THE FINAL DECADES 1970-2000

1. THE FINAL DECADES1970-2000 on to a new world

2. Important Soviet Slogans • Khrushchev– “Peaceful Co-existence We must learn to work together to save the world for our grandchildren. It is this theme that lead Polish and Hungarian peoples to look for liberalization of economic and intellectual opportunity.

3. Khrushchev & Solzhenitsyn • Khrushchev’s beginning was to discredit Stalin (de-Stalinization Program) He thus encouraged Russian writer Alex. Solzhenitsyn who wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1962). This book portrayed the horrors of life in a soviet prison camp. • (NK was removed in 1964) by 1970 the soviet hard liners saw works like this as an affront to the soviet system the author in sent to prison.

4. Important Soviet Slogans • Detante (1970-78) – A French term meaning to ease tension. Idea of Brezhnev. • In the 1970’s the goal was for the Super Powers to “normalize” relations between the rival blocks and to accept the permanent existence of the opposing side.

5. Leonid Brezhnev Brezhnev Doctrine “If hostile forces turn a country toward capitalism--this will become a problem and will be stopped.” Nations may have limited sovereignty but cannot leave the Warsaw Pact.

6. Treaty of Moscow 1970 • Signed between West Germany and the USSR. It established diplomat relations between the two nations and recognized the split between E & W Germany. (on condition the both nations were admitted to the U.N.)

7. Life Under Brezhnev • Think of the Potemkin villages in the time of Catherine. • Russia was a façade or productive power to the outside world—but utterly rotten on the inside.

8. Erected in 1862 in Novgorod Veliky by Emperor Alexander II it features 129 human figures of the Russian prominent monarchs, statesmen, warriors, scientists, poets, artists

9. Height 52 feet, gross weight 300 tons, bronze casts 65.5 tons. The monument was disassembled by the German invaders in December 1943 during their occupation of Veliky Novgorod Reconstructed in 1944 by Marshal Stalin's order.

10. Fear ye God, & keep off Russia

11. “no experimentation” The Face of Russia to the world • Defenders of the Homeland • Left-Medieval Warrior who turned out the Mongol. • Center—ousted Napoleon. • Right—Repelled Hitler

12. “Russia is a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma” • Winston Churchill

13. How could those "barbaric and submissive" Russians defeat overwhelmingly the best armies in the world, that of Napoleon in 1812, and respectively that of Hitler in 1941-1945?

14. How could those "backward and drunk" Russians, whose country was still lying in ruins in most parts after the terrible war, how could they manage to launch in Space the first in the world sputnik (an artificial satellite) on October 4, 1957? And soon after that eventuated even more breathtaking triumph in Cosmos – Cosmonaut Number One, Yuri Gagarin – who became the first man in history to orbit round the planet Earth on April 12, 1961!    Even more enigmatic and unbelievable.

15. Russian Barbarian?? • The Russian Bear is not an aggressive beast, for he likes honey rather than flesh.

    But we Russians do always hate those uninvited "guests" who would frequently come with weapons upon our beloved land – Holy Russia. Such enemies like Napoleon's Grande Armée, Hitler's Wehrmacht, and a great lot of other godless scum. 

    As is widely known, we do always convert the great bulk of the invaders eventually into the manure for our boundless fields.

16. Russian Beauty

17.  We do not consider women to be equal to men.     Nor did we ever think that way.
    They are not like us men. They are much better. 

    We Russian men do positively adore our incomparable Russian women! 

    And what is most essential is that our Russian women expect us Russian men to love, to cherish, to cosset, to defend and to protect them, our dear tender ones.

18. Russian Women are not materialistic •  Beauty and brains is a blessed combination, and Russian chess grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk has had them both.

19. THIS RUSSIAN GIRL IS NOT A SOLDIER
BUT, AS MILLIONS OF US, SHE IS ALWAYS READY
TO DEFEND THE MOTHERLAND FIERCELY, IF NECESSARY 


20.   Words can hardly describe all the feelings of delight and ecstacy that seize us Russians at a military parade. Not at the insipid, indolent "goose-stepping" western one, but at the REAL Russian military parade.
    This unparagoned manifestation of military mightiness and national unity does always leave a highly inspirational and indelible impression on its participants, as well as on the spectators, surpassing all imagination!

21. The men on parade

22. It would be a shame for us hardy and virile Russian men to allow our beloved wives and sisters to serve in the Army and to die in action. For the last thousand years of Russian history we have had a tradition that it is a men's job, privilege and duty to rip the enemy's guts out in the final fierce bayonet fighting.
    Surely, it would be also a great insult for Russian women to be treated like men. They are our national treasure, our beloved ladies, whom we Russian men love, cherish and protect, first and foremost!
    But, IF NECESSARY, every Russian girl and every Russian woman will take weapons in her hands and will stand up for the defense of Holy Russia.

24. One of our greatest thinkers, IVAN ILYIN, once calculated that since 1368 to 1893 Russia had experienced 525 years of war, and only 329 years of peace, the ratio being almost 2:1. Since 1893 the years that have followed until the present day appeared to be no less turbulent and bloody.
    When considering the Russian Bear's alleged "aggressiveness", it is very important to remember the fact that 90 per cent of all those wars were waged on OUR own territory. This is an irrefutable proof of the fact that we have always been DEFENDING our country.
    Verily, there does not exist a more peace-loving, yet indomitable nation in the world than we the Russian people.

26.   First of all, we do by no means suffer from the Western White Man's Guilt Complex, because we are Russian Orthodox Christians and therefore we have NEVER committed either such disgraceful and horrible crimes as notorious Slave Trade, or the lynching of Negroes, or the slaughtering of the North American Indians. 

  


27.   We used to live in brotherly concord with all of our non-Russian neighbours within the Russian Empire, as well as within the Soviet Union. We used to live well together even with those rather restive and rebellious tribes of the Imperial Borderlands who had initially been forced by us to learn to coexist peacefully.

28. In 1945 after the Great Patriotic War 25 million Russians had to live in dugouts like this

29. To the Soviet citizens FREE OF CHARGE, the monthly rent for a state-owned flat not exceeding 5 or 7 percent of the average worker's monthly salary.

30.  NO HOMELESS PEOPLE EXISTED IN THE U.S.S.R. 

    NO UNEMPLOYMENT (since 1932) 

    NO STARVING PEOPLE 

    NO BEGGARS IN THE STREETS 

    A 28-DAY FULLY PAID HOLIDAY (VACATION) A YEAR 

    NO MORTGAGE EXISTED – HENCE NO FINANCIAL BONDAGE 

    FREE EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE HIGHER 

    FREE MEDICAL CARE, INCLUDING COMPLICATED MAJOR SURGICAL OPERATIONS 

    FREE SANATORIUM VOUCHERS, BED & FOOD INCLUDED, UP TO 14 DAYS A YEAR 

    NO DRUG ADDICTION (NARCOMANIA) 

    SPORADIC, MINIMAL STREET CRIME

31. Apartments & Parks

32. Russian towns are Green

33. Russian town of Glazov

34. Moscow Subway station

35. New York Subway

36. Brezhnev Legacy • Soviets can boast of a successful space program. • A strong active scientific community working on technological advancement. • Tremendous Olympic success rate 1964—ussr—96 usa 90

37. Final End to Vietnam 1973 • The US removed all military “presence” from South Vietnam—allowing SV to stand “on its own.” • In 1975 NV (aided by China) captured Saigon, the south capital, thus ending the war with Vietnam’s unification under communism (See—the system is winning!)

38. Helsinki Accords--1975 • Signed by ALL nations of Europe (including USA, USSR & Canada) • This brings a formal end to WWII by acknowledging existing national boundaries (Germany) Human rights provisions allow for dissent within the Soviet Union and the Eastern European satellites (This is high point of détente)

39. BREZHNEV & PRAGUE SPRING This doctrine was put to the test in Prague in 1968. Soviet Military might won the day.

40. 1971 SALT I 1979 SALT II • SALT I--Placed freeze on number of ICBM’s • SALT II--Limits number of long range ICBM’s and total number of nukes available

41. Great Britain

42. MARGARET THATCHER • First woman to become Prime Minister • Thatcherism: anti big government. • Reduced government spending, increased interest rates, reduced taxes tried to “break” labor unions. • Result; dramatically reduced inflation.

43. Falkland Island War 1982 • In March Argentine forces captured South Georgia Island, killing British personnel. • A 72 day war followed • British war plans and surface craft sunk and damaged Argentine forces.

44. In the end Argentina lost 655 men, Britain 236. • Britain recaptured the island • Argentina’s government was discredited and replaced. • UN sanctions were placed on Argentina • Thatcher enhanced her reputation with the victory.

45. The Irish Problem • Division of Ireland • Northern Ireland (Belfast) Protestants 60%, Catholics 40% • The rest of Ireland is Catholic.

46. Bloody Sunday Jan 1972 • Due to Irish terrorists actions Brit troops were called in to protect the protestants. • Brit Troops killed 13 Irish Catholics.

47. Troubles with Ireland • Irish Catholics in Ulster began protests to move the British out. • The IRA began a terrorist campaign to force out the British. • The British army was called into maintain order.

48. Terrorist Violence continued through 1997. • PM Tony Blair (1997-2007) made it a priority to defuse the situation. • 1998 Good Friday Agreement Britain gave Ireland right to run its own parliament it they behaved and did not disturb the Protestants. • 2002 violence erupted again and Parl. was shut down for 5 years—then reopened. • Threat of violence still remains.

49. FRANCE

50. France and the 5th Republic • Charles de Gaulle created the 5th Republic in 1958 • Major issue was Algeria who wanted independence, de Gaulle eventually gave in • De Gaulle pulled France out of NATO