UW-Oshkosh Historian Discusses Russian Economic Transition in Lawrence University Address

Historian Karl Loewenstein shares his first-hand accounts of the changes taking place in Russia, from the twilight of the Soviet Union until the present, in an address at Lawrence University. Loewenstein, assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, presents “From Socialism to Capitalism: Russia in Transition 1990-2003″ Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. In the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The program, sponsored by the Lawrence Russian and East European Club, is free and open to the public. Loewenstein, who has made four trips to the former Soviet Union since 1990, including as recently as this past summer, will discuss the ways foreign influences and the development of new marketing strategies have affected the lives of ordinary Russian citizens. He believes capitalism has established moderate roots over the last 14 years, but it is capitalism with distinctly Russian characteristics and serious problems, which have yet to be dealt with. A specialist in modern Russia and East European history, Loewenstein joined the UW-Oshkosh faculty in 2002 after earning his Ph.D. in history at Duke University