Mikhail Baryshnikov

The events that took place subsequent to Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953 transformed the Soviet Communism and way of life in many different ways. Essentially, the transformation of Soviet life after the Thaw can be said to have undergone three phases: introduction of reforms during Khrushchev’s era, the Brezhnev stagnation, and Gorbachev reforms that ultimately led to the Soviet Union dissolving in 1991. When Nikita Khrushchev rose to power, he made significant reforms including policies of peace…

On June 12, 1987, former President Ronald Reagan gave one of his famous speeches, “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate.” On a superficial level, Reagan uses the speech to petition to the Soviet Union for peace, nuclear and chemical arms reduction, and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. He also highlights the progress and prosperity that have arisen in the western world since the division between communism and democracy was established. Beyond the surface, Reagan subtly disparages communism while…

Within decades the Soviet slowly started to fall, with Regan we saw the massive military buildup, basically outspend your enemy. Focusing mostly on the allocation of resources and economic managing sections of the fall. Soviet Union agriculture was not entirely horrible, on theory it made sense. A whole collective, farm that unifies smaller plots of land, to one has a whole. This allows the use of a tractor to be used effectively, while in the contrary to the US farmer that used the capital…

ordinary men and women the will of a totalitarian state.” His wording is powerful and punchy, which made it easier to access audiences. Less than three years later, the Berlin Wall was torn down due to political changes in Europe; Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev lost his control by 1990, and the Soviet Union fell apart. Many people were affected by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. The East Germans could now be free to travel west and be free. The country was in full party mode, some say…

On the 12th of June, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered a powerful and emotional speech in west Berlin, Germany. This speech was addressing the Berlin Wall, and all of the political issues that came with it. 26 years prior to Reagan’s speech, the Berlin wall was built to separate the communist East from the “Allied” west, this wall was extremely controversial and kept any people from leaving west Berlin without great difficulty. Reagan’s speech had immense impact on Berlin, 2 years after…

This gradual metamorphosis from a teenage pastime to a nationwide élan did not go unnoticed, as President Mikhail Gorbachev finally embraced rock and roll upon his appointment in 1985. While Gorbachev’s attempt at forging welcoming relationships with rock could be appreciated, it’s certain that he could have never prepared for the overwhelming response he would…

Ronald Reagan Before Ronald Reagan became president he was a actor and President of the Screen Actors Guild, as President of the Screen Actors Guild his political views would shift from liberal to conservative this was mostly due to the fear of communism in the Film industry. During the 50’s and early 60’s he toured the United States as television host and a spokesperson for conservatism his policies were also family oriented even though he was formerly divorced. He was then elected as governor…

Prior to Ronald Reagan taking office in 1981, the Cold War impasse felt like a victory for the American people. However, Ronald Reagan did not see victory, he saw this stalemate as weak and un-American. Reagan’s new take on dealing with the Soviet Union can be summarized in two words: God and Freedom. With these two guiding principles, Reagan ditched dètente and got fellow world leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II to join with him against the “evil empire.” With the “renewal of…

Worth-watching historical movie If anybody thinks historical films are all about boring and wasting time, this movie would change their mind. Bridge of Spy was based on a true story of U-2 incident in 1960. A Soviet spy, Rudoft Abel, was arrested, and James Donovan, an insurrance lawyer at that time, was chosen to be his defender. Francis Gary Power, a pilot of US army, was arrested by the Soviet Union after failing his misson. In the meantime, the young Frederic Pryor, an American college…

Anatomy of a Dictatorship - Fulbrook (1995) Book Review Published in the decade after reunification and forty years of Soviet led dictatorship, Fulbrook’s Anatomy of a Dictatorship was released to great anticipation. Fulbrook describes the central thesis of her book to be around the idea ‘that popular discontent alone was not sufficient enough to fell the system.’ It’s clear from the outset that Fulbrook wanted to move away from the traditional historiography around the GDR, in order to…