Interesting topic! The population decrease that you mentioned was truly staggering; that large of a migration signals that something was not right, or policies weren’t working for that group. Did the government have a response to this migration?
Author: Caroline Ritchey
Comment on The Singing Revolution by Caroline Ritchey
Katelyn, great post! I think it’s really cool how the nationalist songs were used as a form of protest, and how this was met by so much violence from the Soviet government. Do you think that the freeing of the Baltic states had any relation to the decline of the Soviet Union?
Comment on Stop 6: Chernobyl by Caroline Ritchey
Elysia, I’ve loved your theme for your posts all year and this was great! The comparisons you made with the atomic bombs were really interesting. Also, I like how you talked about the international response, especially from the US. The fact that the US gave aid and that the USSR received it shows that this event transcended some of the tensions between the countries, which is really interesting. Why do you think this event was so different?
Comment on The Soviet Union- BYOB by Caroline Ritchey
Great post! The anti-alcohol campaign is a really interesting time in Soviet history, especially considering the association most people make between Russia and alcohol. I like how you pointed out that despite some social successes, it was the economi…
Comment on Nothing More Russian than Vodka…Right? by Caroline Ritchey
Great post! I like how you looked into the social forces that made this campaign fail– even though it was the stance of the government to avoid alcohol, it’s interesting how people were made fun of for trying to follow it. Why do you think there was such a disconnect between the policies of the government and how the people acted?
Comment on Comrades of the Traveling Pants by Caroline Ritchey
Ethan, this was a great post! I think the emergence and importance of the black market is really interesting. You brought up a lot of great points– in many cases, the black market was the only way to get goods. I also think that the hierarchy of jeans is really telling of the importance of Western influence, despite how much the government discouraged it.
Comment on When I Was Young We Played Outside by Caroline Ritchey
Eric, this was an interesting post! I like how you mentioned that many cultural influences were blamed on the West “corrupting” Soviet society. I think the party’s focus on having more “collective” pastimes shows their desire to control all aspects of society. Good work!
Comment on Is the Rise of the Dacha the Fall of Communism? by Caroline Ritchey
Katelyn, I love the image you included and the personal experience you have with the topic. It’s interesting how the dacha became such a phenomenon despite its somewhat anti-communist background. Why do you think they became so popular during this time period?
Comment on “Make Love Not War” by Caroline Ritchey
This was a really interesting post, and I like how you talked about how Khrushchev’s reforms and de-Stalinization allowed for more counter-culture movements to emerge. You mentioned at the end how harassment and oppression against these movements got out of line; why do you think the more “relaxed” Soviet government was still against these movements?
Comment on Corn and Communism Are All That Matter by Caroline Ritchey
This was a really interesting post! I agree that there was a tension between keeping the people fed and happy and excelling on a world stage, and the Soviet Union chose the latter. Why do you think more discreet methods, such as the Moral Code of the …
