For 74 years, the Soviet Union’s communist experiment held together. And at their peak, communist regimes ruled more than one-third of the world’s population. What really caused this giant experiment to decline and fall apart? In Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev, Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius reveals the internal and external forces that ripped apart the grand communist experiment. In 12 fascinating lectures, you will learn how the Soviet Union went from winning the space race against the United States in 1957 to Gorbachev’s resignation and the dissolution of the great experiment in 1991.
Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev
Dive into the realities of post-WWII communism and discover the forces—both internal and external—that tore apart the Soviet Union.
Overview
About
Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius is a Professor of History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He received his PhD in European History, specializing in modern German history, from the University of Pennsylvania. He has published numerous articles and two books: The German Myth of the East: 1800 to the Present and War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity, and German Occupation in World War I. He won the top two teaching awards at the University of Tennessee and was awarded a prestigious research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Trailer
01: The Promise of Sputnik
If the space race was about being the first country to put a gleaming satellite into orbit high above the Earth, the Soviets won that race in October 1957. Discover why historians call Sputnik’s success the high-water mark of the prestige and confidence of international communism. What made the communists so sure they alone had the keys to the future of human destiny?
31 min
02: The Promise of Expansion: The 1950s and 1960s
In the 1950s and ‘60s, in a clear turn from Stalin’s methods, the Soviets planned to win developing countries over to communism by the shining example of the Soviet Union and by its direct help. But reality turned out to be a bit more complicated. Explore the complex relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba—as well as its burgeoning rivalry with China.
33 min
03: Perils of Expansion: Prague Spring to Afghan War
Beginning with its invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Soviets became deeply embroiled in one country after the next, with each gain bringing increasing problems. Explore whether it’s possible to identify a singular decision that tipped the Soviets over the edge from expansion into decline—or were there many? And how did these Soviet decisions affect their long-term rivalry with China?
35 min
04: Communism and Culture
The communist cultural model is about overcoming the past to make way for the building of a new civilization. Culture was never to be an end in itself, but it would exist solely to serve the communist agenda. Explore the many conflicts this ideology presented in places with a long history of myriad arts, from architecture to poetry. Follow the fascinating trajectories of artists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, and numerous writers.
35 min
05: Everyday Life under Communism
Communism proposed to bring about a superlative society which the Soviets would model for other countries. But what was the reality of day-to-day life in this “ideal” society? Explore the many contradictions Soviets experienced between their daily hardships and the propaganda they heard all around them. Learn about the various coping mechanisms they developed to deal with this cognitive dissonance.
34 min
06: Myths and Realities of the Secret Police
Learn about the societal roles played by the “secret police” in various communist countries, from the KGB in the Soviet Union to the East German Stasi to the Securitate in Romania under Ceausescu. What were the goals of these opaque—but, definitely not secret—security forces, and how did they shape their societies? And what happens to these massive organizations when the countries they police cease to exist?
34 min
07: Protest and Dissent behind the Iron Curtain
Learn about the Blues Masses in East Berlin churches, masses that included everything from Bible verses to punk music to discussions of societal ills. Discover how they fit into a long history of protest and dissent within the communist bloc, going back to the 1921 Kronstadt Rebellion and leading up to the 1980 Polish Solidarity movement. Explore the role of books and samizdat in continuing the free flow of outlawed, non-communist ideas.
35 min
08: Mikhail Gorbachev: The Last Leninist
When Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he launched a wave of transformations to breathe life into the stagnating communist system, with the goal of having it operate as Lenin had intended. Explore the significance of this leader who was so well-liked internationally—with perestroika, glasnost, and his desire to end the cold war—but whose popularity sank at home as people suffered from a worsening economy.
35 min
09: Fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Implosion
In the autumn of 1989, thousands of young East Germans fled into the West, frustrated by the slow pace of reform in their country. This desire to escape from the legacies of totalitarianism and to live like “a normal country” spread throughout the Soviet sphere, and then into the Soviet Union itself. Explore the chain reaction that occurred, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day, 1991.
31 min
10: Tiananmen Square and Chinese Transformation
In 1989, demonstrations began in cities all around China, with participants demanding real political reform, not just the economic reforms Deng had promoted. Explore the differences between the party’s response to demonstrations against totalitarianism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and China—and how China continues to transform itself today.
33 min
11: Postcommunist Nostalgia
Totalitarianism provided an us-versus-them clarity that was lost with the collapse of the Soviet bloc. In its place were political and economic struggles and people just trying to find a way forward. Even those countries that retained communism found themselves engaging with a changed world order. Explore the broad spectrum of governments that replaced communism in the old Soviet bloc and what they offered their people—from relatively stability to slaughter.
34 min
12: Communism Today and Its Legacies
China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba are officially communist countries today, even as their communism has evolved and adapted from that proposed by Marx and Engels. Communism has a layered and complex history and is remembered and memorialized very differently in different parts of the world. Explore how these differences might impact the communism of the future. Do philosophical doctrines ever completely die out?
32 min
