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Soviet Union
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What is Soviet Union?

The Soviet Union stands as one of the most studied political entities in modern history, appearing across disciplines such as international relations, political science, history, and economics. Its rise, ideological foundations, and eventual collapse make it a subject of enduring academic interest. Students examine the USSR not only as a country but as a force that shaped global power dynamics, influenced political systems across continents, and defined the terms of superpower rivalry throughout the twentieth century. The tension between Soviet and American influence, the spread of political ideology, and the nation's role in conflicts from World War II to Afghanistan give the topic remarkable breadth.

Papers on this subject tend to approach the Soviet Union through several distinct lenses. Historical analysis is common, with essays examining the Cold War's origins, the USSR's national security apparatus, and its eventual fall. Comparative work appears frequently, weighing how the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation differ as political and security actors. Regional case studies explore Soviet influence on Latin American relations, Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan, and neighboring states such as Georgia. Some papers take a policy focus, analyzing specific moments like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while others engage in book review and historiographical work, drawing on texts such as When Titans Clashed by Glantz and House.

A strong essay on the Soviet Union benefits from a clearly scoped thesis that connects a specific period or event to a broader argument about power, ideology, or political influence. Primary sources and credible historical scholarship carry the most weight as evidence. A common pitfall is treating the USSR as a monolithic actor without accounting for internal contradictions, shifting leadership, and the diverse nations and regions it encompassed.

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Paper Doctorate

The role of religion in modern terrorism and global violence

Why is So Much Terrorism Linked to Religion These Days? Although terrorism has been present ever since the beginning of recorded history, defining it may prove to be slightly controversial task. There is no universally shared definition as it's a highly subjective term that depends upon the point of view of the observer. However, there are three perspectives from which terrorism can be looked at and then defined. These perspectives include the terrorist's, the victim's and the general publics. The phrase "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" is one that even terrorists may re-affirm, thus asserting the controversial nature of the term itself. The following definition released by the United States FBI, can be used to describe the nature of modern day terrorism:

Paper Undergraduate

Kennedy's ethical framework during the Cuban Missile Crisis

This paper discusses John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. At that time, the Soviet Union installed nuclear weapons in Cuba. The US was allegedly thirteen days from all-out nuclear war. Had Kennedy acted incorrectly, things could have gotten severely out of hand. However, since he acted calmly and intelligently peace was maintained.

Research Paper Doctorate

Cold War tensions between American capitalism and Soviet communism

Economic fear caused by two vastly different ideologies, communism and capitalism, was a major factor promoting America's distrust of Russia and the subsequent Cold War. The spread of communism was viewed as a threat to…

Research Paper Doctorate

American patriotism following Pearl Harbor and September 11 attacks

The paper highlights the entwined American reactions to the September 11 attacks and the Pearl Harbor attacks. The paper illustrates the similarities in which the over-prevailing backgrounds of each event created…

Paper Doctorate

How institutions help states overcome barriers to cooperation

In her essay on the barriers to cooperation that limit effective communication between state actors within the international arena, Jennifer Sterling-Folker posits that three primary types of barriers to cooperation exist in the realm of international relations: Domestic, Structural, and Cognitive. According to Sterling-Folker, the domestic political climate within a pair of seemingly willing allies may preclude them from engaging in productive diplomatic negotiations, such as when impending national elections cause national policymaking to refocus on internal affairs. Structural barriers include the lack of common ground between communist and capitalist economies, and the gulf in understanding which separates dictatorships and democracies. Cognitive barriers are those which arise from ideological motivations, such as theocracies refusing to communicate with competing religions, or secular states scoffing at the religious norms of their neighbors. The liberal concept of interdependence, or providing a clear incentive to cooperate through the construction of complex institutions, is also discussed by Sterling-Folker, who observes that barriers to communication within world politics is due to the fact that nations invariably develop as autonomous entities with unique political, social, and economic structures.

Paper Doctorate

Historical roots of American military actions abroad, 2009-2014

THESIS STATEMENT AND OUTLINE FOR A PAPER ON THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF AMERICAN MILITARY ACTIONS ABROAD, 2009-2014

Research Paper Doctorate

Vladimir Nabokov and Russian intellectual exile in the twentieth century

¶ … Russian emigres draws upon a very distinct Russian tradition of intellectuals in exile. Both the Russian Empire and Soviet Union had many exiles, both inside the empire and outside it.

Paper Doctorate

Artem Borovik's account of the Soviet war in Afghanistan

¶ … Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan" by Artem Borovik.

Research Paper Doctorate

Should the United States normalize relations with Cuba?

Should the United States Normalize Relations with Cuba?

Paper Doctorate

International relations as a social construction in constructivist theory

The faith placed by Idealists in their utopian notion of collective security was shattered by Hitler's unopposed domination of Europe after the conclusion of World War I, and the systematic cessation of hostilities in World War II gave rise to the scientific school of Realism (Dunne, Kurki, and Smith 178). The eventual evolution of neo-liberal and neo-classical thought provided diametrically opposed worldviews that were nonetheless predicated on the same fundamental paradigm: international relations are governed by an objective reality based on the identities and interests of states (Dunne, Kurki, and Smith 178). When the Cold War, and its continual specter of mutually assured destruction via nuclear warfare, ended in the late 1980's, this significant step in normalizing geopolitical relations was not secured by an invasion force but rather through the paired program of economic and social reforms known as perestroika and glasnost respectively. International relations scholars have observed that "the importance of Gorbachev's ‘New Thinking' in bringing an end to the cold war, the increasing importance of norms in humanitarian intervention, and the spread of liberal democratic values raised critical questions about the exclusive emphasis of realist theory on material interest and power" (Dunne, Kurki, and Smith 179).

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