Hello- This letter is to announce the formation of and offer a welcome to a new Listserv discussion list SovHist (the discussion of Soviet history from 1917-1991). This list will be used as a forum for the reasonable discussion of any aspect of the history of the Soviet Union from the "February Revolution" of 1917 to the breakup of the USSR that occurred 25 December, 1991. Any element of this period is discussable, so long as the criteria of being reasonable and polite in one's discourse are adhered to. Any questions about suitable topics should be directed to me, Valentine Smith, at the Internet address ([log in to unmask]). Anyone wishing to participate in this list should send the following command to one of the following Listservs; USCVM, DOSUNI1, or CSEARN via e-mail in the body of a mail message (not the "Subject:" line) SUB SovHist (your real name). To unsubscribe, send the command UNSUB (your real name). Other Listserv commands can be gotten by sending HELP in the message body to any Listserv. This is an unmoderated list. However, I will closely keep an eye on it, and hope that we can engage in some fruitful discussions on Soviet history. All that is asked is reasonable and polite dialogue - any problems will be first addressed by private mail, and then removal if that private discussion fails to resolve a conflict. I know this was a turbulent period of history, and expect passions to occasionally be heated. Please try to keep "reasonable discussion" in the forefront of your thinking when posting to this list. This could be an exciting forum, I hope it will be, and I encourage you to be an active participant. Enjoy! Valentine Smith ([log in to unmask])