One of the most noteworthy aspects of everyday Soviet life was the nature of their homes. While Westerners normally lived in single family houses and apartments, only about a third of Soviet families lived in single family homes. Just over half of the Soviet population lived in apartments, and about half of that portion lived in communal […]
Month: April 2017
Khrushchev Slums
by •
Khrushchev wrote in his memoirs that the lack of housing for his people was a major concern of his. While in power, he devised a new housing plan that took place throughout the 1950s that revolved mostly on apartment buildings being built as quickly as possible. The investment on housing construction in the late ‘50s … Continue reading Khrushchev Slums
Fight Night: Bear vs. Dragon
by •
Rising tensions between China and the Soviet Union boiled over in the late 1960s. Over the past decade relations between the two communist powers soured and led to a series of border skirmishes in 1969. Although initially the Soviet government and Communist government of China were friendly with one another, they took a turn after …
The Communist Code of Conduct
by •
During the Krushchev era, there were many multifaceted concepts spreading throughout the Soviet Union as part of the De-Stalinization movement. Many of these theories and ideals penetrated not only political life, but economic and cultural life as well for the peoples of the USSR. One of these concepts was brought about by the “Moral Code of […]
War On….. Alcohol?
by •
“Soviet society revealed signs of acute stress. One was hyper-alcoholism” (Freeze, 444). When we picture someone from Russia, I think many of us see a beer-bellied man with a 5:00 shadow, rosy cheeks, hazy eyes, and a half empty bottle of vodka next to him. At least that’s what I see. So I was curious […]
The Generation Gap Grows
by •
Around the time of 1968, youths around the world were making the transition from poster children to “problem children.” Gone were the days of strict obedience and falling into their designated social roles and in their place were days of protest, drugs and sexual experimentation. To some extent, Soviet children were no different. With Soviet … Continue reading The Generation Gap Grows
An End to Russia’s Stalin’ Economy?
by •
During Nikita Khrushchev’s famous secret speech to Congress in 1956 he made several things very clear, the most significant of course being that Stalin was the root of all of the USSR’s problems. The main effort of his “de-Stalinization” policy was to essentially erase Stalin from the memory of the USSR by eradicating his name […]
Parasites who do not work, neither shall they eat
by •
Coming into the course my idea of Soviet Russia was the idea of “no work, no food,” and up until this point I have not seen that in what we have been studying, until this week. This week my blog
Third World Friendships
by •
Photo source: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/russia-circa-1962-post-stamp-printed-545221597 Th above photo represents “peace among all people,” and important aspect for the Soviet Union in the 1960’s. In the 1960’s, the Soviet Union began to expand its influence in what was then (and now) referred to as the Third World. The areas of influence included parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, … Continue reading Third World Friendships
Kickin’ It to The Soviet 60s Beat
by •
What does бабушка think of those new dance moves?…What do people call them now? The ‘rocks’ and ‘twists’ and all sorts of hip-shaking dance moves were unfamiliar to the older generation in the Soviet Union (USSR). By 1968 they would be introduced to rock-and-roll for the first time, via smuggled and copied records from countries beyond … Continue reading Kickin’ It to The Soviet 60s Beat →
