Study Questions on R. G. Suny, The Structure of Soviet History: Essays and Documents (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), Introduction.
Based upon Suny's intro, how have historians and others "used" the collapse of the USSR to support political/ideological positions?
What overall questions does Suny say he will pose in this volume?
How does he categorize basic "schools" of thinking about early Soviet history?
Explain his metaphoric description of Stalinism as a cancer.
How does he explain the basic difference between the "social historians'" view of 1917 and earlier interpretations of the Revolution?
How does he explain the difference between "social historians'" view of Stalinism and the "consensus" view dominant during the cold war?
How does he explain the two basic schools of thought explaining the collapse of the USSR?
How does Suny define History, and does he think that History can be objective and value-free? Explain.