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 →
Week 10 Posts
The Corn Campaign
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The 1960s brought with them a multitude of agricultural and economic changes beginning with the realization that in order to improve anything, the Soviets needed to grow more crops to feed the livestock. Nikita Khrushchev stated in 1954, “There will be no communism if our country has as much metal and cement as you like […]
Czech Yourself before you Wreck Yourself
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The Crisis in Czechoslovakia was yet another pivotal moment between the Soviet Union and another one of the Soviet bloc countries. “Socialism with a human face” was the slogan Alexander Dubcek utilized in promoting the Czechoslovakia Communist Party’s platform in 1968. As … Continue reading →
The Strugatsky Brothers
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The Strugatsky Brothers were an author duo which rose to fame during the 1960′s as science fiction writers. Their books initially were lauding the way of Soviet thought, they later very quietly spoke of the downfalls of Soviet society. For example, Noon: 22nd Century, published in 1962, praised the science that was commonly attributed to […]
The Soviet Union Around the World
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In the 1950s and 1960s, relations between Communist and Russia, former allies against western imperialism, began to deteriorate.There were several causes behind this. The biggest factor was conflict over nuclear weapons. China wanted to develop nuclear weapons similar to Russia, … Continue reading →
The Soviets Didn’t Give a Dam
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Throughout their history, the Soviets have not been a people to care much about the environment. It could be said that this is because they have so much land it doesn’t really matter. Either way, the damming of the Angara River, which began in 1955 perfectly shows the lack of preservation that many Soviets had. … Continue reading »
Meat, Margarine, and Murder
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The Soviet Union has always been known for their quick draw reflexes to silence anyone within their sovereignty who vocalized dissent to their reign. One of these moments to mention is the Novocherkassk massacre of 1962. This massacre was the Continue reading →
To Infinity and Then a Rough Trip Home
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One of the coolest moments of my life occurred while I was touring Звёздный городо́к, otherwise known as ‘Star City’, the home of the Russian space program. As I stepped off the bus, I noticed a women walking towards the group I was with surrounded by what looked like a few body guards. This lady […]
Corn flakes for comrades
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Corn seems fairly common place to just about anyone who grew up in the western world, especially the United States. We are used to seeing the familiar crop in brands such as Corn Flakes, movie theater snacks in the shape of pop corn, or off the grill as “corn on the cob”. Simply put, corn […]
Sino-Soviet disputes
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The idea of Communism usually involved the notion that all Communist people are united under the goals of promoting the strength of the working class. However, these goals might differ and certain cultures may interpret the Communist agenda in different ways. Once strong allies, The People’s Republic of China and the Soviet […]