Born in 1952, Smith completed his

undergraduate studies Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

(1970–73),"Professor Stephen Smith"
''

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

''. Retrieved 28 August 2019. graduating with a modern history degree. In 1974, he was then awarded a

Master of Social Science A Master of Social Science (MSocSc, MSSc or MSS) is a master's degree which has a number of different meanings dependent upon the education system in question. Europe In Finland and Sweden, where the university degree nomenclatura is simply bas ...

degree in

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from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, where he remained to carry out doctoral studies; his

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was awarded in 1980 for his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

"The Russian Revolution and the factories of Petrograd, February 1917 to June 1918"."The Russian Revolution and the factories of Petrograd, February 1917 to June 1918"
''EThOS'' (

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). Retrieved 28 August 2019. While completing his PhD, Smith taught at the

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

from 1976 to 1977, and then joined the faculty of the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the an ...

as a

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in 1977. He was promoted to a senior lectureship in 1984 and was then appointed

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of History in 1991. In 2008, he moved to the

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to be Professor of Comparative History, and remained there until 2012, when he was appointed Professor of History at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a

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. He was also editor of the journal '' Past & Present'' from 2009 to 2014.

Research and bibliography

According to his college profile, Smith's "research interests are in the histories of modern Russia and China and in comparative Communism." * '' Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis, 1890 to 1928'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017). * ''The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014). * ''Revolution and the People in Russia and China: A Comparative History'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008). * (Co-authored with Alan Knight) ''The Religion of Fools? Superstition Past and Present'', '' Past & Present'' supplement 3 (2008). * ''The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002). * ''Like Cattle and Horses: Nationalism and Labor in Shanghai, 1895–1927'' (Durham NC: Duke University Press, 2002). * ''A Road is Made: Communism in Shanghai, 1920–27'' (Honolulu/Richmond, UK: Curzon Press/University of Hawaii Press, 2000). * ''Red Petrograd: Revolution in the Factories, 1917–1918'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stephen Living people 1952 births Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Birmingham Academics of the University of Essex Academic staff of the European University Institute Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Historical Society