As the Soviet came out of WWII and into the Cold War, many social changes began to shape the nation and influence what it was becoming. Of all the things changing for the Soviet in the latter half of the twentieth century, religion and is ties to the nation was no exception. In 1957 Khrushchev […]
Tag: Khruschev
Comrades' Corner, Week 9 Posts
The Cold War of… Corn
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Whether it be the Revolution of 1917, the First World War, or Stalin’s first five-year plan, food shortage and famine always seemed to be a recurring problem in Russia during the 20th century. Food shortage in Russia has also led to the derailment of many grandiose agendas – such as Stalin’s massive state building and … Continue reading “The Cold War of… Corn”
Week 9 Posts
Nothing New Under the Sun
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The 1960’s saw another wave of anti-religious propaganda under Khrushchev. The attack on religion by the communist party had a couple different tactics. The first was legislation that transferred the leadership of a local parish from a priest to a … Continue reading →
Week 9 Posts
Khrushchev: Stuck in the Past
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Nikita Khrushchev was a very “forceful”, as James von Geldern would put it, critic of the arts. He was quite threatened by any new or unfamiliar styles of art, and would immediately present those thoughts to the artist, egged on by his colleagues. With the vast new styles of modern art and music developing in […]
Comrades' Corner, Greatest Hits, Week 9 Posts
Spy for a Spy
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On February 10, 1962, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was released from the Soviets in exchange for Rudolf Abel (real name Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher), a Soviet spy convicted of espionage. Rudolf Abel worked in Soviet intelligence during World War … Continue reading →
Week 8 Posts
Virgin Lands Campaign
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Agriculture had always been a problem for the Soviets. Thus, after Stalin died in 1953, Khrushchev became the head of the communist party and decided that Russia needed to solve its agriculture problems. As a result, Khrushchev came up with the Virgin Lands Campaign and he launched it in 1954. Khrushchev was trying to solve […]
Students' Choice, Week 8 Posts
Hungary For Change
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On March 6, 1953, millions of citizens of the Soviet Union took to the Red Square to mourn the death of the man who had ruled them for the past 30 years. While they mourned, others quickly looked at the new power vacuum as an opportunity for change. In Hungary, Soviet troops began to pull…
Red Star, Week 8 Posts
The Virgin Lands Campaign
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The post-Stalin Soviet Union changed politically, culturally, and economically in countless different ways. Politically, Stalin’s cult of personality was denounced and his name was intentionally forgotten and excluded from Soviet daily life. Even his body, on display next to Lenin, was removed after divine intervention appealed to a woman at the 21st Party Congress, asking […]
Week 8 Posts
Peeking under the Iron Curtain
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The year is 1957 and the cold War is in full swing, but the streets of Moscow are filled with smiling foreigners and extremely intrigued Muscovites. This is thanks to Nikki Khrushchev’s “thaw” which allowed for the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students to be held in the city of Moscow. Excitement for this event didn’t begin during […]
Week 8 Posts
Mutually Assured Destruction?
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The Soviet Union, after Stalin’s death in 1953, successfully detonated their first hydrogen bomb. While the first detonation took place the year of 1954, work on the weapon began years before the first Soviet atomic bomb was even detonated. Stalin put the testing of weapons and the acceleration of the Soviet Arms Race as a … Continue reading Mutually Assured Destruction? →
