In the midst of violence and animosity, romance was a common denominator between all opposing sides. However, the traditional idea of ‘forever’ was foreign and the knowledge that they may never see each other ever again made wartime love even more appealing in such dark times. The 1940’s reintroduced the diminishment of traditional gender roles, … Continue reading All is Fair in Love and War, or is it? →
Month: April 2019
Changing Goals: Consumerism in the Soviet Union under Stalin
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Under the first five year plan, industrialization of the “backwards” and agrarian Soviet Union was paramount. For most of its existence, the Soviet economy functioned (and would continue to function) as a “dictatorship over needs.” (Soviet Consumerism) It’s not until the rule of Khrushchev with the Kitchen Debate and the Seven Year Plan that consumerism … Continue reading Changing Goals: Consumerism in the Soviet Union under Stalin
Rosie The Russian Riveter
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After reading another classmate’s post about propaganda usage in media and in the movie industry, I was intrigued and wanted to look more into the role that propaganda has, especially during war time. When looking at the Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, I stumbled upon a piece about the role of women in war time …
The New Order (Anthem)
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In 1944 at the height of World War II, the Soviet Union was graced with a new national anthem. This…
The Patriotic War and the Aftermath
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Even though the Soviet Union was at a disadvantage, they were able to prevail in the Great Patriotic War. There were many factors at play that led to the defeat of the Nazi regime, one of them being the ability of the soviet dictatorship to be centralized and to have direct control and rapid mobilization. … Continue reading The Patriotic War and the Aftermath →
Peacetime Blues: Tough Livin’ in Post-Victory Russia
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It goes without saying that winning a war takes sacrifice, but that sacrifice often causes ripple effects as the years after the war go by. Aside from how the Soviets may have benefited from their eventual victory, they endured major negative consequences from WWII across many aspects of their society. Specifically, the practical costs to … Continue reading Peacetime Blues: Tough Livin’ in Post-Victory Russia →
Homecoming
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Welcome to my next blogpost! This week’s social identity is that of a soldier returning home for the first time in the aftermath of the “Great Patriotic War”, also known as World War II. As with my other posts, I like to focus on specific identities. This helps form connections with history which remind me … Continue reading Homecoming
Communism…From a Distance
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“Snipers came of age during World War II.” Snipers throughout the war became instruments of death. During World War I, snipers had been used to kill from a distance between trenches but had not quite been used to it’s full lethal potential with usage of increased optics and weaponry as well as deployed on a … Continue reading Communism…From a Distance →
The Soviet Victory in WWII
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Above is an image of Kiev during Operation Barbarossa World War proved to be the deadliest conflict in human history. With total war related deaths ranging from 70-85 million people, the war is still stained into the memories of many. Put simply, no country on Earth went unaffected in some way by this war. Nowhere … Continue reading The Soviet Victory in WWII →
Killing the Massacre
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Katyn Forest Massacre 1939. The Partition. Following the invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, Poland was partitioned between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union claimed it was freeing Ukrainian and Belorussian workers who were supposedly being oppressed by Polish rulers in order to legitimize its invasion of and … Continue reading Killing the Massacre →
