Russia+and+the+USSR+assessment+tasks

= Russia and the USSR assessment tasks =

The assessment component of this part of the course will consist of the following tasks:
 * A research task on Leon Trotsky, to be done at home but assessed in class on Monday May 30th. It is worth 15 percent of the assessment total.
 * An oral presentation, in the form of a one-on-one interview with me. It is to be done in the final two weeks of term and the first week of the holidays, and is worth 15 percent of the assessment total.

Assessment task
Click on for a copy of the handout on the first assessment task on Russia and the USSR. In this test you will have to assess Trotsky's career - as a politician, as a military leader and as a revolutionary. As you will discover, he is one of the most controversial characters in the 20th century (one of the reasons why we are studying him). His great enemy, Stalin, hounded him relentlessly, blackening his name at home and abroad, and eventually having him murdered him in Mexico City in 1940. Trotsky's supporters, on the other hand, defended him even when he deserved to be criticised. Their version of events is largely based on Trotsky's own autobiography, //My Life//. It took decades before historians could get beyond these opposing views, and assess Trotsky's career more objectively. This is what you are being asked to do in this task.

**Readings**

The following internet sites may be useful for the research assignment:
 * A good place to start is always [|Wikipedia,]through it is not regarded as a fully reliable source. For the purposes of this assignment, you can assume the contents of the Trotsky link are accurate.
 * A short biography of [|Trotsky.]
 * A biography of Trotsky on [|Encarta] (a web-based encylcopedia). This is very good.

The following books and internet sites are sympathetic to Trotsky:
 * David North is a historian who particularly admires Trotsky. A review of his book //In Defense of Trotsky// can be found by clicking on []
 * Trotsky.net contains articles by supporters of Trotsky and his ideas. It will give you a positive slant on Trotsky's life and career.
 * An article from the journal [|Socialism today] praises Trotsky, as one would expect from a Trotskyist publication.
 * In the 1950s, the Marxist historian Isaac Deutscher wrote a series of books which were sympathetic to Trotsky. This was at a time when most Marxists supported Stalin's version of history. The two books relevant to the assignment are //The Prophet Armed: Trotsky 1879-1921// and //The Prophet Unarmed: Trotsky 1921-1929//. (The final part of the series is titled //The Prophet Outcast: Trotsky 1929-1940//.) A summary of Deutcher's interpretation of Trotsky can be found by clicking on [|Deutscher's view of Trotsky]. It is relatively short, and well worth reading.
 * A summary of Tony Cliff's book Trotsky: Towards October, 1879-1917 can be found by clicking on [|Tony Cliff's view of Trotsky].
 * If you want some extra detail, try Trotsky's autobiography, [|My Life]. It is brilliantly written and very entertaining. It will give you a good insight into just how clever Trotsky was. As you'll see, he was a brilliant writer. Little wonder then that he was nicknamed 'The Pen'. You should, however, be wary of the book as a historical source. Like any politician, Trotsky did his best to cover up his mistakes - particularly his role in crushing the Kronstadt Rebellion. I would recommend you read chapter 34 ("The Train"), which covers Trotsky's adventures during the Civil War. For sheer entertainment, try reading the chapter 3, on his school days. His descriptions of some of his teachers are hilarious. Thank god education isn't like that today.

The following books and internet sites are critical of Trotsky.
 * Robert Service is one of Trotsky's most strident critics.A review of his book //Trotsky// can be found by clicking on []
 * Michael Lynch's book //Trotsky: The Permanent Revolutionary,// Hodder & Stoughton, 1995, is one of the best-known critiques of Trotsky's politics and personality. You would have to go to a university library to find this. While there, you could also look for Lynch's article "Trotsky: Angel of Enlightenment or Frustrated Dictator", in //History Review//, published in 1999.
 * The following article by Clive James attacks Trotsky as little better than Stalin: [|Leon Trotsky: he was a mass murderer, not a true champion of the working class]
 * A critique of Trotsky's autobiography, //My Life,// can be found by going to Google and typing in 'Ian D. Thatcher'. Click on the link to his book //Trotsky//. (The URL is too long for me to transcribe.)

Finally, if you want a balanced account of Trotsky, try Ian D. Thatcher's book //Trotsky.// A review of it by Johnathan Smele can be found by clicking on []

Enjoy your reading.

Stalin assessment task

 * You must submit an assignment on one of three topics listed in the assessment sheet.
 * Click on Stalin assignment - 2016 for a copy of the assessment task.
 * The assignment is due no later than July 11th.
 * Please email me the completed assignment at ken.enderby@tafensw.edu.au

Makeup task
If you plan to do the make-up assessment task, please click on. This task must be completed by July 11th.