Stalin's Soviet Union: Dreams and Aspirations [1.21]

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In the second episode of our series on Stalinism, we try to get a better sense of what everyday life was like outside of repression.  In particular, we'll focus on Stalin's attempt to industrialize the Soviet Union, to transform it in the span of five to ten years from a backwards country to a futuristic society through central planning and collectivization.  The episode argues that it was this push for modernity that led ordinary citizens to justify/accept the extraordinary violence and repression of the 1930s.  Topics discussed include: the Moscow Metro (9:53), the Soviet Economy (17:15), the Five Year Plans (25:10), Alexei Stakhanov (30:13), Soviet work culture (32:02), Magnitogorsk (35:49), shortages (55:07),  and the (Soviet) civilizing mission (102:01).

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