HIST 4733

Paper Topic
Due date: Friday, Aug. 1.
Write a double-spaced, 6-7 pp. paper on the following topic:
During the 1930s, Stalins Revolution from Above transformed Soviet politics, society, and culture at great cost.
Lydia Chukovskaya, Sofia Petrovna, and John Scott, Behind the Urals, provide differing takes on what life was like
during this decade. Is it possible to reconcile these takes? What do these sources reveal about everyday life during
the industrialization drive and the Great Purges? How did ordinary Russians understand what was happening? Were
they beneficiaries or victims? Or both? How did the purge atmosphere affect the workplace and the private sphere
e.g., home and family life? Is it possible to think in terms of everyday life? Or were the times so unusual that it
isnt? In addition to the above sources, be sure to refer also to Peter Kenezs textbook for historical and interpretive
context.
Grading criteria:
Your essay must be in the form of an argument, with a thesis statement (usually at the end of the introductory
paragraph). The body of your paper (in which you are providing a proof for your thesis) should be organized in
clearly written, focused paragraphs. A concluding paragraph will summarize your argument and restate your thesis.
When necessary, refer to the text(s) involved and buttress your points with the use of direct quotations. For correct
citation form (only endnotes or footnotes are acceptable), visit the CU history department home page and
follow the Paper Guidelines link to the Referencing Guidelines link. Include a bibliography. Your paper
will be graded on how well it responds to the essay question, how effectively it is written (e.g., grammatically
correct, organization, clarity of language, etc.), and how well it utilizes course materials.
Pay attention in particular to the following guidelines:
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Familiarity with textthe student must demonstrate that s/he knows the texts well;
this includes not leaving out any vital information that might change/contradict the
thesis.
Defensible thesis. Theses that are too vague or simply not stated clearly or at all will
be downgraded. Papers that get sidetracked and fail to consistently focus on the
thesis, or contradict it, will also suffer.
Organization. Problems here include (a) first paragraph filler, where the student
waffles and tells the story of the author, describes the details of the story, etc.,
instead of introducing the thesis and argument; and (b) organization which follows
presentation of the storyline (or summarization of historical events) instead of the line
of argument.
Evidence. Include citations (footnotes or endnotes, only). Do not summarize events
unless absolutely necessary. Assume that your audience (me) has read the text.
Proceed straight to the argument.
Grammar. It is a truism that poor grammar has a negative impact on the
effectiveness of writing, and hence on the essay as a whole (and, therefore, its grade).
Avoid misspellings (especially of authors, characters, events, personages) and write in
complete sentences. Pay attention to tense and number agreement. Proofread!