After his ascension to the position of General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev faced numerous problems both in Soviet society and in government. A combination of inefficient industry, lack of free press, and an undemocratic political system created an ineffective government and stagnant economy. To tackle these problems, Gorbachev launched the revolutionary campaign of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). Perestroika […]
Read moreDuring the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, the Soviet Union was not only concerned with its conflict in the …
As the end of World War 2 came and went the rise of the Russian Red Bear became the latest thing to steal headlines. With this rise, Russian leader, Joseph Stalin instilled a new form of fear into the people of Russia. Xenophobia, the irrational fear of people from other countries. This new fear was […]
Read more
Through the late 1930’s the Soviet union was experiencing a new more quite change. While propaganda was a standard in the USSR there was a more serious influence that was occurring at the top. During this period Stalin had grown even more paranoid, and while the Purges rooted out his possible rivals and nay sayers […]
Read moreStalin and Molotov were two of the cruelest individuals in the Soviet Union, but Kliment Voroshilov was equally as cruel, albeit much more understated in his work. Voroshilov played the role of “chief henchman” for Stalin, and supported many of his initiatives during the Great Purges. Trotsky famously said about him, “The life of Voroshilov […]
In 1938, the Soviet Union reached out to Finland’s government to inform them that Stalin believed war to be inevitable with Germany and that the Soviet Union wanted Finish lands and islands in order to advance and fight the Germans. A previous Russian territory, Finland refused all Soviet advances to take their lands and remained […]
