I also wrote about the anti alcohol campaign, I like the image you chose of the man rejecting alcohol because it displays how the Soviet Union utilized media to devalue the consumption of alcohol. It displays that rejecting alcohol even in a casual setting is a professional decision as an adult.
Author: Nick Umana
Comment on A Bright New Future? by Nick Umana
Really interesting post. The role that Science fiction began to play at this time was really cool and its interesting to see how the Soviets began to regulate this science fiction as well. There is a general trend of the Soviet government regulating a lot of the new things that were coming out around this time period, like Rock and Roll. It’s also interesting how this spread to western culture as well in spin offs.
Comment on Trouble in the Baltics: Nationalism, Environmentalism, and Singing(?) by Nick Umana
The riots that took place as a reaction to Gorbachev’s leadership was symbolic to the disapproval of the direction of the government from Latvia and Lithuania at the time. I was unaware how serious these riots were and that they had actually created a series of casualties. What specific environmental movements did people rally behind in this time of frustration?
Comment on Aw (Foe)y What Have We Done by Nick Umana
I wasn’t aware that the Soviets spent an entire 10 years in Afghanistan while pursuing influence into these third world countries. This displays how determined the Soviet Union was to spread themselves into third world countries. What lessons do you think the United States could have taken out of this?
Comment on Russian Rock’n’Roll, Avoiding Mind Control? by Nick Umana
Its very cool to see how Rock and Roll initially played a similar roll in the Soviet Union the way that it did with the United States. It makes sense that the Soviet government would want to control it though, especially with its slowly increasing popularity during that time. How effective was the Soviet controlled Rock and Roll?
Comment on Russian for the Summer Olympics by Nick Umana
The images that you chose are very interesting and appear to represent your post pretty well. How did the citizens react to the boycott? I assume they would be relatively disapointed from this.
Comment on Comrades of the Traveling Pants by Nick Umana
It’s really interesting how western culture played a small role in this. The factor that jeans and the black market played in economics at this time brings up a really interesting point about how the market worked back then.
Comment on Russian Into Afghanistan by Nick Umana
I never realized how ironic that situation actually was. I wonder if it set a precedent for Afghanistan relations with other nations and eventually us. Were the Soviets expecting to have as much trouble as they did?
Comment on Sputnik Revisited by Nick Umana
The space race made a big impact on the Cold War and was a driving force behind much of the tension that was created at the time. It’s interesting to see how the American public reacted to the space race in your article. I think that sputnik was a symbol of competition at that time and it helped to get the support of the American people
Comment on The Worst Thing About Prison was… the Dementors by Nick Umana
Interesting post. Referencing Harry Potter was a nice touch in the title as well. I had no idea how tightly structured the prisoners lives were back in those rough conditions. There were alot of harsh restraints placed upon them after leaving those camps.
