Example history of film dissertation topic 3:

The role of propaganda in the Soviet film industry: 1917-1953. This dissertation examines how important film was as part of the state propaganda machine in Stalin’s USSR. Beyond the use of film as a tool for the motivation of the masses, film was also considered an integral part of developing a world-wide conversion to communism, and films were produced not only for domestic audiences but as propaganda tools for other communist states and to socialist groups in the West. Additionally, the thesis considers the degree to which historical events were manipulated within Soviet film, and compares its portrayal of key global historical events with how those events were portrayed in Western media. Suggested initial topic reading:

• Roberts, G. (ed.) (1999) Forward Soviet! History and non-fiction film in the USSR. New York: IB Tauris.
• Taylor, R. and Christie, I. (1988) The film factory: Russian and Soviet cinema in documents: 1896:1939. London: Routledge.
• Taylor, R. and Christie, I. (1991) Inside the film factory: New approaches to Russian and Soviet cinema. London: Routledge.