Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Commons^™

War, Remembrance, And Katýn:
How Public Memory Sites Affirm National Identity, Adele Partington

History and Political Science | Senior Theses

The nation of Poland had a well-established national identity based on its culture, religion, language, and history prior to its occupation by the USSR, but this identity was suppressed in the sixty years of Soviet control from 1939 to 1989. After achieving their independence, Poles reexamined their history and identity, in addition to choosing which aspects of Soviet history and identity to keep or do away with. This thesis examines the relationship between public memory sites in or about Poland and the affirmation of the Polish national identity after Polish independence from the Soviet Union in 1989. Building on the …

Emerging From Behind The Curtain: A Comparative Analysis Of Polish And Czech Reforms Based On Quality Of Life Improvements, Summer Ellis

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the economic reforms undertaken by Poland and the Czech Republic during the 1990s transition period. It seeks to ultimately differentiate reform quality between the Czech Republic and Poland in terms of well-being. The basis of reform success is determined using a quality of life scale that spans economic, health, and environmental indicators. Reform quality is then assessed based on improvements in well-being, instead of high-level economic metrics that often evaluate in a manner that fails to capture individual citizen sentiment. From this point, it is possible to determine which transitioning country underwent the most optimal reform process …

Russian Chemical And Biological Weapons: Limiting The Effects Of Russian Cbw Programs On Nato Security Through 2035, Jason Gregory Porter

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis uses qualitative research methods to: (1) assess the extent and capabilities of Russia’s modern chemical and biological weapons programs, (2) assess Russian compliance with arms control agreements, (3) determine the threats Russian chemical and biological weapons pose to NATO security, (4) assess NATO’s existing strategy against the modern chemical and biological threat, and (5) provide recommendations for U.S. and NATO policies and programs to mitigate the threat of these programs in the short and medium term. This project demonstrates that Russian chemical and biological weapons programs have remained consistently in violation of international arms control agreements since the …

Religious Symbolism In Rhetoric Of Right Populist Parties, Serhii Kostiuchkov, Dmytro Garaschuk, Viacheslav Serhieiev, Kateryna Volkova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article explores the use of religious symbolism in the populist rhetoric of Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party and Hungary's Fidesz party. Both parties leverage historical and cultural narratives emphasizing Christianity's role in their national identities to legitimize their political agendas and mobilize support. The study examines how these populist leaders incorporate religious imagery and language to create a moral dichotomy between the “righteous people” and the “corrupt elite,” thereby deepening societal divisions and undermining democratic governance. In Poland, the PiS party's close alignment with the Catholic Church reinforces its nationalist and anti-EU stance, while in Hungary, Fidesz employs …

Use Of The Council Of Religious Cults By The Totalitarian Regime To Fight Against Protestant Communities In Ukraine, Oksana Vysoven, Olga Shkolna, Alina Zadorozhnya, Yuriy Figurnyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the use of the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults in the fight against Protestant communities in Ukraine by the totalitarian government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the 1940s, the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults, created by the order of J. Stalin, directed all of its activities to the unification of Protestant communities and their comprehensive subordination to the totalitarian government. In the 1950s and 1960s the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults continued to successfully perform the registration, control, punitive, and repressive functions towards Protestant communities in Ukraine and …

(Non)Synagogues In Slovakia, Peter Salner

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper uses archival and ethnological research to analyze the fates of former synagogues during two totalitarian regimes in present-day Slovakia. The processes described here were catalyzed by the Holocaust. Between 1938 and 1945, over 100,000 Jews from Slovakia were murdered. Out of the 228 Jewish religious communities (JRCs) active before the war, only 79 were reconstituted after liberation. Most were later disbanded because of aliyah to Palestine/Israel. Their abandoned synagogues passed into the administration of the newly founded Central Union of Jewish Religious Communities (CUJRC). During the Communist era (1948-1989), the majority of these synagogues were sold because the …

Rabbi Mordukh Krol: “Little Man” In The Background Of The Soviet Epoch, Tetiana Savchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the life path of Rabbi Mordukh Krol in the background of the socio-political transformations in Soviet Ukraine (1920-1940s). For the first time, special sources are introduced into the scholarly circulation such as the Rabbi’s correspondences addressed to the Jews of Denmark, Germany, France, the USA, the USSR, Palestine, and Africa during the Holodomor. Major milestones of the Rabbi’s life are identified. He served in the Chernihiv and Melitopol Region, in Voroshylovhrad, Novoukrayinka of Odessa, and later Kirovohrad regions, in Dnipropetrovsk. Rabbi M. Krol, who was the father of many children, was forced to fight with the challenges …

“Under The Influence Of Soviet Reality”: The Life And Work Of The Kgb Agent “Goroshko” (Chief Bishop Of The Pentecostals Of The Ussr Gavril Ponurko), Oleksandr Korotaiev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article attempts to describe, based on top secret OGPU-KGB materials, the life and work of a KGB agent, a major Pentecostal authority, chairman, and later Chief Bishop, of the All-Ukrainian (in fact, of the all-USSR) Council of Christians of the Evangelical faith, aka Pentecostals (AUCCEF), Gavril Gavrilovich Ponurko (1889–1978). The article presents interesting, previously unknown, facts from the life of Gavril Ponurko, describes his life milestones and the reasons that led Ponurko to cooperate with the special services. The article also cites the dogmatic teaching of Pentecostals in relation to the Soviet and Nazi authorities, approved by them in …

Persecution Of Clerics In Shida Kartli During The First Years Of Soviet Occupation, Giorgi Sosiashvili Prof. Dr., Aleksandre Mgebrishvili Prof. Dr.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the profound impact of Bolshevik repression on Georgian society following the establishment of the Soviet regime in 1921, focusing particularly on the Orthodox Church and other religious communities. The Bolshevik government implemented a series of oppressive measures, including the closure of over a thousand churches and the systematic persecution of clergy, drastically reducing their numbers from thousands to just a few dozen. Key documents, such as Decree #22, exemplify the state’s efforts to strip the Church of legal rights and property, thereby eradicating its influence. The article highlights the formation of the "Union of the Godless," a …

Research In A Closed Political Context, Covid, And Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, And Ideas, Darzhan Kazbekova, Rebecca Schewe

Center for Policy Design and Governance

The brief summarizes "Research in a Closed Political Context, COVID, and Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, and Ideas," co-authored by Darzhan Kazbekova and Rebecca Schewe in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

Behind Russia’S Invasion Of Ukraine: The Clash Of Different Mode Of Capitalism, Nandito Oktaviano, Agussalim Burhanuddin

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This research aims to analyse Russian foreign policy toward Ukraine from 2014 to 2022. It uses a dual logical plural approach from Marxist IR Theory. This approach greatly emphasises the importance of two systemic logics, namely capitalism and geopolitics. Since this approach is used in the realm of foreign policy analysis, contextualisation of the level analysis is needed. In this case, the dual logical plural approach proposes a distinctive description of these levels of analysis. International condition refers to the imperialism of the present world order, domestic factor refers to the development of state capitalism, and actors refer to the …

Constructions Of Greatness In Foreign Policy: Neo-Ottomanism In Türki̇ye And Eurasianism In Russia, Jonathan Jordan, Salwa Azzahra

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

Geopolitical changes in the second decade of the 21st century have shifted the centre of international political power. Non-Western political power centres emerged and increased influence as the unipolar world transformed into a multipolar one. In contrast to the Cold War era, where ideology was the main instrument in dealing with Western influence, some contemporary geopolitical power centres carry the perception of historical glory as an important factor in their foreign policy, as demonstrated by Turkey under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with its neo-Ottomanism and Russia under Vladimir Putin with Eurasianism. By using discourse analysis methods on data …

“Comrade Woman” In 21st-Century Serbia: (Dis)Continuities Of Yugoslav Feminism In Post-Yugoslav, Post-War Serbian Feminism, Heyu Yuan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forty-five years have passed since 1978, when the first feminist conference in the Eastern Bloc – Drug-ca žena – žensko pitanje: novi pristup? (Comrade Woman – The Woman’s Question: A New Approach?) – took place in Belgrade in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). After the violent breakup of the SFRY, what, if anything, is left of the legacies of Yugoslav feminism in today’s Serbia? To answer this question, this research examines the Serbian feminist scenes across time through literature and five semi-structured interviews. It concludes that although the Serbian feminist movement has become significantly different from the Yugoslav …

Religion And Atheism In Everyday Day Life Of The Ukrainian Educators In The 1920s-1930s, Oleksandr Lukyanenko, Vitaly Dmytrenko, Vita Dmytrenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article illustrates the process of formation of the atheist worldview of Soviet citizens under the pressure of Bolshevik propaganda in the context of student-teaching communities of higher educational institutions of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The study shows two poles of the life of teachers: the limit of involvement in the work in the societies of militant God-fighters and the marginal position of the believers with all the resulting negative consequences for the personality, which the atheistic totalitarian state tried to create for a person. Along with highlighting the state-wide patterns of the anti-religious struggle in the Ukrainian socialist …

"The Opium Of The People" - The Effects Of Soviet State Atheism On The Muslims Of Central Asia, Joshua Hughes

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the Soviet Union’s approach to Islam in the Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan and the effects that these policies have had on believers following the collapse of the Soviet Union. As the first nation to adopt atheism as official policy, the Soviet Party-state employed many tactics to suppress Islam in the region through violence, propaganda, and strict control. Relying on existing literature written on the topic, I begin by offering a historical analysis of the attacks on Islam in the 1920s and 1930s. In an attempt to expand the scope of English-language …

Distortion Of Religious History In The Concept Of "Russian World", Oleksandr Lukyanenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article continues the series of research illustrating the formation of the idea of the “Russian world” in the religious discourse of Orthodox Russia. The main attention is paid to the ideological stamps used by the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill while preaching and giving public speeches. The study summarizes the idea of the monolithic “Holy Rus” with Moscow as a core-city developed to support Vladimir Putin’s annexationist geopolitical policy. The paper cites examples of falsification of historical facts in religious and political spheres applied with the intention to form a strong propaganda background in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. …

Audible Futures: Scenes Of Sonic Encounter In Cold War Kurdistan, 1923–2023, Nicholas S. Glastonbury

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines a century of cultural politics in Kurdistan, from 1923 to 2023, and it does so from a relatively marginal vantage point in most histories of Kurdistan: that of the Soviet Caucasus. It takes as its primary object the cultural and political itineraries of sonic media and listening in Kurdistan, from Soviet Kurdish radio broadcasting and pirated cassettes to postsocialist archives, DJ booths, and streaming music. These itineraries map not only the emergence and circulation of Kurdish notions of tradition, heritage, and cultural memory, but also the methods of counterinsurgency deployed by the states that occupy Kurdistan. In …

Models Of Social Activity Of Protestant Churches In The Context Of Russia's Military Aggression Against Ukraine, Ihor Lutsan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The main focus of our research intention is to outline constructive models of social activity of religious communities in the context of Russia-Ukraine war. The subject of the study is the Protestant denominations of Ukraine and their socially relevant activities, which today, having acquired a multi-vector orientation, are most clearly expressed and most noticeable in such forms: missionary work, charity, volunteer movement, in particular, assistance to the army; organizing and providing social services to individuals and groups in need of assistance to ensure their holistic development, and thus providing spiritually oriented social and psychological rehabilitation of military personnel, demobilized combatants …

Review: Oliver Jens Schmitt, Biserica De Stat Sau Biserică În Stat? O Istorie A Bisericii Ortodoxe Române, Editura Humanitas, București, 2023, Csaba Szabó

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Oliver Jens Schmitt, Biserica de stat sau biserică în stat? O istorie a Bisericii Ortodoxe Române, Editura Humanitas, București, 2023. 457pp.

ISBN: 978-973-50-7919-2

Wcc's Statements On The War In Ukraine, Julia Matikainen

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article analyzes the Business Plenary Session 6 and the statement on the war in Ukraine related to the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Karlsruhe, Germany, in August / September 2022. The theme of the assembly was "The Love of Christ Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity." In the video and statement, the WCC takes a stance on the war in Ukraine. In my own article, I have examined the video and statement considering the course material and historical perspectives. I have sought to identify possible strengths and weaknesses in the video and …

The Post-Expansionist Personality Profile Of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aubrey Immelman, Abby Goff

Psychology Faculty Publications

This report presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality and leadership style of Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data about Putin were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles …

Military Conflict In Ukraine: Personality Profiles Of The Principals – Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, And Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Aubrey Immelman, Christ’L De Landtsheer, Elise Vomacka, Abby Goff

Psychology Faculty Publications

Panel Summary

“Military Conflict in Ukraine: Personality Profiles of the Principals – Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy” was a panel presentation at the 46th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology in Montréal, Québec, Canada, July 9–11, 2023.

Following an overview of the conceptual and methodological framework that informed their personality-in-politics inquiry, panelists presented the personality profiles of three national leaders central to the current military conflict in Ukraine: Russian president Vladimir Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Presentation 1

“Psychodiagnostic Meta-Analysis: A Psychodiagnostically Relevant Conceptualization and Methodology for Assessing Personality …

The Personality Profile And Leadership Style Of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Elise Vomacka, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This report presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data about Zelenskyy were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles manuals. Zelenskyy’s primary personality patterns were …

Why Democracies And Autocracies Go To War: Comparing The Cases Of Iraq And Ukraine, Ketevan Chincharadze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

History shows that both democratic and nondemocratic countries wage wars to advance their strategic interests. This study has comparatively analyzed two conflicts – the 2003-2011 U.S. invasion of Iraq and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine – to identify the trends that motivate both democratic and autocratic leaders to behave similarly by launching an invasion. The interpretive research of various memoirs, books, interviews, academic articles, news reports, and speeches, has uncovered that personal biases, particularly confirmation biases, play a significant role in motivating leaders to start a war. Leaders’ confirmation biases are often shaped by three prominent factors – historical memory, …

Minority Language Education In Russia: An Example Of Social And Cultural Reproduction And Correspondence Theories, Nadezhda Braun

Russian Language Journal

Russia is an incredibly diverse country, both linguistically and ethnically. However, Russia is often presented, and presents itself, as a monolith. Russia’s approach to minority language teaching further perpetuates this monolithic view by creating a hierarchical language structure with Russian at the top. This hierarchy is created through societal pressure, language requirements in the Russian education system, and the minimization of minority language instruction, in direct contrast to best practices for language instruction. Chuvash in Chuvashia and Nenets, Khanty, and Selkup in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug serve as examples of this linguistic hierarchy. This paper uses social and cultural reproduction …

Understanding The Afghan Diaspora: Exploring The Factors Driving Migration And The Impact Of Migration Policies On Recent Afghan Evacuees Resettling In The United States, Aya H. Mohamed

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Afghanistan has been at war with the West since the late 1900’s, remaining in a state of constant turmoil. During the Cold War (1979), Afghanistan had fought a war with the Soviet Union, known as the Soviet- Afghan War. During this time, Afghanistan was invaded by both the Soviet and US, creating a ground for terrorism and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In order to then eradicate the terrorist regime, the Taliban, the United States went to war with Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban were suppressed by U.S. forces until August 2021, during which President Biden executed a …

Faith Experience Of African Students In Secular Universities In Russia: A Narrative Inquiry, Pavel Zubkov

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

For decades young Africans to come to study in Russian universities. Apart from social issues the Adventist students face a faith challenge in observing Sabbath and confronting secular worldview. This study will explore the life stories of African students to identify the reasons, why some keep Adventist faith and others give up.

The Armed Forces Of Ukraine: From The Collapse Of The Soviet Union To The Russian Invasion, Gunnar Bash

Master's Theses

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Збройні сили України (ЗСУ), Zbroyni Syly Ukrayiny, (ZSU)) were once internationally unknown, having fought no wars since the fall of the USSR in 1991. However, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ZSU has become a topic of international debate and one that is discussed daily between major think tanks and war studies institutions, along with the world’s most powerful militaries. Looking back to 1991, I discuss how the ZSU came to be, how they dealt with Russian and partisan transgressions in Ukraine, and how they have evolved from their interactions with the West …

The Soviet Union's Foreign Policy In The Balkans During The First Years Of The Cold War (1945-1960), Elio Zhilla

Honors College Theses

This paper will examine how Russia’s foreign policy politically, economically, and culturally affected all of the nations in the Balkan region during the first years of the Cold War. I will further look into the differences and similarities between Russia’s interests and geopolitics in the context of the different disagreements in the region of the Balkans that concerned the Soviet Union, such as the Balkan Pact (1953), the Cyprus Agreement (1960) or the Warsaw Pact (1955), which will be discussed later. The focus will be on how the different leaders of the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev) changed …

A Fake Future: The Threat Of Foreign Disinformation On The U.S. And Its Allies, Brandon M. Rubsamen

Global Tides

This paper attempts to explain the threat that foreign disinformation poses for the United States Intelligence Community and its allies. The paper examines Russian disinformation from both a historical and contemporary context and how its effect on Western democracies may only be exacerbated in light of Chinese involvement and evolving technologies. Fortunately, the paper also studies practices and strategies that the United States Intelligence Community and its allied foreign counterparts may use to respond. It is hoped that this study will help shed further light on Russian and Chinese disinformation campaigns and explain how the Intelligence Community can efficiently react.