Ep 22: Fall Of The Soviet Union

About this episode

This episode explores the factors leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, examining historical events and their implications.

If the Soviet Union achieved so much, why did it collapse in 1991? In this episode we dive into the history of the USSR. From the shockwave of the 1917 revolution, to its the hard won post WWII peak, and then the sudden, violent unspooling of the whole socialist project. Join Triploi as we follow the chain reaction of the Soviet meltdown, from de‑Stalinization to the threat of thermonuclear war, to the stagnation of the Soviet economy, the war in Afghanistan, the Chernobyl disaster, to the catastrophic misfire of glasnost and perestroika, and how all of it built up to break the Union for good. And looking back at the faded brutalist concrete of the Soviet Union’s memorials, we reflect on what lessons we may yet learn. ---Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast--- References and reading list: Isaac Deutscher - Russia After Stalin: With a Postscript on the Beria Affair (1953) Moshe Lewin - The Gorbachev Phenomenon: A Historical Interpretation (1991) David Kotz and Fred Weir - Revolution From Above: The Demise of the Soviet System (1997) Stephen F. Cohen - Failed…

People in this episode

Host: Triploi

Topics covered

• Soviet Union
• collapse
• history
• communism
• cold war
• political movements
• economic issues

Keywords

• Soviet Union
• collapse
• history
• Chernobyl
• glasnost
• perestroika
• de-Stalinization
• Afghanistan
• communism
• economy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Russia After Stalin: With a Postscript on the Beria Affair, The Gorbachev Phenomenon: A Historical Interpretation, Revolution From Above: The Demise of the Soviet System, Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia, The Future of Maoism, Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Inferno: The World at War, 1939–1945

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