Another really interesting part of the Chernobyl disaster is its effect on wildlife! Drinking the water and eating the vegetation created animals with radioactive material in their makeup and I wonder how that has spread throughout the Soviet Union if it has at all. The dramatic change this disaster created was unprecedented and likely, without it, things would have been much different.
Author: thensoviet
Comment on The Baltic Independence Movement by thensoviet
This is a great post! Do you think that perhaps it is the sudden dissolution of Russia’s satellite possessions which played a role in the weakening of the Soviet Union? How did these movements for independence affect morale in the Soviet state? It’s very interesting to see how all these factors play a role in the collapse and I believe that this movement for independence played a significant part in the dissolution.
Comment on Gopnik’s Galore by thensoviet
This is really interesting to me because youth consistently plays a strong role in the redefining of a country or change in social standards. While the prior youth-revolutions are consistently discussed, I’ve never heard of the gopniks before. It’s a really interesting subject, especially because they emerge in the era of a dying Soviet Union. Great post!
The Disolution of Family
In the late 1980s, a change in Russian traditions would begin to take place. As taboos regarding sexual exploration were increasingly challenged, the younger generation began to change the structure of a traditional family. We know from previous posts that a standard, ideal family was predominantly nuclear in composition with many children and perhaps some …
Comment on A Bright New Future? by thensoviet
This is a really interesting post. The time of science in the 70s really was one of futuristic hope and the novels of the era really reflected that. But as time goes on and they become more darkly inspired, it reflects the disparity between the promised and the actualized I think. If you’re promised a bright new future and things do not turn out to be totally sunshine and roses, I think some disillusionment with the image of utopia would be bound to appear.
Comment on Just Another Proxy War by thensoviet
Claire, this is a really fascinating post, especially because the ripples of these interactions can still be witnessed now. A lot of conflict and controversy between the Soviet Union and the United States comes from the fear of communism and the policy of containment; do you think that perhaps if the United States had not intervened, we would currently be as involved in the Middle East? And further, are our contributions to the Middle Eastern conflict derivative of our conflicts with the Soviet Union?
Comment on Betrayal at the Kremlin! by thensoviet
Alright, first off this is hilariously written. I love it. Also, the way you broke down the response to hearing about this speech is really great. The explanations are brief but informative and were delightful to read.
Power in Peace: The International Youth Festival
The World Youth Festival is, “an event of global youth solidarity for democracy and against war and imperialism” created with the intention, “to bring together young people of both the socialist and capitalist countries to promote peaceful cooperation and mutual rejection of war.” It indeed makes a great deal of sense that in the newfound …
Continue reading Power in Peace: The International Youth Festival
Comment on The Worst Thing About Prison was… the Dementors by thensoviet
This is a really fantastic post! The release of the prisoners and the knowledge that so many were wrongly held captive contributed a great deal to the de-romanticism of rule under Stalin and brought forward the knowledge that he was truly a cruel leader, despite the progress made under his guidance.
Comment on Ukraine Keeps Driving Men Insane by thensoviet
This is a really interesting post! Sometimes, the complexities of these interactions make it difficult to see the bigger picture but you do an excellent job of establishing how this came to be and that it affected the larger picture into the future. Great post, but I wish you’d delve more into the public response of this transfer due to their cultural differences!
