THEMES FOR TEACHING THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE SOVIET-UNION

This article provides a framework for introducing students to the geography of the Soviet Union. While highlighting the continued utility of regional description as a fundamental approach in geography, the author identifies six basic themes that lend themselves to a particularly geographical approach to the Soviet Union. These themes include (1) advantages and disadvantages of size and location; (2) spatial impact of the political economy; (3) paradox of Soviet economic development; (4) challenges of governing amultinational state; (5) nature of the Soviet Union’s integration into the world economy; and (6) historical continuity with the tsarist past. A discussion of each of these themes is followed by a brief analysis of selected reference sources. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.