The Best of Cold War Culture
Books, films, and more related to the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
What Happened to the Former Soviet Republics?
Exploring the long-tail consequences of the evil empire in its many forms
Remittances Bolster—and Limit—Armenia's Potential
Remitting took off during the Soviet period and has remained high over the years due to lack of domestic economic opportunity.
Garry Kasparov: Greatest Soviet Chess Champion on the Awful System That Created Him
The grandmaster and human rights activist talks about the lessons the world—especially American democratic socialists—must remember three decades after communism's collapse.
The Uses and Disadvantages of Soviet History for Life
It is hard to comprehend the scarcity and existential dread that was humanity's constant companion during the Cold War.
Garry Kasparov: From Communism's Last Chess Champion to Freedom Fighter
30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its greatest—and last—chess champion reflects on the awful system that produced him.
Once a Communist Backwater, Georgia Discovered the Benefits of Free Markets. Now It Risks Abandoning Them.
"Government should be very small. It should just regulate the minimum."
The Queen's Gambit
The protagonist's speedy evolution into an anti–Cold Warrior is the better subplot.
The Media's Role in Concealing Stalin's Evils Exposed in Mr. Jones
Walter Duranty and The New York Times have blood on their hands in this historical re-enactment.
Without the Soviet Union, NATO Seems Increasingly Irrelevant
No number of NATO summits will re-energize an alliance against an enemy that went out of business nearly 30 years ago.
V.I. Lenin, Psychedelic Mushroom
Friday A/V Club: A prank from the final days of the Soviet Union
HBO's Chernobyl Highlighted Government Malfeasance and Administrative Evil
The show wasn't about a nuclear disaster per se, but about how a government—and individuals—reacted in the face of disaster.
Why Bernie Sanders' Communist Misadventures Still Matter
Sanders no longer favors government takeover of "the major means of production." But his four-decade quest for political revolution continues.
Chernobyl Is About What Happens When Citizens Believe Telling the Truth Is Futile
The HBO series is a powerful portrait of the political and social rot that occurs in authoritarian regimes.
HBO's Chernobyl Presents Catastrophic History as Horror
A miniseries about the deadly nuclear disaster that marked the doom of the Soviet Union
Why Are We Still Debating the 'Merits' of Socialism?
To understand socialism, one needn't fixate on its most-horrifying elements-gulags and executions. Think about the simple stuff. Like aspirin.
No, Sex Wasn't Better for Women Under Socialism
It's hard to get in the mood when you're sharing a bedroom with your mother-in-law.
Spies in the Media
Journalists have long been used by governments, wittingly or not, to collect intel and spread disinformation.
Henry Hazlitt Meets Peter Kropotkin's Daughter
Friday A/V Club: A little chat about Stalin
Warren Endorses Afghanistan Withdrawal As Trump Spews Soviet Propaganda About the Country: Reason Roundup
Plus: a public domain bonanza, Khashoggi killers on trial, and Super Bowl sex-trafficking panic starts early
No, Sex Wasn't Better for Women Under Socialism
It's hard to get in the mood when you're sharing a bedroom with your mother-in-law.
How To Understand The Americans Finale: Q&A with Show Creators Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
One of the best, most-political and most-personal TV shows ever just ended. What did it all mean?
California's War on 'Economic Crimes' Sounds Like Something From Soviet Russia
A state senator wants to crack down on "economic crimes" in the state's underground economy.
How To Think About The Americans' Final Season: Podcast
Exclusive Q&A with show creator Joe Weisberg and executive producer Joel Fields.
How Will The Americans' Final Season End? Q&A With the Creators Behind the Cold War Spy Drama
Executive Producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields discuss their critically acclaimed show, ideology, and how technology is ushering in the golden era of television.
Inside Stalin's Head
A biography offers fresh insights on one of history's bloodiest dictators.
Doctors as Instruments of Repression
In the USSR, physicians serve the State, not their patients.
