I loved your use of images in supporting your writing, because it really illuminated how big the issue of alcoholism was. The cartoons really show the tone that the government was trying to set, that alcohol abuse was a serious matter and people should have self-discipline in use of it. Great post!
Author: eclaybrook
Comment on The Godfather: Russian Edition by eclaybrook
Rachel, this post is pretty cool. Loved the subject and the way you presented the Mafia. I know from the work I did on my post before this, that some of the roots of organized crime were bred with the spread of the black market economy. In fact, it even exploded in its reach and importance with the fall of the Soviet Union due to that big power vacuum that was just waiting to be exploited. Awesome post!
Comment on Excuse me while I have a quick meltdown by eclaybrook
Grace, this post is awesome! Lots of people have noted this, but your comparison to 9/11 provides a really good image for readers to catch on to. I feel this also could be compared to the Three Mile Island incident in the 80s which rocked the environment and produced a huge environmentalist movement. Great post!
Comment on Just Another Proxy War by eclaybrook
War. What is it good for? This was a really cool post, and I think it carries some pretty obvious parallels with current events. It seems that when either the US or USSR tried to install puppet regimes into nations, it generally backfired pretty violently. Your was great in breaking down the causes and effects of the conflict in a fun format. Thank you for this post.
Comment on Episode 6: Return of the Jet Age by eclaybrook
Nice job focusing in on this subject. The economic relationship between the Soviet Union and the rest of the globe is pretty interesting, and I’m surprised at how the system thrived in the communist system. I think we really see the merging of the higher quality of life with communism and how this enabled many people to afford international flight. Also, big issue, your plug-in doesn’t work, and this is a deal breaker for me. Thanks .
Comment on Betrayal at the Kremlin! by eclaybrook
Sick post, Claire! Everything about this post was funny and easy to understand for me. We so often look at Stalin as such a monster in history, but I wonder if it would have done Khrushchev more good to just support the old man, considering that he was the symbol for Soviet Power and victor of World War II. By doing what was seemingly the right thing, K opened the door to anti-communism and a weaker Party, but hey, better for the US! Great job.
Comment on Come And Czech This Out by eclaybrook
Great post with good sources! This seems reminiscent of US attempts to send support to unpopular regimes, like Vietnam, except that Soviets won out in Czechoslovakia. I wonder how nationalist movements in other countries reacted to this, and if it gave them power against Communism, as you alluded to. Overall, great post!
Comment on Rain Makes Corn by eclaybrook
I’m surprised that the Soviet Union tried to hard to emulate agricultural practices in the United States, but it is even more ironic that this also caused corn’s failure back home. It seems that Khrushchev’s vision did not match that of Stalin or Lenin before him, and the preference of speed over efficiency ultimately caused failure for the Soviet Union. Practices like these led to K’s overthrow, and also the decline of the Soviets power. Interesting how corn had such an impact.
Comment on From Stalin with Love: The Victor’s Plight by eclaybrook
Yeah it focused mostly around industrial labor, so factories and such, but it truly depended on the needs of the Soviets. An overwhelming amount of people just became homeless and would live in literal ditches in the ground.
Comment on Ukraine Keeps Driving Men Insane by eclaybrook
This move seems kind of familiar today with the events going on in Ukraine now. I don’t really know what this political move does to the people in the Crimea, but I can only imagine that some natives may have been displaced or shaken up by this surprising move. While the post was a little to brief to get a full picture of what was going on, I thought that this was an important to topic to focus in on as the Soviets were very effective at prompting large diasporas of ethnic natives from their land.
