No the kind of music I was expecting but still pretty fascinating. Government propaganda taking the form of music is not a new concept, but this song is almost comical with how Soviet it is. Good post!
Author: scmaclay
Comment on Episode 6: Return of the Jet Age by scmaclay
That is a really cool NYT article! I feel like the importance of international travel is diminished because it is cheaper and faster. This post really shows how important something like a new plane route is to the interconnectedness of two countries. Good work!
Comment on Aw (Foe)y What Have We Done by scmaclay
Great post! The increased negotiation between the United State and the Soviet Union really was the biggest achievement during detente. While detente meant an easing of tensions between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union were still eager to expand their influence at the expense of the other. Great links to the Current Digest as well!
Comment on Everybody’s a critic: Khrushchev’s thoughts on art by scmaclay
I got a laugh at Khrushchev’s tirade against Zheltovskii, it caught me off-guard how crass Khrushchev could be. Despite all the apparent openness that we have seen, like in posts about the 6th International Youth Festival, there was a hard limit to what the Party, and Khrushchev, would allow. Great post!
Comment on Shoot For The Moon. Even If The Cosmonaut Misses He’ll Land Among The Stars by scmaclay
I like your title, it is eye-catching and represents the post well. You said it well, Yuri Gagarin represented the progress and success of the Soviet Union. After all, space flight is an astounding accomplishment, especially for a state that was in a life or death struggle a handful of years earlier. Solid post!
Comment on Betrayal at the Kremlin! by scmaclay
I like that you put Khrushchev’s grievances against Stalin into neat bullet points. Like Dr. Nelson said, it could use some extra research to give it a good kick. Besides that, good post!
Comment on Sputnik and the Space Race by scmaclay
I wish we still had the same enthusiasm to go to Mars as people did during the Space Race. That said, the Space Race was a great way to show off your rocketry program and flex your military muscle. Solid post! I liked the inclusion of the Sedov article.
Comment on The Theatre Thaw(?) by scmaclay
I really like your connection between censorship in the United States and the Soviet Union. I am not familiar with Soviet theater and arts, so this is very interesting for me to learn about. During your research, did you find anything relating to Soviet opinions on the House of Un-American Activities Committee?
Comment on The Ear-Resistible Crop by scmaclay
Who knew corn could be so important? It sounds ridiculous but the success of corn was something to hang your hat on. Unfortunately, it came around to bite Khrushchev. Really solid post!
Comment on Soviet Leisure Time by scmaclay
I liked that you tied the growth of urbanization to the growth of sports viewership and other leisure activities. During your research, did you find anything about the demographics of people who migrated to urban centers? Were they young or old? Russian or another ethnicity?
