Month: March 2018

Comment on The Katyn Forest Massacre by scmaclay

I am glad people are choosing to write about the Katyn Forest Massacre, it is a little know atrocity that should not be overlooked. Why do you think it took until Gorbachev to release this information when Krushchev already denounced murders under Stalin?

Comment on They Did Nazi That Coming… by kschnabel

You did a great job explaining all the factors that led to German defeat and Soviet victory in World War 11. I like that you drew parallels between Hitler and Tsar Nicolas! I also love your title! Nice job!

Comment on The Veterans are Back in Town!! by Spencer Maclay

After World War II, the United States implemented the GI Bill, which gave veterans better access to educational opportunities and low-interest rates on loans, among other things. However, in the Soviet Union, we see none of that. I really like that you mention the government’s fear of the returning veterans and the historical precedent for that fear. Great post!

Comment on All is Fair in Love and War by Grace on 20th Century Russia

Bree, I also read this article on the 17 moments site and found it very interesting. I thought your post was a great discussion of the topic, I think it is easy to get caught up in the logistics of war, but that it is also important to learn about what was going on in society at the time. I think it is interesting that in some ways men and women were in these very traditional roles of courtship and romance, but in other ways the gender norms were disappearing as women did work they had never done before.

Comment on Episode 5: The Motherland Strikes Back by Grace on 20th Century Russia

Ethan I was very impressed with your post, but especially with the links and images you included in your post! I also had not heard of these oil fields before or their significance so it was interesting to learn more about them and the significance they would play.

Comment on Episode 5: The Motherland Strikes Back by thensoviet

Your articles are always so interesting to read, I love your writing style. But like many others have pointed out, the chance that if something had even gone slightly different our world wouldn’t be how it is now, is a terrifying and insane concept. You did a really good job of explaining how these decisions made the war end how it did and I really enjoyed reading this.

Comment on All is Fair in Love and War by thensoviet

This is a really interesting post! The change of gender roles in real life while the media perpetuated a norm of stereotypes is particularly reflective of the disparity between the difference in thought versus that of reality. I wonder why they attempted to hide this change rather than embrace it and re-envision the “ideal family.” Do you think that perhaps this stems from the Russian attachment to tradition?

Comment on The Girl with the Tokarev SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle. by scmaclay

What a really cool post! In World War II, Germans would refer to these soldiers as “gun women” and refused to acknowledge them as soldiers. Instead, they would be treated as partisans and likely executed if captured. Lyudmila is a very cool example of women serving in the Red Army. It is a very fascinating topic.