Chernobyl: Melting Down the USSR
September 28 1977, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant delivers power to the Kiev power district in Soviet Russia. Chernobyl was the first atomic power plant toe provided power to any SovietContinue reading
Read moreSeptember 28 1977, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant delivers power to the Kiev power district in Soviet Russia. Chernobyl was the first atomic power plant toe provided power to any SovietContinue reading
Read moreWaging a modern war requires many things, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, uniforms, supplies, and most of all, soldiers to fight. However, raising a standing military is expensive, and it takes away from the workforce that pays for all of the things needed for war. When the Soviet Union was on the march towards the Second World War … Continue reading Plowshares into Tractors, Swords into Tanks
Read moreIn the late 1930’s, the Soviet Union had an intense focus on military preparedness as well as loyalty. The Red Army went through a series of purges due to Stalin’s perceived lack of loyalty. His purges were especially focused on higher ranking leaders of the army. The military preparedness came from recent conflicts with Manchuria, … Continue reading →
Read moreSteel and machinery are two crowning results of industrial power and ingenuity. With Stalin’s first Five Year Plan complete, the USSR had reached a level of industrialization achieved by few other nations.Pictured above is a parade of Soviet T-34 battle tanks. This beast of steel was the Soviet’s primary battle tank from 1934 through World War Two. The … Continue reading “… Train my hands for war, and my fingers for battle…” →
Read moreDuring the 1930s, Russia saw purges throughout different sectors of its culture. Stalin began to eliminate three main groups within the country: the party (Old Bolsheviks), the military, and the security apparatus (the secret police). These three groups were targeted…
Read moreRed brick dotted the horizon puncturing deep into the black clouds of industry. Horizons that had once been speckled with gold coated Christian Crucifixes, were now framed in brick and coal. The Party had found its titan, the factory. The mass industrialization of the Soviet Union and its cultural effects came about due to Stalin’s ambitious Five Year Plan. … Continue reading “…A tower that reaches to the Heavens…” →
Read moreThe first Five-Year Plan facilitated a dramatic change in the Soviet economy through the collectivization of agricultre in orde to enhance the country’s industrial capabilities. From the period of 1928-1940, the number of Soviet workers in industrial occupations grew from…
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