After the death of Stalin in March 1953, Nikita Khrushchev succeeded as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Georgii Malenkov (Council of Ministers) and Lavrentii Beria (leader of the KGB) joined Khrushchev as formed a collective leadership. This collective leadership quickly derailed, as Khrushchev and … Continue reading Was the Virgin Lands Campaign a Success? →
Down with Religion
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What role did nationality and religion play in the formation of the Soviet State? After the 1917 Revolution, one of the Bolsheviks’ main objective was to reverse the deeply-rooted Russian Orthodox ideals in order to establish gosateizm (state atheism). The new regime confiscated church property, ridiculed religion and its followers, and propagated atheism in the … Continue reading Down with Religion →
Let’s Talk About Sex
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In the period of glasnost, or openness, in the Soviet Union, the conversation on prostitution became a public topic (Von Geldern). It wasn’t until 1987 that specific laws prohibiting prostitution were introduced in the Soviet Union. Prior to 1987, prostitution was taboo to many Soviets. I found it interesting that during an American talk show … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Sex →
Going off the Rails on a Murmansk Train
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Here is a picture taken by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky in 1915. The photo is called Ladva Station on the Murmansk Railroad. Uneveness of the Railway. Prokudin captured this photo (along with thousands of others) while traveling through the Russia Empire. Murmansk is a port city in northwest Russia. It was the last city founded in the Russian Empire. Murmansk gives people in western Russia highway … Continue reading Going off the Rails on a Murmansk Train →
