The red flood which drowned the 3.8 million soldiers of Germany’s armies during Operation Barbarossa was not the creeping tide of the Red Army. Rather, it was a tidal wave of blood and transmission fluid, of Soviet sanguine sacrifice and industrial output which cascaded through the men and machines of the German Sixteenth Army, of […]
Month: March 2019
They’re red, they’re dead, but there’s no redemption.
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Starting in 1936, the Soviet world saw the beginning of The Great Terror. An event so monumentally bloody that it would come to be one of the most prominent figures in the western world’s eyes when they looked at the USSR. The Great Terror was the systematic trial and elimination of individuals deemed disloyal to … Continue reading They’re red, they’re dead, but there’s no redemption. →
A Broken Promise: the Role of the “New Woman” in Stalin’s Soviet Union
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During the period after the October Revolution until roughly the time period of Lenin’s death, the Soviet Union was embracing radically new and egalitarian societal and cultural customs with regards to women. Lead by pioneers such as Ekaterina Breshovskaia and Aleksandra Kollontai, the October Revolution inspired a sense of independence in women that was suppressed … Continue reading A Broken Promise: the Role of the “New Woman” in Stalin’s Soviet Union
Staging Staged On-Stage Heroes
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As the early Bolshevik regime came to power after the Russian Civil War, the party and public underwent severe political, cultural, governmental, and economic reforms. As the rapid changes occurred the Communist Party noticed increasing resistance and rising new problems. Demand for grain, mineral, ore, and material production, political assassinations and censorship, and lack of … Continue reading Staging Staged On-Stage Heroes
Mass Manipulation
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From Khrushchev’s first usage of the term to the umbrella that it has turned into, I have always been intrigued by various “Cults of Personalties” of regimes across history. A Cult of Personality refers to all the strategies, tactics, manipulation, and propaganda a leader and or government will use to maintain control and influence over … Continue reading Mass Manipulation
Fizz the Season
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For years champagne was been a symbol of celebration and prosperity. Soviet champagne was a symbol of decadence and comfort immediately after a tumultuous period of famine and immediately prior to a horrific fear and uncertainty. Might it be possible that indulgence provoked the events that followed? Famine. We begin with collectivization and industrialization. The … Continue reading Fizz the Season →
“Family Matters”
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Following the mass industrialization beginning in 1917 the Russian family dynamic faced a new shift. There was an increase in children outside of marriage, and generational ties within families weakening. In 1918 under Bolshevik rule, the “Code of Marriage was established” this then allowed for women to take on a new role. Under this code … Continue reading “Family Matters”
PG: Pa(tern)al Guidance Suggested
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Hello all and welcome to my next blog post! In my last post I researched what the life of a young peasant girl might be like in Russia before 1917. This time I have decided to switch the perspective I am analyzing while continuing to stick with the theme of social IDs. I like doing … Continue reading PG: Pa(tern)al Guidance Suggested
The Moscow Metro
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The Moscow Metro is renowned for being if not the most beautiful, one of this most beautiful, metros in the world. The construction of the metro began during an extremely tumultuous period of the Soviet Union; a time when the country as a whole was going through rapid collectivization and industrialization. The first stage of … Continue reading The Moscow Metro →
Parade of Athletes
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During the late 1920s into the early 1930s, there was a debate about the difference between capitalist and socialist physical culture. In the past, before the revolution, most sports had been accessible only to the privileged social classes. The Bolsheviks had been isolated to the physical culture of sports and hygiene. But in the 1930’s … Continue reading Parade of Athletes →
