I thought this post was really interesting, and I like how you focused on the tensions between Communist ideology and the necessities at this time for growing and maintaining a state. The Soviets relied very heavily on their army, so it’s interesting to look at the beginning of it. Really interesting focus, I think you’ll be interested to continue looking at the military aspect of the Soviet Union throughout this class!
Month: February 2018
Comment on Lenin’s Soviet Children by A. Nelson
This seems like such an important vision: to emancipate future generations by focusing on education and enlightenment. Not sure what to make of happy papa Lenin in the image — seems a bit like Norman Rockwell?
Comment on From War to Revolution by Bree Taylor
Awesome post! I really like how you discussed the unrest in Russia after the Russo-Japanese War and how people felt insecure with such a “great power” losing face in the public sphere. It’s interesting to look at how citizens felt about Russia losing to a state that they perceived as much smaller in size and ability. You did a great job of looking at this and explaining the other many reasons that Russia experienced so many riots following World War I.
Comment on War and Revolution by A. Nelson
I agree, it’s hard to overestimate the effects of years of sustained warfare on a society already under tremendous stresses. I like how you frame the trauma of World War I in terms of the earlier trauma of the Russo-Japanese war. And that image of the field hospital speaks volumes.
Comment on The Rise of a New Culture by Diana Schulberg
So I also focused on cultural changes for my blog post but what I love so much about this post is the details you went into. I really enjoy the specific examples you listed and how you took some of the films scene by scene. It is intensely interesting …
Comment on Order No. 1 by cnritchey
Thomas, I really enjoyed this post and liked how you focused on the military aspects and consequences of the revolution. I didn’t know all these details about the military changes, and it’s really interesting to see how these changes happening in society were reflected in the military. I think it would be interesting to see how military changes reflect societal changes throughout the evolution of the Soviet Union.
Comment on It was the Best of Times and it was the Worst of Times by dianaschulberg
Thank you very much! I had a lot of fun writing this post and it was also interesting to look for the same change of ideals in music, literature and movies.
Comment on April of Discontent by cnritchey
I really liked this post and how you discussed specific examples that led to revolution. I think the example of Article 87 is really important, as it shows the dysfunction of what was considered a more liberal constitution. Seeing how all of these events influenced Lenin’s theses was really interesting as well. Great job synthesizing all this information!
Comment on It all started with bread by rachelharriman10
I think it is important to understand that though many stood up against the Russian Provisional Government and Tsar Nicolas II himself, it was the women who began a revolution that would change Russia forever. This act of bravery coming from the female population of Russia in the early 1900s, if properly documented and presented to the outside world would be both inspiring and empowering to women all around the world. Therefore, your ending statement is true but I would add “don’t mess with a women’s bread or her family”.
Comment on Revolution within the Russian Army by rachelharriman10
Do you think Nicholas II believed that his presence in the Russian Army was going to effect the moral of the soldiers positively? Or was it a move of self-confidence, though it led to his demise? Though talking about his move to the front lines in class and reading about it in our Freeze text, I am still unsure of the exact reasons Nicolas II decided to join the Russian Army. In my opinion, I think it was an act of arrogance: believing he could help turn around the war with just his presence, what could he do at the front lines that he couldn’t do in the safety of his home?
