[OT] Russia Anything!

[Kilmore]

Wow, I'm the first to specifically mention the Russo-Japanese War in 1904? Tremendous stuff there. It's even got Teddy Roosevelt in it.

How about the 19th century race to the Persian Gulf with Great Britian?

The Crimean War?

I'm sure you could fine Catherine the Great interesting as well.

 

[Henry]

My Favorite Russian Topic of ALL TIME: The events and court politics during the reign of Czar Nicholas II.

The events of his reign read like a roleplaying game campaign, I swear. Read up on the upgrading of the Russian Army, the Nobility interrelationships between the Romanovs and the rest of Europe, that wacky guy Rasputin, and the court intrigues of the day. Prior to the events of World War I, and the subsequent cogs in motion of Leninist Communism, it got just plain weird in some cases.

 

[jgbrowning]

Potatos

Potatos. I'd write a paper about potatos and how they have affected russian history.

Silly as it sounds, a paper on the changes potatoes did for the rusians would be utterly unique and, if properly researched, pretty much guaranteed a good grade.

Go for unique things, you'll get better grades. I have friends in education (Phd.'s) and there's nothing more that they love than to read a students paper and to learn from the student. Keep your research good and there you go!


joe b.

 

[johnsemlak]

Silly as it sounds, a paper on the changes potatoes did for the rusians would be utterly unique and, if properly researched, pretty much guaranteed a good grade.

A similar piece which could be a model would be Umberto Eco's piece on how the bean saved Western civilization.

other topic ideas:

• Vodka (no-one mentioned that so far!) and it's affect on Russian culture.
  
• Russia's culture of documents and registration--I'll write more on that if you want.
  
• Moscow's Subway/Metro system--very fascinating (you could tie that in with the discussion of Underground tunnels in Moscow that was going a few weeks ago). How it was built, etc.
  
• Obviously, any historical figure could be a topic. In addition to those mentioned, I'll add Ivan the Terrible, Andrei Sakharov (1975 Nobel Peace Price winner),

More later

 

[Mark]

Mark; there wouldn't be enough sources on that in the Library of Congress ...

Perhaps more generally, a Russian History of games, From Durak to Tetris. Might be able to work in some intresting stuff on the influence of the Internet, lack of gaming under Communist rule, domination on the world chess circuit, Olympics sagas, blackmarket and illegal pirating in the failing economy of the eighties and nineties, etc.

 

[kenjib]

The Robber Barons of Russia. When the economy privatized, who did the looting and burning?

 

[Damon Griffin]

Are there any especially interesting, specific subjects you guys can share with me which would perhaps make a good topic to write on?

I'm going to break with the crowd here and not offer a new suggestion of my own.

However, for what it's worth, I skimmed this whole thread looking at the subjects that had been suggested, and although many seemed like they'd be worthy topics, I kept asking myself "But would I really be interested in reading 10-15 pages on this subject?" I kept telling myself "No" until I got to the post suggesting the potato.

Ding! Yes, I'd be interested in reading about how Russian history was influenced by the potato. (I'd also like to read that piece on the bean and Western history, which I must now go hunt down.)

I think you could do a lot worse that take jgbrowing'ssuggestion, and offer the prof something he hasn't already read a dozen times over.

 

[kenjib]

Three good books along the "potato" line:

Cod - Mark Kurlansky
Salt - Mark Kurlansky
Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond (this one is more macroscopic)

 

[alsih2o]

propaganda art, especially the soviet porcelain, awesome stuff.

there is even a magazine or two aimed at propagandaphiles- http://www.wolfsonian.fiu.edu/visitus/press/04.09.02.html

i have an article or 2 on the subject if oyu become interested

 

[Buttercup]

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/show...d=50752&highlight=hidden+tunnels+under+moscow

That's the link to the thread about the hidden tunnels under Moscow. There are several links to interesting information in the thread itself.