Political history of Russia and the Soviet Union in the Twentieth Century

A PhD project with Dr Rees will focus on twentieth-century Russian political history. Dr Rees has supervised 25 PhDs (at the University of Birmingham and at the European University Institute, Florence) over a wide field of political history in the twentieth century, focussing mainly on the history of the Soviet Union and the communist states of Eastern Europe. He has an interest in all periods of Soviet history. His main focus of interest is on political history, the role of party and government institutions, the process of policy making, the role of ideas and ideology. His research has embraced the examination of leader cults and the political biographies of leading figures. He has written on the relations between communist states, and the means by which the Soviet system was implanted in other countries. He is interested in the understanding the experience of communism in relation to twentieth century history, and the rise of other single party regimes. He has an active research interest in the rise of terror as a political phenomena from late nineteenth century Russia onwards and the way this is reflected in literature.

To discuss the possibility of undertaking a PhD in this field please contact Dr Rees: [Email Address Removed]

To find out more about studying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham, including full details of the research undertaken in the School, the funding opportunities available for your subject, and guidance on making your application, you can order a copy of our Doctoral Research Prospectus, at: www.birmingham.ac.uk/drp