Ch 9: Communism

1. Discuss the basic tenets of Marxism. Be sure to discuss historical materialism, feudalism, captialsm and proletariat.
2. Evaluate the thesis about "the graying of communism" to account for the collapse of most communist states. Be sure to explain the "thumbs" versus "fingers" analogy.
3. Many argue Communism can never work. Explain their argument. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Ch. 10 Russia

1. According to Marx, would Russia have been the logical first communist country?
2. How did Stalin "force" Russia to industrialize? What does the text mean when it argues that "Stalin's economic and foreign policies made some sense"?
3. Describe the state created by the communist elite and Joseph Stalin to industrialize Russia and analyze the degrees to which such a state matched Marxist ideology.
4. Discuss Khrushchev's reforms. Discuss the shape of the Soviet economy by the time Brezhnev took over in 1964 (look at the "thumbs and fingers" question in chapter 9.
5. Discuss the economic conditions in Russia by the time Gorbachev took power. Explain his attempts at reform (glasnost and perestroika).  Why didn't they succede?
6. Discuss Yeltsin's privatization of the Russian economy. What went wrong? What did the video mean when it referred to privatization as 'wealth confiscation' rather than 'wealth creation?'
7. Discuss the role of the President, the Prime Minister, the Oligarchs and the Duma in Russian politics.
8. Many argue that Russians tend to value security more than freedom and fear disorder more than tyranny.  Do you agree with that assessment of Russian political culture?  How does the reaction to the September 1999 Moscow bombings reflect this? Can Russian history and geography help explain this sense of insecurity?
9. Compare the effect of the 1999 bombings in Moscow to the effect of the 9/11 attacks on the US. How did Putin and Bush use the heightened sense of fear after the attacks?

Chapter 11: China: Ch. 11 & Videos: The Dragon Ascends; Not One Less; Path of Chinese Privatization(?)

1. Discuss extraterritoriality and the Opium War. 
2. Discuss Mao’s approach to Marxism. Explain what Hauss means when he argues that "the CCP took China even further from orthodox Marxist expectations than the Soviets did" (p272?). 
3. What is the legacy of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ and the ‘Cultural Revolution?’
4. Discuss China's reforms of the last 25 years (agricultural, private enterprise and foreign investment).
5. Discuss the problems facing China's State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).  Be sure to give examples from the films. 
6. De Tocqueville argues that “a repressive regime is in greatest danger when it begins to reform itself.”  How does your understanding of China and the Soviet Union reflect this?
7. Compare the reforms of Russia and China.  Discuss the successes of each with regard to democratic and economic reform. Which model of reform would you recommend if you were a communist reformer?
8. (From Not One Less -- only if we watch the film) : Contrast income and poverty in rural and urban China.
9. With regards to domestic investment, what is significant about Russia liberalizing its capital market versus China's state-owned banks restricting capital flows?

Developing Countries: Ch 12 & readings on reserve: Chua, Amy.  World on Fire (pp 7-14 & 53-60);    Palast, Greg.  The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (pp 311-315; 176-182; 192-204). 

1. What is the "debt crisis?"  According to the "Economic Hit Man" and "Life & Debt" clips, how has the west manipulated 3rd world debt?
2. Discuss the legacy of imperialism and colonialism. Specifically, discuss how it exacerbated the problem of identity.
3. Explain the approach of the IMF and World Bank on development.
4. Listen to this report on the World Bank and oil, gas & mining projects. According to the article, how effective are oil, gas and mining projects at alleviating poverty?
5. Discuss the effecitiveness of microcredit and the Grameen Bank.
6. Differentiate between Modernization Theory and Dependency Theory. Which approach does Hauss favor? Contrast that to Palast's views (in general, but also specifically discuss Chile).
7. According to Chua, what are the positive and negative affects of globalization/privatization in Bolivia?
8. Discuss the problems of water privatization.   What role should a government play in regulating/controlling its water supply?

Religion & Politics: Ch.14; Middle East Minilecture; Videos: Zion's Christian Soldiers; Manji & Frontline: Muslims

1. Outline the origins and development of Iraq as an independent nation state.
2. Describe the ethnic and cultural cleavages that separate Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis.
3. According to Manji, what is the trouble with Islam?
4. Compare the role of Islam in Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. Compare the role of Islam in Muslim countries to Christianity in the West.
5. Discuss the rise of Arab, Palestinian and Jewish nationalism, including Israel's Law of Return.  Should states be drawn along ethnic and/or national lines?
6. Compare Christian, Jewish and Muslim fundamentalists.  Do you think a religious state can be democratic?
   

1. List some of the laws that underpinned the apartheid system.  Pay specific attention to the ones that were repealed in the early 1990s (p.585).  In what way are South Africa's problems today legacies of apartheid?
2. Discuss South Africa’s approach to reconciliation ( be sure to listen to this NPR article and watch the film on reconciliation). In what way has it been a success?  What are the criticisms of this approach, according to the NPR article?
3. Read this article on Uganda's reconciliation efforts. Compare South Africa's approach to reconciliation to that of Chile and Uganda. Which approach to dealing with past wrongs is the best?
4. Read this BBC article on the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid (also listen to this article).  List two accomplishments and two problems facing South Africa today.
   

Take Home Final Exam Essay (30 points; about 2 typed pages)
 Write one of the following (due when you come in for the final).
Be sure to give examples!!!!

1. Discuss the problems of development. Differentiate between Modernization Theory and Dependency Theory. Discuss Palast's and Chua's views on economic development. Be sure to discuss cases such as Chile and Bolivia as well as Hauss' structural adjustment argument. Based on what you've learned, what economic advice would you give to less-developed countries?

2. Read this article on Uganda's reconciliation efforts. Compare South Africa's approach to reconciliation to that of Chile and Uganda. Which approach to dealing with past wrongs is the best?  Be sure to explain each approach and give examples from the films and readings.  

Compare the reforms of Russia (and the USSR) and China. Compare the approaches to reform in both countries. Discuss the successes of each with regard to democratic and economic reform. De Tocqueville argues that “a repressive regime is in greatest danger when it begins to reform itself.” How does your understanding of China and Russia reflect this?