chant_m_c

=Evaluation of Sources (250-400 words) Tips]=

In reference to __origin__, this passage was written from an American volunteer who worked at Magnitogorsk in Russia .This extract describes in detail the conditions endured by the workers who worked to build the city of Magnitogorsk. This source has for __purpose__ to inform the reader about the appalling working conditions for the workers and how “the construction work went on with a disregard for individuals...” The __value__ of this source is that it clearly shows the conditions in which the workers had to work, and more importantly, this source is considered primary for John Scott was a primary eye-witness to the huge industrial task that building Magnitogorsk from scratch was. At face value, the historian may think that the fact that John Scott, an American coming from the West, would automatically critic the Soviet government way of thinking, however one must keep in mind that John Scott was actually an American who became disillusioned with America during the 1929 depression[1], therefor volunteered[2] to work for an American company[3] , which supervised the construction of Magnitogorsk. However, it is in this seeming __limitation__ that perhaps lays the greatest value of the source, for a supporter of the Soviet government way of thinking commenting on what he sees, going to the extent of saying “I would wager that Russia’s battle of ferrous metallurgy alone involved more casualties than the battle of the Marne” makes this source a particularly trustworthy one. //Word Count: 243 // This set of data has for __purpose__ of presenting the historian with a set of values helping to assess and judge the scale of Stalin’s ‘achievement’. At first sight, these statistics are very impressive, showing coal production having grown five-fold, steel production having grown six fold, oil extraction having more than doubled and electricity generation having grown five-fold[4], however the historian must keep in mind that this table does not show or attest for the quality of the products being produced, nor of the price taken to produce the products. Regarding the __origin__ of this source, it comes from the works of E.Zaleski, an economic historian. This source is of good __value__ for E.Zaleski combines a careful analysis of both Soviet and Western sources to present these values, thus adding to the value of the source. The main __limitation__ of the source is that it only offers data and the source cannot be considered primary. //Word Count: 171 //
 * __Appendix D - Extract from //Behind the Urals//, by John Scott. __**
 * __Appendix E - Data representing how successful Stalin’s economic reforms had been by 1940. Data taken from the works of the economic historian E.Zaleski, whose findings are based on careful analysis of Soviet and Western Sources. __**

[1] Oxley, Peter. 2001. Russia: 1855-1991, From Tsars to Commissars. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Page 182 [2] John Scott was affected by the same ‘Gigantomania’ (unnatural obsession with massive projects) that the Soviet Government was, thus why he volunteered enthusiastically to the prospect of building a huge city form scratch. [3] American Arthur Mackee Corporation [4] Michael Lynch, (2008). //Access to History Stalin's Russia 1924-53//. Oxford University Press, USA. Page 51.