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: Seventh Research Digest
Baltic Independence
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Having been forcefully occupied and integrated by the Soviet Union as per the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939, the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were not incredibly loyal to the Soviet Union. From 1940 onward, Moscow underwent Sovietization policies … Continue reading →
The Sobering of Society: The Effect of the Anti-Alcohol Movement on the Family
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In 1895, when Gorbachev launched his anti-alcohol campaign, his goal was to create a better society by limiting the consumption of alcohol. He took extreme measures to reduce alcohol consumption, such as limiting shops that sold alcohol, destroying vineyards, and reducing the production of alcohol significantly. Certainly Gorbachev’s campaign had several positive effects. The stateContinue reading “The Sobering of Society: The Effect of the Anti-Alcohol Movement on the Family”
The Dry Law
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In many countries, alcohol is used during celebrations among family, get together with friends, and other hospitality purposes but when used in moderation. Alcohol generated an enormous revenue from indirect taxes for the Soviet Union and in 1979 the state received twenty-five billion rubles in taxes from alcohol beverage. (Anti-Alcohol Campaign) Even though alcohol is …
Chernobyl Meltdown: Russia’s Most Iconic Disaster
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The Chernobyl Meltdown is one of the most well known nuclear disasters around the world. This particular disaster occurred in 1986 where a lack of knowledge and a poorly put together experiment caused Reactor 4 to quickly become unstable and blow the containment lids sky high further allowing the secretion of radiation into the atmosphere […]
Chernobyl: The Not So Symbolic End Of The Peoples Union.
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In U.S history I was told that the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the symbolic end of the Soviet Union. This appears to be the common consensus among politicians of the time as well as historians. President Ronald Reagan is even championed for helping bring down this great wall as well asContinue reading “Chernobyl: The Not So Symbolic End Of The Peoples Union.”
Why Did They Ban the Booze?
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In 1985, newly elected General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, started the anti-alcohol campaign. This quick and intense campaign attempted to solve a problem that had been effecting Russia for hundreds of years: alcoholism. Today I want to give a little background of the problem, how it effected the Soviet Union both sociallyContinue reading “Why Did They Ban the Booze?”
The End of An Era?
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The Soviet Union by 1991 was in complete disarray and decline. General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, taking over in 1985, had done much to try and reform the Soviet Union in order for it to keep pace with the West. However, the declining economy and the opposition by hard-line members of the Communist Party of Soviet […]
Chernobyl: Who Was At Fault?
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During the early morning on April 26, 1986, one of the most significant and influential moments of the last 40 years occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. During a test, the plant’s no. 4 reactor completely exploded, allowing radiation to escape and spread across northern Ukraine along with the rest of Europe. Following the …
Summer Darty planned? Russian Anti-Alcohol Campaign will make you think twice
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It should not come as a surprise that alcohol is intrinsically connected to Russia culture. From the perspective of the government, alcohol is providing a hefty financial benefit. In 1979, Russia pulled in over 25.4 billion rubles for taxes related to alcohol purchases which totaled up more than income tax revenue from the entire population.Continue reading “Summer Darty planned? Russian Anti-Alcohol Campaign will make you think twice”
