too)?<\/p>\n

Paragraph Assignment<\/em>: \u00a0To what extent, if at all, do we “live within a lie” in the United States”?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MID-TERM BREAK: \u00a0October 14-22<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

24.\u00a0Monday, October 23<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on the sudden and total collapse of the Leninist\u00a0<\/i><\/b>nation-state.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>:\u00a0 No one predicted this development (in the serious sense of\u00a0 the word \u201cprediction\u201d).\u00a0 Moreover, Leninism<\/i><\/b>\u00a0was not destined to collapse when it did.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>: \u00a0Reflect upon\u00a0Gorbachev and the fall of the Leninist <\/i><\/b><\/em>nation-State<\/p>\n

Read about Gorbachev and the\u00a0concept of Leninist<\/i><\/b><\/em> reform\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Finish Reading V\u00e1clav Havel, \u201cPower of the Powerless,\u201d in\u00a0Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965-1990<\/em>, remaining sections.<\/p>\n

Realistically speaking, could Leninist<\/i><\/b><\/em> have been reformed in the way Gorbachev hoped?\u00a0\u00a0 How compatible were his two primary reform concepts (below)\u00a0with the Leninist<\/i><\/b><\/em> political identity we have reviewed up to now?<\/p>\n

On Perestroika \u00a0READ<\/a>
\nOn Glasnost\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Implications: \u00a0What lessons can we learn from the communist experience about dictatorial collapse? Is it enough to present people with FACTS about a dictatorship’s failure?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

25.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0LECTURE: \u00a0Wednesday, October 25\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on the fuzzy transition to post-communism in the 1990s and then the advance of populist hysteria in the 2010s.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: The big surprise was not only that Leninism<\/i><\/b><\/em>\u00a0fell between 1989 and 1991. In many cases, it began the gradual progression to something resembling Liberal Democracy.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Yet the question today is quite different: \u00a0Will viable democracy survive in any meaningful sense?<\/p>\n

Signs of life after dictatorship! \u00a0Gorbachev sings\u00a0LISTEN<\/a><\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin plays piano and sings WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Assignments<\/em>:<\/p>\n

What is new, what has changed after the revolutions of 1989-1991?<\/p>\n

Lilia Shevtsova, \u201cForward to the Past\u201d\u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Vladimir Tismaneanu, \u201cThe Legacies of 1989: \u00a0The Moving Ruins\u201d\u00a0Journal of Democracy<\/em>, January 2014 See JSTOR at Hesburgh Library e-Journals \u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Julia Ioffe, “Why many young Russians see a hero in Putin” PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Once you have read these articles, reflect upon\u00a0alternative\u00a0models for this transition:\u00a0 \u00a0mass extinction<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0archaeopteryx.\u00a0\u00a0What would the adoption of one or the other of these\u00a0images tell you about political change?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

26. \u00a0DISCUSSION SECTION: \u00a0Friday, October 27<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Discussion<\/em>:\u00a0 Finish your discussion of Havel by asking what makes the green grocer revolt.\u00a0 Is Havel\u2019s analysis persuasive?\u00a0 Or when we are dealing with\u00a0oppressive dictatorships, is it just wishful thinking to expect that the weak will rise up against the strong?<\/p>\n

Paragraph Assignment<\/em>: \u00a0Identify one example of “living within a lie” in the United States today and specify what would be required to overcome it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your\u00a0Second Reflective Essay Question<\/strong>\u00a0is HERE. You have until Friday, November 3 to respond (more than a week!).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART III This section of our course is devoted to the emergence of the Leninist Nation-state. Here\u2019s something we can all agree upon: \u00a0The communist regimes of the past century frequently \u00a0pursued policies that led to \u00a0the deaths of millions of people. This is a fact. \u00a0Still, we have to ask why these regimes lasted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":652,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions\/652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}