Joseph Stalin became the center of the Communist Party as the 1930′s passed. Stalin had the short history of the Bolshevik party and the revolution re-written by a group of “objective” historians, to portray a history of the Communist Party … Continue reading →
Monthly Archives: October 2014
Uncategorized
The Start of a Massacre; The Assassination of Kirov
by jimmy jewett •
Image from http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/politics-and-society/sergeykirov/ Stalin, a force and leader to be feared since the start of his rule, had not yet shown the true colors of his brutality by the early 1930s. This would all change with the start of … Continue reading →
Uncategorized
The Only Way is to Subway
by afoutz •
During the 1930′s Russia’s population as a whole grew significantly and cities began to swell with people. Specifically the city of Moscow grew to hold approximately 7 million people by the year 1930. Two engineers, P.I. Balinsky and E.K.Knorre, back in 1902 saw that Russia was going through a massive industrialization change and pitched the […]
Uncategorized
Великая чистка
by jmhawkins •
The travesty that befell Russia from 1936 until 1939 (some argue longer) was brought about by a paranoid tyrant. When Stalin came to power he was fearful of others he had shared power with taking it from him. So he … Continue reading →
Uncategorized
Soviet Physical Culture
by ccubberly •
“Work, build, and don’t complain! We’ve been shown our path in life. You might or might not be an athlete, But you’re obliged to be a physical culturalist.” This slogan on a 1933 piece of propaganda truly illustrates the Soviet Union’s desire to raise a healthy and able-bodied population. Massive parades, athletic competitions, […]
Red Star, Week 7 Posts
False Mourning
by Alex Apollonio •
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 →
Week 7 Posts
Rehabilitation of Cossack Divisions
by Garland Pittard •
The life of Russians in the 1930’s is truly interesting. The people of Russia have finally become one with their halfway communistic society. Although a large majority of people had become adjusted to the Soviet, certain portions of society weren’t warming up to the Reds like everyone else. One of these groups is the well-known […]
Red Star, Week 7 Posts
Between a Rock and a Red Place
by Anna •
Opera censorship in 1936The cultural reformation in Soviet culture during 1936 caused controversy and contradictions, as the government castigated the creativity and innovation that it once supported. The primary victims of this artistic purge included poet Demyan Bedny and avant-garde composer Dmitri Shostakovitch, as their personal lives and creative work suffered because of the Soviets’ lack of…
Comrades' Corner, Week 7 Posts
Let’s Get Physical (Culture)
by abishop •
James von Geldern describes physical culture as “the hygiene and discipline of the bodies of socialist citizens” (von Geldern). This phenomenon was of fundamental importance to the Soviets in the 1920s and 1930s for several reasons. Prior to the revolution, sports clubs … Continue reading →
Comrades' Corner, Week 7 Posts
A Martyr of the Great Terror
by Steven Nagy •
When I traveled to Russia during the summer of 2013, I was fortunate enough to stumble across an exhibit dedicated to the life of Leon Trotsky in the basement of a Gulag museum in Moscow. I knew very little about the man who at one point was one of Vladimir Lenin’s right hand men, […]