When one thinks of Stalin one of the first things that comes to mind is crushing oppression. Images of gulags and mass executions of political rivals, dissidents, and anyone deemed an ‘enemy of the people’, are forever intertwined with his name. The largest and most widespread of these purges known as the Great Terror occurred…
Category: Comrade’s Corner
Cult of Personality: Stalin versus Hitler
by •
In Chapter 11 of Russia a History, Freeze compares Stalin and the Nazi’s rise to power. This was a compelling observation to me so I looked into “The Cult of Personality” in Seventeen Moments which describes this as “a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the … Continue reading Cult of Personality: Stalin versus Hitler
Lev’s Slow Downfall and Demise
by •
Leon Trotsky, a Marxist revolutionary and theorist, played a huge part in Soviet history in the 1900s. He helped transfer political power to the Soviets with the October Revolution in 1917 and helped form the Red Army. During the
Soviet Football Rivalries Got Very Serious
by •
Though the early Soviet government promoted sport and physical fitness (a healthy population was considered reflective of a healthy society), they generally considered organized competition to be against socialist ideals of cooperation. International competition especially was avoided; the Soviet government refused to take part in the ‘capitalist’ Olympics until the 1950s. Instead they held the … Continue reading “Soviet Football Rivalries Got Very Serious”
We Love the Leader
by •
The Cult of Personality that rose up around Stalin in the 30’s is a phenomenon which reached even beyond Soviet borders, twice being chosen as Time’s Man of the Year in ’39 and ’42. Rallying around Stalin was nevertheless a … Continue reading →
The Champagne Train
by •
The importance of wine is not in its ability to get you drunk but in its cultural expression. Wine, for centuries, has been the drink paired with thoughts of wealth, culture and seems to be some marker of a state’s innovation and stature. Everyone wants a taste of the great drink, even Russia. When people […]
Shocking Workers of the USSR
by •
Link to Sophia’s post here.
1929: Make a ‘Great turn’ away from religion and into the factories
by •
I’m Going Over to the Six-Day Work Week (1929) Heavenly Powers: Guards! They have a knife! Save me! Source: Bezbozhnik u stanka. Moscow: M.K.R.K.P.. 1923. The Soviet disdain for religion had been well known in society when the crackdown began in 1929, but its efforts stretched back to even before the founding of the USSR. …
Continue reading “1929: Make a ‘Great turn’ away from religion and into the factories”
Sporty Chic(k)
by •
The featured image is a 1929 painting by Ivan Kulikov that highlights the importance of sport in Russia during the late 1920s. The “Great Turn” was a major departure from the New Economic Police (NEP), a movement many thought was… Continue Reading →
The Railroad Raids
by •
CER Railroad: Dower, J. W. (n.d.). MIT Visualizing Cultures [Map]. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from https://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/asia_rising/ar_essay01.html […]
