Following the launch of Sputnik I, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States was in full swing. The implications of the race would have lasting effects throughout both nations involved. The international tension was of importance not only for the advancement of military technology but also for the cultural reform still … Continue reading Cosmonauts and Propaganda
Category: 9th Weekly Edition
Third World Friends
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The Soviet Union during the 1950’s and 1960’s began to shift their focus to creating better relations with what was beginning to be called the Third World. These developing nations were prime for a world power to back them and declare their government legitimate. Third World nations, mainly African and Asian nations looked to … Continue reading Third World Friends
Manuscripts Don’t Burn
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For my blog post of the week, I wanted briefly look at censorship in 1960’s Soviet Russia and how censorship effected The Master and Margarita, a book by that many consider to be one of the greatest pieces of literature of the… Continue Reading →
The Illusion of Khrushchev
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Khrushchev started out his reign as an a ruler that was for the people. He worked to raise the standard of living for the people and increase agricultural production. He worked to revive and de-censor the arts. He started
Shoot to Kill
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Imagine you are a Soviet citizen who works in a locomotive building plant day in and day out, just to make ends meet. You work hard to provide for your family and to provide food on the table so that your children are able to eat. For the last ten years, the economy has been… Continue reading Shoot to Kill →
Even Less Church Bells…
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Continuing my theme of religion, this week on the 17 moments page I found an interesting topic about Khrushchev and his role in the (further) destruction of the church. The church was already losing power (Stalin was afraid of the … Continue reading →
Time Machine is (surprisingly) Not Just an Apple App
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Most people of our time, including Google, think of an Apple application when discussing (or searching) the term “Time Machine.” However, during the timeframe of the sixties in Soviet Russia,
Czechoslovakia Gets a Little too Western for Brezhnev
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On August 20th, 1968, Warsaw Pact tanks and soldiers invaded Czechoslovakia in order to put down peaceful protests inspired by Alexander Dubček’s attempts at reforming the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Dubček wanted to enact democratic reforms, including freedom of speech and assembly as well as economic reforms, in order to improve socialism. These reforms can be … Continue reading “Czechoslovakia Gets a Little too Western for Brezhnev”
The Khrushchev Slums
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One of the most noteworthy aspects of everyday Soviet life was the nature of their homes. While Westerners normally lived in single family houses and apartments, only about a third of Soviet families lived in single family homes. Just over half of the Soviet population lived in apartments, and about half of that portion lived in communal […]
Khrushchev Slums
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Khrushchev wrote in his memoirs that the lack of housing for his people was a major concern of his. While in power, he devised a new housing plan that took place throughout the 1950s that revolved mostly on apartment buildings being built as quickly as possible. The investment on housing construction in the late ‘50s … Continue reading Khrushchev Slums
