On June 12th of 1987 Ronald Reagan delivered his now famous speech in front of a large West German crowd near the Berlin wall. Officially, President Reagan was commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin. In reality, his speech harshly mocked the increasingly contradictory nature of the Soviet Union during the 1980′s. Soviet policies under Gorbachev had gradually […]
Red Star
Behind the Iron Curtain: Western Music and the Soviet Collapse
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The rise of Mikhail Gorbachev to General Secretary of the Soviet Union ushered in a time of general reform in Soviet Russia. This reform was not out of want, but rather out of necessity. The volatility of the international oil and natural gas markets, along with the ups and downs of the ever-struggling agricultural sector, […]
The Party Stops the Party: Soviet Russian Curbs Alcohol Consumption1985-1987
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1985 was a tumultuous time for Soviet Russia. Gorbachev took over as the Secretary General and saw that it was part of his mandate to see an end to a rampant problem in the Soviet states. Alcohol had long been a cultural and traditional part of Russian society, usually accompanying celebration. Alcohol itself held […]
A Sick State
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Russian health collapsed with the Soviet state, worsening during the political instability of the 1990′s, and continuing to suffer in the 21st century. In 1991, Russia’s Ministry of Health reported a negative rate of population change for the first time in the nation’s records. Unheard of for a world power, Russia’s dire state of public health…
The Warsaw Pact: A Union No Longer
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The collapse of the Soviet Union was a long and complex process that included in a number of different reasons. Therefore, when the Warsaw Pact was dissolved in February 25, 1991 by the ministers of the countries involved in the Warsaw … Continue reading →
Chernobyl: Crisis in a Crucial Time
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Even on its own, the meltdown at Chernobyl in April of 1986 is one of the worst man-made disasters in history. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by this disaster — some relocated, some faced severe health effects and … Continue reading →
Soviets to the Rescue? The U.S.S.R. in Afghanistan
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“The Soviet contingent will be completely withdrawn from Afghanistan when the factors that made this action necessary are no longer present.” This quote appeared in a Pravda article on December 31st, 1979 and is an excellent example of how … 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 →
Rock Goes Russian
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Estrada, or stage music, was the preferred music of 1973. It rarely addressed the social issues of the time, but rather focused on the official boundaries of Soviet discourse. The musical establishment of the time “controlled the business through exclusive rights to lease stages, issue recording contracts, contract for radio and television appearances, or to […]
Desperate for Jeans
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In the 1970s, the USSR is thought to go through a period of stagnation. However, there was little stagnation in the economy. Brezhnev’s Five-year plan from 1971-1975 had as its goal the improvement of the people’s standard of living. To achieve … Continue reading →