The Soviet Union was a communist monster and to many, an enemy. After World War I came the Russian Revolution and then the Soviet Union was born. Throughout the following 70 years, it advanced to be known as a world “superpower” which left many marks on the world history of the 20th century. Russia remains, but the 15 Soviet Republics are all independent today. The highs and lows of Soviet Union brings an eventful past in which students are able to gain knowledge. The real question is, what should textbooks emphasize? Well, there are many important areas to elaborate on in soviet history. Three that should be contained within a history unit are cultural achievements, military strength, and political repression.
To understand the Soviet Union …show more content…
The rise had much more impact that the fall for the Soviets, a chart of the 1980 Soviet Society and Economy by the Numbers indicates “The Soviet Union’s WWII death count was a dreadful 14% (24 million) of their population which impelled them to build up their military after the war” (Doc B). After the loss of many troops, weakness was what they had to show for themselves and the Soviets were too proud to let that continue. Their break had come to rise with a stronger force and to display to the world the supremacy they had lacked before. This should be accentuated in textbooks to show that communism operated on fear, not only to the outside world but to its own people. The United States does not look so good compared to the Soviets, data from Time magazine displays “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) surpassed the United States in nuclear arsenal magnitude and manpower” (Doc E). The quote explains the need for superiority over the west, which defines the Cold War. Not only this did demonstrate authority but also brought fear to surrounding nations. This buildup was a race of global power, especially against the United States and should be included in textbooks. The Soviet government used the military against its society in the form of unjust persecution and …show more content…
Stalin had incredibly vast powers allowing him to enforce his own belief system in punishment, Roy Medvedev’s article in Moscow News specifies “The Great Terror was a matter of] the most cruel tortures, interrogations, [and] the fearful abuse of human dignity” (Doc C). Joseph Stalin’s powers in the Soviet government took control of all forms of discipline and if he were to think a punishment was necessary no matter how little a crime to no crime at all, it would be taken into action. While these forms of mass torcher were being carried out, cultural achievements and military strength gave the world something else to focus on. By grabbing the attention of the world to see the public side of the Soviet Union, no one would see the Great Terror or the secret police force of Stalin harming their own people. The government wanted control of the votes even when people could individually vote, Reg Manning’s article in Time magazine states “To this end it went to great lengths organizing its elections, including sending hundreds of thousands of political workers to visit every Soviet home to encourage voting” (Doc D). The appearance of democracy needed to be sustained by the government. The Soviet leaders, Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev, feared the voting machine because it had the ability to bring organized voting and allow a form of freedom. Voters would have the
To understand the Soviet Union …show more content…
The rise had much more impact that the fall for the Soviets, a chart of the 1980 Soviet Society and Economy by the Numbers indicates “The Soviet Union’s WWII death count was a dreadful 14% (24 million) of their population which impelled them to build up their military after the war” (Doc B). After the loss of many troops, weakness was what they had to show for themselves and the Soviets were too proud to let that continue. Their break had come to rise with a stronger force and to display to the world the supremacy they had lacked before. This should be accentuated in textbooks to show that communism operated on fear, not only to the outside world but to its own people. The United States does not look so good compared to the Soviets, data from Time magazine displays “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) surpassed the United States in nuclear arsenal magnitude and manpower” (Doc E). The quote explains the need for superiority over the west, which defines the Cold War. Not only this did demonstrate authority but also brought fear to surrounding nations. This buildup was a race of global power, especially against the United States and should be included in textbooks. The Soviet government used the military against its society in the form of unjust persecution and …show more content…
Stalin had incredibly vast powers allowing him to enforce his own belief system in punishment, Roy Medvedev’s article in Moscow News specifies “The Great Terror was a matter of] the most cruel tortures, interrogations, [and] the fearful abuse of human dignity” (Doc C). Joseph Stalin’s powers in the Soviet government took control of all forms of discipline and if he were to think a punishment was necessary no matter how little a crime to no crime at all, it would be taken into action. While these forms of mass torcher were being carried out, cultural achievements and military strength gave the world something else to focus on. By grabbing the attention of the world to see the public side of the Soviet Union, no one would see the Great Terror or the secret police force of Stalin harming their own people. The government wanted control of the votes even when people could individually vote, Reg Manning’s article in Time magazine states “To this end it went to great lengths organizing its elections, including sending hundreds of thousands of political workers to visit every Soviet home to encourage voting” (Doc D). The appearance of democracy needed to be sustained by the government. The Soviet leaders, Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev, feared the voting machine because it had the ability to bring organized voting and allow a form of freedom. Voters would have the