The Soviet Bloc Unwinds: Crash Course European History #46
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Serkan
The Fall of Soviet Block meant that world politics would be monopolistic going forward. If you think of smaller states as suppliers of allegiance in exchange for support from world powers, world going from bipolar to unipolar decreased the bargaining power of smaller states drastically. In simple economic terms, demand was half as there was only one consumer of allegiance but supply had increased due to more number of states. It was a catastrophe rather than something to celebrate. You can track the decline in human progress since the end of '80s in the number and importance of innovations and how they improved people's lives. It was that race between two blocks that was taking us forward and now that there's only one competitor, there's far less need for racing.
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The Fall of Soviet Block meant that world politics would be monopolistic going forward. If you think of smaller states as suppliers of allegiance in exchange for support from world powers, world going from bipolar to unipolar decreased the bargaining power of smaller states drastically. In simple economic terms, demand was half as there was only one consumer of allegiance but supply had increased due to more number of states. It was a catastrophe rather than something to celebrate. You can track the decline in human progress since the end of '80s in the number and importance of innovations and how they improved people's lives. It was that race between two blocks that was taking us forward and now that there's only one competitor, there's far less need for racing.
reply
Daniel
Now that you-re getting near the end of this series on european history, what is next for crash course history?
Asian history perhaps? Or African history? Latin American History?
In my opinion I think Asian History would make a great crash course. I-d like to see John and everyone who works on crash course tackle that long and well evidenced history. I-m a history student at university (in the UK) and I am focusing mostly on US history but I-d really like to see you tackle asian history as I-m interested in it but I can-t find podcasts or videos that deal with it in a very accessible way. Your history videos provide excellent introductions to topics, I just hope you continue to produce history content!
Many thanks for what you do, Daniel Pickton-Allen
reply
Now that you-re getting near the end of this series on european history, what is next for crash course history?
Asian history perhaps? Or African history? Latin American History?
In my opinion I think Asian History would make a great crash course. I-d like to see John and everyone who works on crash course tackle that long and well evidenced history. I-m a history student at university (in the UK) and I am focusing mostly on US history but I-d really like to see you tackle asian history as I-m interested in it but I can-t find podcasts or videos that deal with it in a very accessible way. Your history videos provide excellent introductions to topics, I just hope you continue to produce history content!
Many thanks for what you do, Daniel Pickton-Allen
reply
Luboman411
At 10: 28. This is why Gorbachev is the third most important man of the 20th century, behind Einstein and Hitler. He refused to use the Soviet army to stop all of the protests throughout the Eastern bloc, thus leading directly to the end of the Cold War. I've heard that Putin would've immediately sent in the troops and ruthlessly put down these protests. But Gorbachev was a true man of peace--he had all the tools at his disposal to remain in power, to profit off his position, and he did neither. He just let the whole Communist system collapse in one huge, peaceful heap. He is a remarkable man, a man who had absolute power and who was not corrupted by it.
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At 10: 28. This is why Gorbachev is the third most important man of the 20th century, behind Einstein and Hitler. He refused to use the Soviet army to stop all of the protests throughout the Eastern bloc, thus leading directly to the end of the Cold War. I've heard that Putin would've immediately sent in the troops and ruthlessly put down these protests. But Gorbachev was a true man of peace--he had all the tools at his disposal to remain in power, to profit off his position, and he did neither. He just let the whole Communist system collapse in one huge, peaceful heap. He is a remarkable man, a man who had absolute power and who was not corrupted by it.
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Grant
Your section of Margaret Thatcher is somewhat inaccurate. Public spending and welfare spending under the Thatcher government's increased almost year on year; further, while Thatcher's government did reduce the upper rates of taxation on the wealthy (causing revenues to increase. i. e. more taxes taken, her government also reduced income taxes on the lower end of the scale as well. As for your quote about poor people not contributing to growth - yeah, I've never heard this before and can't seem to find this quote. What is your source for this?
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Your section of Margaret Thatcher is somewhat inaccurate. Public spending and welfare spending under the Thatcher government's increased almost year on year; further, while Thatcher's government did reduce the upper rates of taxation on the wealthy (causing revenues to increase. i. e. more taxes taken, her government also reduced income taxes on the lower end of the scale as well. As for your quote about poor people not contributing to growth - yeah, I've never heard this before and can't seem to find this quote. What is your source for this?
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Jokke
This was very disappointing. Despite my Marxism, I know that the main reason for the decline and fall of the Eastern bloc was fundamentally down to the ill designs of the soviet type economy, with its dysfunctional price signals and planning mechanisms, together with the consequences of foreign loans these countries took in the 1970s to compensate for these economic problems. I suggest you read Janos Kornai-s the Socialist System and Stephen Kotkin-s piece on Eastern bloc debt and remake this video
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This was very disappointing. Despite my Marxism, I know that the main reason for the decline and fall of the Eastern bloc was fundamentally down to the ill designs of the soviet type economy, with its dysfunctional price signals and planning mechanisms, together with the consequences of foreign loans these countries took in the 1970s to compensate for these economic problems. I suggest you read Janos Kornai-s the Socialist System and Stephen Kotkin-s piece on Eastern bloc debt and remake this video
reply
verdatum
I was an ignorant child of 9 when the wall came down. Dad told me with great excitement that the war was finally coming to an end. I told him that I didn't know that we had been at war.
Dad was an NSA employee. The state of that wall was symbolic of his mission. And keeping that war cold enough so that kids like me didn't need to know that we had been at war was exactly his mission. Not any sort of hero-worship just something I think about from time to time.
reply
I was an ignorant child of 9 when the wall came down. Dad told me with great excitement that the war was finally coming to an end. I told him that I didn't know that we had been at war.
Dad was an NSA employee. The state of that wall was symbolic of his mission. And keeping that war cold enough so that kids like me didn't need to know that we had been at war was exactly his mission. Not any sort of hero-worship just something I think about from time to time.
reply
Todd
Man, I was too young to really know what was going on when the Berlin wall fell, and it's cool hearing all these stories in detail. I knew about Solidarity, but only the name, since it was a topic on nightly news and I think in one of my elementary school social studies classes. I do remember when we came back to school after winter break in 1991, our social studies teacher was really excited about the USSR dissolving because it was so historically important.
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Man, I was too young to really know what was going on when the Berlin wall fell, and it's cool hearing all these stories in detail. I knew about Solidarity, but only the name, since it was a topic on nightly news and I think in one of my elementary school social studies classes. I do remember when we came back to school after winter break in 1991, our social studies teacher was really excited about the USSR dissolving because it was so historically important.
reply
Jovan
John, I was 14 when the Berlin Wall went up. I never expected to live to see it come down. On the evening of 9 November 1989, I was at work when my wife called me. She said, 'You'll never believe what's happening! ' She held the phone up to the TV so I could hear the audio. Tears came to my eyes. Soon, my desk was surrounded by co-workers as I relayed what I was hearing. It was an amazing night.
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John, I was 14 when the Berlin Wall went up. I never expected to live to see it come down. On the evening of 9 November 1989, I was at work when my wife called me. She said, 'You'll never believe what's happening! ' She held the phone up to the TV so I could hear the audio. Tears came to my eyes. Soon, my desk was surrounded by co-workers as I relayed what I was hearing. It was an amazing night.
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Sean
That last part is sth my mother always says about the fall of the Berlin wall, that it seemed impossible and then it just happened, almost by accident. I was only four then and since we lived in the west I don't remember any drastic changes to our lives. But looking back at the event always gets me emotional. It's such an important part of our more recent history
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That last part is sth my mother always says about the fall of the Berlin wall, that it seemed impossible and then it just happened, almost by accident. I was only four then and since we lived in the west I don't remember any drastic changes to our lives. But looking back at the event always gets me emotional. It's such an important part of our more recent history
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Luboman411
At 5: 34. Wow, punks as true political rebels within dangerous, ruthless dictatorships instead of self-centered -faux rebellious- tools of music and fashion companies that seek to squeeze profits out of pampered Western teenagers. I salute all the punks of Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall! You did us proud!
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At 5: 34. Wow, punks as true political rebels within dangerous, ruthless dictatorships instead of self-centered -faux rebellious- tools of music and fashion companies that seek to squeeze profits out of pampered Western teenagers. I salute all the punks of Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall! You did us proud!
reply
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