“We Came to Beat up Punks, Hippies, and Break Dancers, too”

During the decline of the Soviet Union, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the theme of dissident and rebellious youth continued.  As you can read about in my last blog post, the “stilyagi” emerged in the 1950s as a counter-culture, Western-style movement of rebellious youths.  The older generations despised this new movement; they were…

The Original Hipsters

During the 1950s in Soviet Russia, a counter-culture movement called the “stilyagi” emerged.  This movement was pro-Western in culture; they wore outfits similar to the zoot suits of the West with bright colors and tight pants.  They were intrigued by Western culture, and went to great lengths to be immersed in it—even as far as…

From Allies to Enemies

The Soviet and United States alliance during the second World War turned shortly after into one of the greatest rivalries in history.  How did these two powers cooperate so efficiently to defeat Nazi Germany and a couple of years later do all they could to defeat the other? It is often the case that countries…

Pavlik’s Story

The Soviet Union is famous for its powerful propaganda, and Pavlik Morozov represents it perfectly.  The story goes that Pavlik was a young boy who reported his father to the authorities for hoarding grain during the time of Stalin’s collective farming. He was killed for these actions and viewed as a hero of the state,…

From Revolution to Revolution

The Revolution of 1917 had two parts to become the Communist Soviet Union that is typically thought of coming about after the tsar was abdicated.  The February revolution created a provisional government that lasted for eight months.  It was a more conservative government with ideals of liberal democracy.  Its goal was to implement more liberal…

Japan & The 1905 Revolution

The Russo Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 overlapped, suggesting that perhaps the war emphasized some of the issues that were already fueling the revolution.   Beginning in January 1904, the Russo-Japanese War lasted until September 1905.  Although the island nation of Japan was known to have a fairly strong navy, Russia was known…

Russian Reform & Contradiction

Russia’s contradictions define it as a nation. East vs. West, Old vs. New believers, “backwardness” vs. modernization, and the list continues.  Russia’s constant battle in these different contradictions has defined its actions, beliefs, and struggles throughout history. This photograph from Zlatoust, Russia in 1909 by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii visually represents the struggle between cultures that the…