Soviet Union 
-
SOURCE: The Atlantic
12/2/2019
China Isn’t the Soviet Union. Confusing the Two Is Dangerous.
by Melvyn P. Leffler
An unusual confluence of events World War II led to America’s bitter rivalry with the U.S.S.R. That pattern is not repeating.
-
11/24/19
Russian Victories in the Post-Cold War Era
by Albert M. Camarillo
Putin’s Russia is winning battles to destabilize the U.S. that former USSR leaders such as Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev had tried but failed.
-
10/27/19
1949: A Crucial Year for America, Russia, China and the World
by Kevin M. Shanley
It’s valuable to revisit three events of global importance from 70 years ago and reflect on how global events intertwine with personal histories.
-
SOURCE: NY Times
September 27, 2019
She's Rising from the Depths of Soviet Music History
by Gabrielle Cornish
Interest is building in Galina Ustvolskaya, the reclusive Russian composer born 100 years ago whose nickname was “the lady with the hammer.”
-
9/29/19
Betrayal in Berlin: Soviet Disinformation and the Berlin Crisis
by Steve Vogel
While Russian bots and fake Facebook accounts are relatively new, efforts to undercut Western values and democracy and sow division among allies have long been part of the playbook for Russian and Soviet intelligence.
-
SOURCE: NY Times
9/24/19
A Slain Jewish Girl’s Diary of Life Under the Soviets and the Nazis
At a moment when basic agreement over simple truths has become a political battleground and history a weapon, the publication of the book, “Renia’s Diary,” offers a reminder of the power of bearing witness.
-
SOURCE: Time
9/3/19
World War II Launched a New Age of Global Power. 80 Years After the War Began, That Era Is Ending
by David Kaiser
The world order created after World War II has begun to collapse.
-
SOURCE: National Security Archive
9/9/19
National Security Archive Publishes New Documents on the First Soviet Nuclear Test Offering New Information on Beginning of Nuclear Arms Race
by William Burr
The newly declassified documents reveal the Soviet atomic project posed a major challenge to U.S. intelligence and expands our knowledge of the role of German scientists in advancing the Soviet nuclear program.
-
9/8/19
Trump’s Wall and the Aggrandizement of Despots
by Walter G. Moss
Egotistical rulers like Trump often have grandiose architectural plans. Hitler had his “Germania," Mao had his “10 Great Buildings," and Stalin had his never-built Palace of Soviets.
-
9/8/19
The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Trollope Ploy Myth
by Sheldon M. Stern
What we often get wrong about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
-
SOURCE: The Atlantic
8/30/19
Why Soviets Sent Dogs to Space While Americans Used Primates
The goal for the Cold War rivals was the same: to prove that animals could survive in orbit so that people could, too. But why did the Soviets use dogs, while the Americans used primates?
-
8/25/19
Devil's Bargain: The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact 80 Years Later
by David Carlin
Eighty years ago, two dictators agreed to divide up Eastern Europe. Their agreement would change the lives of millions.
-
SOURCE: National Security Archive
8/15/19
National Security Archive Releases New Briefing Book on Chernobyl through the Eyes of the Soviet Politburo, KGB, and U.S. Intelligence
Declassified documents detail highest-level reactions, cover-ups, critiques using sources never before translated into English.
-
August 11, 2019
Russian History Gives the United States an Ominous Warning
by Laura Engelstein
What can Russia's tumultuous history teach us about the brevity of stable governments.
-
SOURCE: The Atlantic
8/5/2019
Lessons From Moscow: How China Might Handle Hong Kong
Soviet experiences from decades past offer examples for what Beijing may do to quell protests in the city.
-
SOURCE: Time
7/24/19
Is Capitalism or Communism Better for Women? How the Kitchen Debate Gave a New Meaning to the Cold War 'Home Front'
In American and Soviet homes, the capitalism-communism divide was a topic of conversation at many a kitchen table — and, most famously, in one model kitchen.
-
SOURCE: New York Times
6/30/2019
A Monster to History, Stalin Is a Tourist Magnet in His Hometown
Stalin inspires deep emotions in the country where he spent his earliest years, and one of them is reverence.
-
SOURCE: Daily Mail
5/19/19
Historian Ben Macintyre reveals the gripping story of the KGB agent who saved us from Armageddon in 1983
How did double agent Oleg Gordievsky stop Russia launching a nuclear strike on the West?
-
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal
4/29/19
The Madness of Nuclear Deterrence
by Mikhail Gorbachev
The dangers have only become more acute in the decades since I tried to convince Thatcher.
-
SOURCE: New York Times
3/2/19
The Island That Changed History
by Sergey Radchenko
A 1969 border clash between Moscow and Beijing pushed the two apart, and opened the door for Nixon to go to China.
News
- Brexit will ultimately destabilise Europe, historians fear
- The Justinianic Plague's Devastating Impact Was Likely Exaggerated
- 'Human, vulnerable and perfect': New Rosa Parks exhibit shines light on civil rights legend
- How Charlottesville’s Echoes Forced New Zealand to Confront Its History
- Mary Thompson Featured in Article on George Washington's Dog Breeding
- China Releases History Professor, But Travel Concerns Persist
- Gordon Wood Interviewed on the New York Times’ 1619 Project
- Books by Garret Martin, Balazs Martonffy, Ronald Suny, and Kelly McFarland Featured in Article on NATO at 50
- The secret history of women in America, told through their belongings
- Irish Archive Recreates Documents Lost in in 1922 fire