Globally, television was booming in the 1970s and 1980s, as it became an industry that entertained and often pushed certain political agendas. Similar to the Soviet film culture that historically challenged the values of the Soviet Union, TV shows had …
Zoot Suiters and the Wicked West
by •
The death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 created a culture vacuum in which the anti-communist styles and values of the West attracted the millennial generation of the …
The Entitlement Warriors
by •
The Soviet veterans of the Great Patriotic War, though united through the fight for entitlements, differed greatly in generational experience and social welfare. The frontline generation, born between 1923 and 1927, “had not been established in adult life before the war …
Revival of Soviet Sport
by •
In conjunction with the push for education, infrastructure, and equality movements of the late 1920’s came the state-sponsored physical, pro-sport culture in the 1930’s. Physical attractiveness and …
Entrepreneurs and the Re-emergence of Capitalism
by •
In 1921, the New Economic Policy was implemented, which denationalized industry and further diversified the Russian economy. Vladimir Lenin argued that reforming the economy would stabilize unrest, particularly within the peasantry. Citizens were permitted to privately sell and exchange surplus of food and …
The Influence of Art in Illiterate Russia
by •
After the Bolshevik victory in 1917, Vladimir Lenin knew that the peasant and worker masses, worn from capitalism, needed a kickstart into a Socialist state of mind. Not …
The Okhrana and the Frailties of a Police State
by •
The assassination of Alexander II in 1881 revealed the existential threat of revolutionary groups to the regime, and inspired the creation of a secret police force to silence activists before revolution broke out. The Okhrana, different from street police, formed …
Samarkand: Home to Jewish Tradition
by •
This 1911 photograph from the Prokudin-Gorskii collection captures a Jewish teacher instructing Jewish children in Samarkand. Beginning around 600 BC, the Silk Road connected Europe with …
