1. Tutorial Title
"Defending the Regime in Peace and War": State Security Institutions in the 20th Century
2. Tutorial Description
Be as detailed as possible. What do you hope to accomplish and learn? What are your most important research questions?
“Sentries” of the state, “guardians” of the revolution, “custodians” of the political order - The titles and legacies of state security agencies, along with other “enforcers” of public loyalty, have been as diverse and dynamic as the regimes that created them. Oftentimes remembered for their clandestine networks of domestic spies, informants, agents and prosecutors, the terrifying memory of internal policing agencies that rose and fell over the course of the 20th century looms large for both those who survived encounters with them, and researchers who still closely study their methods, ideologies, and power structures.
But what happens when an agency intended and designed to police and uproot internal dissidents suddenly finds itself caught up in wartime? What happens when the primary threat to a regime’s security is no longer exclusively within the country, but without? Do the methodologies of investigation, organization of administration, and senses of ideological purpose evolve? Or do they remain constant? Do these agencies begin to perceive new threats within the country? To what extent are these changes (if they do occur) driven by the size, scope, or ferocity of the conflict itself? How much are they driven by state directives?
The tutorial examines three institutions, each created for the purposes of identifying and stifling internal dissent, during a period when their nations were transitioning into wartime; namely the GeheimeStaatspolizei (Gestapo) of Nazi Germany at the onset of the Second World War, the KGB of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Soviet-Afghan War, and the Iranian Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (Basij Militia) during the Iran-Iraq War.
The three case studies are intended to vary significantly in culture, region, and ideological/moral grounding – with the aim of trying to compare and contrast the changes that took place in the operation and intended purpose of these institutions as they retooled and reorganized for the impending conflict. Examining the development of each organization as that transition took place, the tutorial seeks to convey an understanding of how these institutions changed, especially with regards to methods of control, administrative organization, and perceptions of the “enemy” – to address new wartime challenges.
3. Background
Describe your academic background on this tutorial topic (courses taken, personal readings, etc.).
During my sophomore year at CUA, I took a course on German history from 1870 to 1989. Although the Gestapo and Hitler's security state wasn't the exclusive focus of the course, the process by which Hitler consolidated his power was a prominent topic of study. The conditions that made Germany in the 1930s ripe for totalitarian rule was also a central focus of the class.
The same year, I wrote a paper for my Introduction to International Relations course at CUA on chemical weapon usage during the Iran-Iraq War. The mindset of the Iranian forces attempting to stave off Iraq's invasion, as well as the role played by the Basij militias during and after the conflict, were part of my early research for the assignment.
The impact of the KGB (and its predecessor agency, the NKVD) was a subject of study in Professor Kimmage's Russia Since 1900 course, which I took during my sophomore year. The role the Soviet-Afghan War helped play in eroding Moscow's legitimacy and weakening the Soviet Union as a whole has also been a subject of my more recent readings on the country's final years (SergiPlokhy's The Last Empire).