The Soviet Sixties

De: Robert Hornsby

Narrado por: Peter Noble

The story of a remarkable era of reform, controversy, optimism, and Cold War confrontation in the Soviet Union

Beginning with the death of Stalin in 1953, the "sixties" era in the Soviet Union was just as vibrant and transformative as in the West. The ideological romanticism of the revolutionary years was revived, with renewed emphasis on egalitarianism, equality, and the building of a communist utopia. Mass terror was reined in, great victories were won in the space race, Stalinist cultural dogmas were challenged, and young people danced to jazz and rock and roll.

Robert Hornsby examines this remarkable and surprising period, showing that, even as living standards rose, aspects of earlier days endured. Censorship and policing remained tight, and massacres during protests in Tbilisi and Novocherkassk, alongside invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, showed the limits of reform. The rivalry with the United States reached perhaps its most volatile point, friendship with China turned to bitter enmity, and global decolonization opened up new horizons for the USSR in the developing world. These tumultuous years transformed the lives of Soviet citizens and helped reshape the wider world.

©2023 Robert Hornsby (P)2023 Tantor

Fascinating and eye-opening history

I'd consider it a lack of curiosity that has cause books like this to not be more common, or in fact this one more well-known than it is. I put myself in this group, even as I studied Russian history and language in university, decades ago. The idea that the Soviet Union was merely the monolithic black hole of repression touted by western propaganda is facile at best, or willfully ignorant. Which is not to say that perspective is not valid, not least of which under Stalin, and even subsequently with Khrushchev in the following several years. But to have never had any indication, myself growing up in the US in the time of detente, of the real lives of the people, the commerce, the governing, the arts, etc. in the Soviet Union, seems (now) suspiciously, though not surprisingly, deceitful, in typically American jingoistic style.

Flawed to be sure, even from the inception of the state, and its subsequent factionalization, and notable reliance on a destructive cult of personality in most of its formative years. But in this book, there's a sense that perhaps the system was not inevitably flawed as most capitalists would have you believe (particularly given the sabotage wrought by those same people). No more than it was inevitable to succeed as the hardcore supporters pontificated. Overall, a quite enlightening book.

P.S. I know these days, the ability for grasping figurative language and literary allusion is waning, but I had no trouble understanding that, by "Soviet Sixties",the author was alluding to a time of change and vitality, pushback and strife, in a sense that Westerners would comprehend, not *literally* the 1960s. But considering that the author *spelled it out* in the introduction, yet some reviewer still doesn't understand, makes me wonder what was that person listening to, all that time?😉

Should be titled Soviet Fifties

Book is good and thorough and interesting. But the title is fairly misleading as the majority of the book is about the 1950's, not 60's.

Comprehensive and Emtertaining

A great and entertaining listen about the rest of the story of the Soviet reform era from the Secret Speech to the crushing of the Prague Spring.

This is a great book. Seems like the nonfiction counterpart to the fictional book, Red Plenty - which covered similar topics but in nonfiction form in a series of short vignettes.

A serious Soviet deep dive for the 60s

Really enjoyed this book. It’s a very thorough history that pretty much starts with the death of Stalin and goes through the Prague spring of 1968. The book not only goes through political leaders, but it also goes into a great detail and what is going on socially in the Soviet Union during this time. With anybody who has an interest in the cold war, I would strongly recommend this book.

very much worth a listen.

informative, well written, and packed with interesting detail, this is a book that should be read by anyone with an interest in modern European history.