Openness and restructuring When Mikhail Gorbachev embarked on his crusade of reforms and unleashed the forces of “Glasnost” and “Perestroika” he had confidence in the nationality policy of the Soviet State, and therefore felt comfortable opening up Soviet society to a wide range of economic change and political discord. However, Gorbachev soon found himself inContinue reading “A Look At The March Referendum: What Did it Mean for the Soviet State?”
Category: Greatest Hits
With Their Tanks, and Their Bombs, and Their Bombs, and Their Guns: Soviet Arms Exports
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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Soviet Union was the largest arms exporter in the world. According to Robbin Laird’s article “Soviet Arms Trade with the Noncommunist Third World”, in 1980 the USSR was responsible for 34% of the world’s arms exports. A CIA report from 1980 places the value of those salesContinue reading “With Their Tanks, and Their Bombs, and Their Bombs, and Their Guns: Soviet Arms Exports”
It Was the End of the World as We Knew It (And Did We Feel Fine?)
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Before You Start Freaking Out . . . Big disclaimer: this post WILL be a tad bit off-topic. I had a hard time picking something I really resonated with among the possible topics in the Seventeen Moments, BUT this article about the “detente” period in the late 60s and 70s got the ball rolling forContinue reading “It Was the End of the World as We Knew It (And Did We Feel Fine?)”
Afghanistan, the Vietnam of the Soviet Union
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I was pretty excited to see the Soviet–Afghan War in the event timeline for this week. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has always interested me and this made the perfect excuse to do some more research about it. What I found especially interesting was the similarities that this war had with the Vietnam war. IContinue reading “Afghanistan, the Vietnam of the Soviet Union”
Socialism With a Face: Prague Spring 1968
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In January of 1968, Alexander Dubcek took the position of First Secretary from Antonin Novotny, a man who struggled working with the youth and intellectuals who were beginning to take on a western influence in their lives. While Dubcek promised to stay in the Warsaw Pact, some of his policies were influenced by western ideals.Continue reading “Socialism With a Face: Prague Spring 1968”
Round Table of Soviet Authors: Why Western Sci-fi is Lame
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At first, the Soviet Union during the 1970’s appears to be a unexpected source of great science fiction literature. While the romanticized themes of cybernetics and automation certainly made their way into Soviet pop culture, the Soviet Union missed the
Who Actually Won the Space Race?
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When examing the Soviet Union during the Nikita Khrushchev era, many people think about the start of the Space Race between the USSR and the USA. The competition dominated the 1960s as both nations wanted to be the first, and, perhaps most powerful, nation in space. Growing up in America, I was always taught and …
What’s a Woman to Think? That She Doesn’t Have Time for Anything.
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“It was morning—the beginning of another day which, just like hundreds of days before it and thousands of days to come, would be filled with the bitterness and boredom of endless, terribly petty and soul-destroying work, all the things which filled the life of a housewife, the life of millions and millions of women.” (Fadeev)Continue reading “What’s a Woman to Think? That She Doesn’t Have Time for Anything.”
How A Chunk of Metal Pushed the Soviet Union Into A New Era
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In the wake of The Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union needed a leader that would rebuild the state from the remnants that were left when the war ended. Khrushchev was the one who stepped up and seemingly forced himself to step into the role Stalin once occupied. However, he was not keen on taking […]
Semyorka (R-7) USSR and the Space Race with the USA
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Stalin, in the early 1950s, press the USSR heavy industries along with the Soviet Military, to develop a rocket program that ultimately would lead to the Russian ICBM or Semyorka, also called the R-7. The first successful flight occurred on 21 August 1957. The “chief designer”, whose identity remained a state secret until 1966, was […]
