Session 1A: Simulating the Soviet Great Terror

Session Number

Session 1A: 2nd Presentation

Advisor(s)

Kitty Lam, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Location

Room A147

Start Date

28-4-2017 8:30 AM

End Date

28-4-2017 9:45 AM

Abstract

The Simulating the Soviet Great Terror project focuses on designing a simulation game centered around the Soviet political purges from 1934 to 1938, and investigating the game’s use as an educational tool to enrich Presenters’ understanding of the purges. The simulation tests the revisionist argument about the social, economic, and political realities that existed in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. The revisionist viewpoint posits that the Great Terror was not a planned set of events orchestrated entirely by Stalin from top down, but was rather a response to the panic created by Stalin’s attempt to remove any potential threats to his power and to the Soviet state. The simulation will prompt Presenters to analyze the reasons for the extent and severity of the purges, as well as the role of contingency in shaping political outcome. The game will be play-tested by several groups of IMSA Presenters, and the outcome will be compared to randomly generated game results. The overall results will then be compared to historical reality to evaluate the validity of the revisionist argument versus the traditionalist interpretation, and examine the implications of this simulation for studying the effects of political repression on individual action.

Comments

Additional team members: Rain Bravo, Greg Johnson, and Ari Lisitza

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Apr 28th, 8:30 AM Apr 28th, 9:45 AM

Session 1A: Simulating the Soviet Great Terror

Room A147

The Simulating the Soviet Great Terror project focuses on designing a simulation game centered around the Soviet political purges from 1934 to 1938, and investigating the game’s use as an educational tool to enrich Presenters’ understanding of the purges. The simulation tests the revisionist argument about the social, economic, and political realities that existed in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. The revisionist viewpoint posits that the Great Terror was not a planned set of events orchestrated entirely by Stalin from top down, but was rather a response to the panic created by Stalin’s attempt to remove any potential threats to his power and to the Soviet state. The simulation will prompt Presenters to analyze the reasons for the extent and severity of the purges, as well as the role of contingency in shaping political outcome. The game will be play-tested by several groups of IMSA Presenters, and the outcome will be compared to randomly generated game results. The overall results will then be compared to historical reality to evaluate the validity of the revisionist argument versus the traditionalist interpretation, and examine the implications of this simulation for studying the effects of political repression on individual action.