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 →
Comrades’ Corner
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 […]
Freezing in Siberia: 20th Century Russia 2014-12-07 23:47:59
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The Chernobyl nuclear accident is perhaps the most well-known and worst nuclear accident to have ever occurred. While many factors contributed to the blast, the most interesting aspect of Chernobyl is the way the Soviet Government reported on the … Continue reading →
Radioactive Russia: The Chernobyl Disaster
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The Chernobyl Disaster exploded in the Soviet Union’s face in more ways than one. On April 26, 1986, radiator number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine experienced a power surge, then exploded. This explosion and subsequent fire released massive quantities of … Continue reading →
Don’t Ride the Ferris Wheel
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One of the most tragic man made disasters that has ever occurred happened on April 26th 1986 in Chernobyl. I most likely do not even have to go into further detail for you to know what I’m writing about. Yes, the nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl Ukraine is the instance that is being referred to. Early […]
Welcome to the Party, Russia
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When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it had no concept of what a free market was (with the exception of the illegal black markets). However, when the Iron Curtain came crashing down, American companies were quick to enter the new market that contained millions of new potential customers. Gorbachev, who is often credited with […]
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
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The overspending on the Cold War and the inefficiency of the centrally planned economy for consumer goods had become insurmountable problems when the final General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev took office in 1985. Gorbachev attempted to … Continue reading →
Give Me Latvia or Give Me Death
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Once all the dust had settled from the tragedy that was WW1, three nation-states emerged in Northeastern Europe: Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. These three countries lived in relative peace from other nations until 1939 when Stalin and Hitler made a backroom deal that not only angered these Baltic nations, but the rest of the world. […]
The Iron Curtain Fears A Little Bit of Rock n’ Roll
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In the 1980′s, youth culture was rapidly changing and the newer generations were always after the most hip fashions, music, and styles from the West. The USSR had little in terms of pop culture flair, so Russia youths always tried to get their hands on music from the US and UK. Rock music, especially what […]