Last post highlighted the immediate effects of Mikhail Gorbachev’s governmental reforms. As the 1980s came to a close, Gorbachev struggled to maintain control of the crumbling Soviet Union. One of the most popular men in the country during his first … Continue reading →
Monthly Archives: December 2014
The Rise of Vladimir Putin
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There is no shortage of infamous characters in Russian history. Recently, one figure has appeared determined to insert his name, Vladimir Putin, to the list. Putin first came to power in 1999 when he was appointed Prime Minister by Boris Yeltsin. Shortly after, Yeltsin resigned as President, appointing Putin as his successor. In a matter […]
Melting Down and Moving Forward
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Welcome to the final edition of the weekly digest for the fall of 2014. The meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor and Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign proved to be the most popular topics by far, but the dissolution of the Warsaw pact, the problems of the Soviet health system, the Russian fascination with Western music, and the failing economy all inspired good posts that shed insight on the collapse of Soviet communism.
The End of Soviet Afghanistan
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By the mid-1980′s, the Soviets were struggling in Afghanistan. Troops were no longer deployed outside of urban areas, which left the Afghan countryside to the control of the West- and foreign-funded militants. These militants would end up fighting each other after the Soviets eventually withdrew from Afghanistan, they managed to band together and fight the […]
Demise of the Aral Sea
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A wild ninth post has appeared! Previously considered to be one of the largest lakes in the world, in modern times the Aral Sea has shrunk to less than 10% of its original size of 68,000 square kilometers. Just this … Continue reading →
Cher-NOOOOOOOOO-byl
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26 April 1986- The Number 4 reactor in the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine explodes after a power surge, releasing tons (figuratively, not literally) of radiative dust and radiation into the air. 38 people were killed as a result of the explosion, and an estimated 100,000 more were killed or suffered sever health degeneration in […]
A Sobering Topic for a Drunken Nation
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There are many jokes made about the amount of alcohol a Irish, German, or Russian can drink and many people, college students in particular, rant and rave that they can drink just as much as a Russian can. The manhood … Continue reading →
As Quickly As It Came
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The great irony regarding the fall of the Soviet Union is that the largest contributing factor to the collapse was the wave of political and economic reforms put in place to try and prevent it. Mikhail Gorbachev, without realizing it, … Continue reading →
Chernobyl Disaster
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An article praising the Chernobyl plant was published in February 1986 stating that “the odds of a meltdown are one in 10,000 years.” 2 months later, one of the world’s largest nuclear disasters occurred in that very same plant. The … Continue reading →
Cheers Comrades
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Throughout my whole life I knew about the Prohibition in the United States, where alcoholic beverages became illegal. Beyond that it never crossed my mind that other countries may have tried the same approach as the United States, especially as recently as the 1980′s and in Russia. All I have heard my whole life is […]