On this March 6th, a radio announcer begins, “Dearest Comrades and friends.” He begins knowing that the lives of all those who listened were about to be changed forever. And those poets who listened would somehow know their art could never be the same. The relationship between the Soviet citizens and Stalin is one of …
Author: thensoviet
Comment on Episode 5: The Motherland Strikes Back by thensoviet
Your articles are always so interesting to read, I love your writing style. But like many others have pointed out, the chance that if something had even gone slightly different our world wouldn’t be how it is now, is a terrifying and insane concept. You did a really good job of explaining how these decisions made the war end how it did and I really enjoyed reading this.
Comment on All is Fair in Love and War by thensoviet
This is a really interesting post! The change of gender roles in real life while the media perpetuated a norm of stereotypes is particularly reflective of the disparity between the difference in thought versus that of reality. I wonder why they attempted to hide this change rather than embrace it and re-envision the “ideal family.” Do you think that perhaps this stems from the Russian attachment to tradition?
Comment on Soviet Shock Workers and Stakhavonites by thensoviet
The phenomenon that occurred amongst Shock Workers is one of the biggest criticisms against a socialist society. With no opportunity to make tangible gains, what motivation will the people have to innovate? This is an interesting topic because, typically, all that is discussed is the flaws but never really anything that was done in an effort to combat them. I wonder how this culture of “Shock Workers” changed the Soviet landscape over time and how its implementation altered or affected that of socialism in its early stages. Great post!
Comment on The Magnitogorsk Experiment by thensoviet
First off, I really love your writing here. Really amazing. The need to industrialize was a common far among other global powers when it became clear the rest of the world was progressing and therefore, Russia was not the only nation to develop a 5-year plan to combat this lag. How do you think China’s 5-year plan compares to its Russian counterpart? Both are inherently flawed and notably cruel at times but which do you suppose did a better job in creating the modern nation it envisioned? Great post!
Comment on Open Up, Communism is Knocking on Your Door by thensoviet
This post is so interesting to me. Normally when we explore these things, we see them through the lens of historical writing or analysis. However, what you have done is put it in the first person so the reader has no choice but to face this dilemma. This is a really fascinating perspective. What do you think the modern ripples of this deportation are? How do you think it still impacts the culture of Russia today?
Protected: The Heroic Myth of Pavlik Morozov
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Comment on Off With Their Heads! by thensoviet
The role nationalism plays in a revolution and how strongly it can influence the tides of victory is really interesting. The one really key trait of Russian History is how complex and confusing it can be to place pieces together. Excellent post!
Comment on Young Communists and Young Thug by thensoviet
The youth of society determine the development of new standards of societal expectations so it makes a good deal of sense that youth programs would be developed to influence the newest generation. Similar perhaps to the Hitler Youth, this is a key part of developing a new state with new ideologies. Really great article!
Comment on Whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty masculine man! by thensoviet
This was a really interesting post, especially because this is such a unique time in the movement for women’s rights. It’s enlightening of not only how the masculine traditions of Soviet Russia affected the women but also how they affected the male population and their interpretation of a woman’s role and the tradition of Russia.
