Russia
and Eastern Europe
1914-Present
By Matt Maldonado
Ϲоветский Ϲоюоз Тов. Бартон
1914-Present
By Matt Maldonado
Ϲоветский Ϲоюоз Тов. Бартон
Political: For the most part, this corner of the
world was dominated by the specter of Communism in this period of history. It
all began on the night of November 7th, 1917, when a band of Bolshevik
revolutionaries raided the headquarters of the Russian Provisional Government.
A long and bloody struggle ensued, and Communism was fully instilled in Russia
and its adjacent republics by 1922. After the fall of fascist occupied Eastern
Europe following World War II, communism was instilled in the satellite states
of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and
Hungry. The fundamental belief of Soviet Communism was Marxist-Leninism. This
particular ideology combined the classic Marxist beliefs of the destruction of
the bourgeois and the establishment of dictatorship of the proletariat with
Lenin’s beliefs in anti-imperialism and a revolutionary vanguard party. After
the fall of communism in the late 80s and early 90s, the Soviet Union broke up
in 15 independent states. This then they have individually hobbled on the road
to democracy.
Economic: Being a Communist state, the Soviet Union
had a command economy, where the government controlled the means of production
and distribution. Following the October Revolution of 1917 and the Russian
Civil War, the Soviet Union was in dire need of economic growth and stability.
To do so, the Communist Party approved the “New Economic Policy”, which allowed
for private ownership of small enterprise. As a result the Soviet economy was
able to sustain itself after the devastation of two wars. After Lenin’s death
Stalin repealed the New Economic Policy and returned to the system of state run
collective farms. During the Cold War the Soviet Union became the largest exporter
of arms to the third world in their attempts to export Communism around the
globe.
Religion: Because Marxism calls for state atheism,
most organized religion was suppressed in the Soviet Union and across the
Eastern Bloc. In 1918 the public teaching and practicing of religion in public
was outlawed and the number of churches, mosques, and synagogues dropped
dramatically. But like most things, religion was used as a tool by the
Communist party. During the Great Patriotic was against the Third Reich and its
allies, churches were reopened and laws were relaxed to increase public moral
for the war effort. Religious tolerance came to a climax when Josef Stalin met
with Sergius I of Moscow in 1943. After the end of the war and the death of
Stalin the Party reverted to their old stance against religion. Churches and
temples were closed and people were oppressed. True religious freedom didn’t take
shape until after the fall of Communism.
Society: Prior to the revolution, the Russian Empire
was still old fashion with its family structure. Communism brought in a more modern
and liberal view of family. Religious marriages were replaced with civil
marriages. Divorce was legalized and made possible with either partners being
able to initiate it. Abortions were also
made possible. Women were given the right to vote in 1918, before most western
nations including the United States. At the same time the Communist Party began
pushing the idea of the “New Soviet Man”. This archetype of a human being was
said to be selfless, learned, healthy, and enthusiastic in spreading socialist
revolution. He saw himself not as Russian, or Ukrainian, or Latvian, but
Soviet. The idea of a New Soviet Woman also accompanied the man. It emphasized on
the idea of women everywhere breaking free of the shackles of patriarchy, oppression, and capitalism. Women
in the workforce, education, and literacy were all encouraged by the Party. It was
thoughts like these that led to the western imperialist to accuse Communism of
destroying the family structure.
Innovations: There were many innovations made by the
Soviets during their existence. The first socialist revolution took place
within their borders, setting the example for nations in the future. But the
most enduring innovation made by the Soviets has to be their science and space
programs. In 1949 the Soviets exploded their first atomic bomb in the middle of
the Kazakh desert, ending the United States’ monopoly on atomic weaponry. In
1957 they successfully tested the world’s first ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic
Missile). Also in 1957, the first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, was launched
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh SSR. This kept old Uncle Sam shaking
in his boots. Also in 1957, the Soviets launched the first living creature, a
dog named Laika, into space on Sputnik 2. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the
first human to orbit the earth on Vostok 1. In 1963, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
became the first woman to enter space, a full 15 years before the American
Sally Ride.
Arts: The longest landing and most profound art form
to come out of the Soviet Union was Socialist Realism. It glorifies the role
and achievements of the working class and its struggle for emancipation. It was
often used as a propaganda tool to glorify the achievements of the party and
the proletariat. This art form would later go on to be adopted by other
communist countries in the future including China and North Korea.
Near geography: The Soviet Union was a massive state
covering over 8.5 million square miles, about 1/6 the land surface of the
earth. Russia’s had the same age old problem for generations. It possessed abundant
resources, but lacked the means to extract and use them. The Soviets did not
manage their land well at all times. The Chernobyl accident and the current situation
at the Aral Sea are some examples of poor land management.
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Eastern_Bloc.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/examskills/biasedsourcesrev_print.shtml
http://www.livekritik.de/kultura-extra/extra/feull/comm_herit.html
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/sovstory.htm
http://pripyat.com/en/pripyat-and-chernobyl.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125592/collectivization
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident/
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/100213-673509-lenins-failed-policies-led-to-economic-collapse.htm?ven=rss
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Socialist_realism.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/examskills/biasedsourcesrev_print.shtml
http://www.livekritik.de/kultura-extra/extra/feull/comm_herit.html
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/sovstory.htm
http://pripyat.com/en/pripyat-and-chernobyl.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125592/collectivization
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident/
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/100213-673509-lenins-failed-policies-led-to-economic-collapse.htm?ven=rss
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Socialist_realism.html