Nick, I really liked this post! I think it’s interesting how this policy change is so different from Khrushchev’s others, but still considered de-Stalinization. I really liked your point about Khrushchev wanted to raise a new, Atheist generation with all his restrictions on children and teaching. Also, great hyperlinks and I love the propaganda poster you included!
Author: cnritchey
Comment on Summerhouses & the Soviet Union by cnritchey
Taylor, great work! I think it’s interesting how dachas became such a phenomenon at the time, and how it was the poor construction of the homes in cities along with the Virgin Land campaign that made them so hard to find.
Comment on Sputnik Revisited by cnritchey
Anderson, I really liked your post! I like how you talked not just about the space race but also why it became such a big deal. Being in second place to the perceived backwards Soviet Union was a big wake up call for the US, and physically hearing the beeping of the satellite was a scary reminder of how close the USSR could get with this new technology. Great work!
Comment on Ukraine Keeps Driving Men Insane by cnritchey
Austin, great post! I think it’s interesting that the reasonings used then are still relevant now in Russia’s fight over Crimea. Was there large public discontent over this issue? Great image, by the way!
Comment on Vasily Aksyonov and the stilyagi movement by cnritchey
Kathryn, great post! This is one of my favorite topics in Soviet history and I think you did a great job of explaining the background behind it. American culture allowed the youth to escape the terrors that they had faced under Stalin, especially related to the purges. I love the images you used as well!
Comment on Freedom from the Gulags by cnritchey
Great post! The releasing of some prisoners from the gulags was definitely controversial at the time but I think Solzhenitsyn’s work emphasized why it was so important and how terrible the conditions in the gulags were. Maura also had a great post on this topic (https://mauramcd.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/the-worst-thing-about-prison-was-the-dementors/) and I think you’d find it interesting!
Comment on The New Boss by cnritchey
Great work explaining all the confusion around the succession of Stalin! I think it’s interesting how many of Beria’s works were used against him as “anti-Communist,” and his arrest shows Khrushchev’s cunning political maneuvering.
Comment on A Dog Called Laika by cnritchey
Alden, great post! It’s easy to see from your post why the United States was so nervous about winning the space race. I also found it interesting how you mentioned Laika really had no chance for survival. Was there any public discontent with this unethical use of animals, or was it overshadowed by the Soviet technological feat?
Comment on The Worst Thing About Prison was… the Dementors by cnritchey
Maura, I loved your post! Your title is great and I think you did a great job explaining the tensions of releasing prisoners from the gulags. Although I think now, we tend to see their release as something positive, I think it’s easy to see how at the time it would have been a very controversial move. Your last paragraph was really interesting– even after being “freed” from gulags, these former prisoners faced extremely oppressive restrictions in everyday life.
Comment on Soviet Successors by cnritchey
Taylor, great post! I think it’s interesting that after Stalin personally consolidated so much power that he wanted to distribute it among three people. Despite all the politics that went into determining the single leader, I think it’s important to note that agriculture was one of Khrushchev’s main platforms and helped him become Stalin’s sole successor.
