Great post! I like how you talked about the prevalence of alcohol in Russian history and culture, which helps explain why this policy was so poorly received. I think it’s interesting that the government thought that reducing alcohol would increase worker productivity, when in reality it just increased illicit activities. What do you think this showed about Soviet power at the time?
Author: cnritchey
Comment on Gopnik’s Galore by cnritchey
Great post! I love reading about all the social movements that emerged during this time period, and you did a great job talking about this particularly interesting group. I like how at the end, you talked about this group being quintessentially Russian, from their outfits to choice of drink. How did the Soviet government respond to this group and the unrest they created in society?
Comment on Say No to Alcohol by cnritchey
Phil, great work! There’s been a lot of great posts about the anti-alcohol campaign this week, and I like how you mentioned that it was the combination of social and economic factors that eventually led to the downfall of the policies. Additionally, I like how you talked about the rise of illicit activities with the introduction of these policies– why do you think that is? And have you seen similar trends in other aspects of Soviet society?
Comment on Excuse me while I have a quick meltdown by cnritchey
Grace, great work! The parallels you made between this catastrophic event and 9-11, in terms of public memory, was interesting — especially when you mentioned that it was not broadcasted until 3 weeks after! Why do you think Gorbachev waited this long to announce it, and do you think this made the situation more negative in the eyes of the people?
Comment on Countering the Counterculture by cnritchey
What an interesting topic! It’s neat to see the parallels between cultural movements in the US and the USSR. As we’ve seen throughout Soviet history, many things they try to suppress continue to thrive, just in an “underground” venue. Why do you think that perestroika allowed rock to come back to the surface? And what do you think this shows about Soviet control in the 80s?
Comment on The Baltic Independence Movement by cnritchey
Zane, great post! I think it’s interesting the influence of glasnost and perestroika policies extended into the Baltic States. It’s also interesting to see how unique the movements were in the Baltic States– why do you think they expressed their nationalism in such creative ways, such as the music festivals?
Comment on Lots of Problems with Alcohol by cnritchey
Sean, great post! I like how you drew parallels between this movement and prohibition in the US. It’s really interesting that alcohol consumption made up such a large percentage of the economy, and that these measures only lasted around two years. Great work!
Comment on Just Another Proxy War by cnritchey
Claire, I think you did a great job explaining the build up and the consequences of the invasion into Afghanistan. I like how you mentioned the US support for the Mujahideen, showing how this war was about the US and the USSR and not as much about Afghanistan at all. You mentioned at the end “what was it all for”– do you think, given the political tensions at the time, that the Soviets realistically would have let the coup go without doing anything?
Comment on Fighting in Afghanistan Never Works by cnritchey
This was a great post! I like your parallel to the invasion of Afghanistan being the Soviet Union’s Vietnam. There are many songs and poems written about this experience, and I like the ones you included. I also think your point about how this loss was disastrous in that it showed that the Soviet Union was not invincible to its people. Great work!
Comment on A Bright New Future? by cnritchey
This was a great post! I like how you described the association of socialism with science fiction and space exploration– this is definitely a narrative that the Soviet Union would have emphasized. I think it’s interesting that as the brothers continued writing, they strayed from the Soviet narrative– do you think this is applicable to any other aspects of Soviet society?
