cnritchey

“We Came to Beat up Punks, Hippies, and Break Dancers, too”

During the decline of the Soviet Union, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the theme of dissident and rebellious youth continued.  As you can read about in my last blog post, the “stilyagi” emerged in the 1950s as a counter-culture, Western-style movement of rebellious youths.  The older generations despised this new movement; they were… Continue reading “We Came to Beat up Punks, Hippies, and Break Dancers, too”

The Original Hipsters

During the 1950s in Soviet Russia, a counter-culture movement called the “stilyagi” emerged.  This movement was pro-Western in culture; they wore outfits similar to the zoot suits of the West with bright colors and tight pants.  They were intrigued by Western culture, and went to great lengths to be immersed in it—even as far as… Continue reading The Original Hipsters

Pavlik’s Story

The Soviet Union is famous for its powerful propaganda, and Pavlik Morozov represents it perfectly.  The story goes that Pavlik was a young boy who reported his father to the authorities for hoarding grain during the time of Stalin’s collective farming. He was killed for these actions and viewed as a hero of the state,… Continue reading Pavlik’s Story