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 →
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 →
The Soviet Vietnam
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In 1973, King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan was deposed, ending nearly three hundred years of monarchical rule in the country. A republican government followed which lasted until the April 1978 Saur Revolution, when Soviet-backed Afghan communists assassinated the president … Continue reading →
The Dark Side of the Space Race
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The men and women who were among the first to travel into space are often seen as pioneers. A less often heard perspective is that they were troops on the front lines of the Cold War. Like conventional soldiers, they … Continue reading →
Cleaning Up the Mess
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In March of 1953, Joseph Stalin died under suspicious circumstances, ending his quarter-century-long reign over the Soviet Union. With his death, the party machine he established gradually crumbled as various personalities tried to consolidate power. The eventual victor was Nikita … Continue reading →
False Mourning
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Joseph Stalin was, if nothing else, an opportunist, and that can be seen clearly in the tactics he used to come to power in the decade following Lenin’s death. A particularly strong example can be seen in 1934′s Kirov Affair, … Continue reading →
Endgame: Shifting Loyalties
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Weak Fixes for Growing Problems
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Last week, I alluded to Nicholas II’s unwillingness to give up absolute power in a time of growing unrest in his country. Of the failed ploys by Russian monarchists to appease revolutionary forces, none were on such a large scale … Continue reading →
A Game of Kings and Peasants
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Despite the Russian Empire’s rapid entry onto the world stage after Peter the Great’s program of westernization in the early 18th century, it began to lag far behind countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States during the … Continue reading →