The events of April 26, 1986 raised serious questions not only about nuclear safety and the dangers of nuclear power but also about the state of the Soviet Union and Mikhail Gorbachev. Following the devastating explosion of the fourth reactor Continue reading →
Andrei Sakharov: A Soviet Hero, A Soviet Villain
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As the battle for nuclear superiority raged between the US and the Soviet Union, it was the famed Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov who pulled the USSR onto a level playing field. He led the Third Idea program that designed and Continue reading →
Reviving Russia: It’s not Rocket Science, Or Is It?
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The Soviet Union efforts at rapid industrialization and technological advancement from the announcement of the First Five-Year Plan in 1929 through the Cold War space race of the 1960’s did make great strides towards catching up to the rapidly evolving Continue reading →
Bombs Away
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Throughout the 1940’s and 50’s the United States and Russia were in a constant battle to outpace each other in the development of military armaments. With the ever-present tension, both nations felt that war could be looming on the horizon Continue reading →
Scientific Collectivization
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Starting in the 1930’s and continuing throughout the 1950’s in Russia, Joseph Stalin ruled with complete authority and controlled nearly every aspect on Russian life. His policies of collectivization and industrialization, along with the horrific measures he used to develop Continue reading →
Shock Workers: The Heroes of Industrialization
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Plagued by famine, revolution, war, and backwardness, Russia had fallen behind the leading powers of the world in almost every aspect of development. Stalin, well aware of this constant game of catch-up, understood that they were slipping further behind with Continue reading →
From Death Comes New Life
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To say that the Bolsheviks had firmly established themselves as the leaders of Russia following the events of the October revolution is a vast overestimate of their position. The revolution of 1917 raged on for many years, following the initial Continue reading →
What Makes Lenin Tick?
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The period leading up to and during the 1917 revolution can be categorized by a series of great rifts that develop throughout Russia stemming from the sheer number of issues that arose and the diverse solutions proposed to solve them. Continue reading →
The Rise and Fall of the Kadets
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The revolutionary era that tore through Russia at the start of the 20th century gave rise to a plethora of solutions to the burning questions surrounding industrialization, autocracy, minorities, and the role of the peasants, a midst many other things. Continue reading →
Prokudin-Gorskii: Ties to Mendeleev and Education Reform
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Depicted above is a self-portrait of the famed Russian photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. In looking through the many images he captured in his journey around Russia between 1907 and 1915, I found it remarkable how much he was able Continue reading →