The USSR in the Cold War Years - Professor Polly Jones

[@JonathanLopezUT]

This is extremely interesting and very well put together. Thank you Professor Jones

[@smersh007]

Interesting talk on soviet union from consumer and middle class perspective

[@SocialismForAll]

Well put

[@r.w.bottorff7735]

Interesting discussion, thank you!

[@DENCSER]

The discussion requires the participation of at least two people. She's talking nonsense.

[@tyemich8820]

Thank you! Although the speaker is very young, she makes a really enjoyable summary of the country's history, I haven't noticed a single inaccuracy which seldom happens with most Western commentators. Great job, professor Jones! For those who wish to delve more into the details of everyday Soviet life, I would recommend watching the "Namedni" series of documentaries by Leonid Parthenov. Episodes about 1961-1999 are especially interesting, unbiased, and with interesting commentary (not sure if there are subs, though)

[@bbmtge]

Get over yourself. Utter foolishness.

[@grumpyoldman8661]

At 10.29: Stakhanov (and then the so-called 'Stakhanovites') were hated and despised by their workmates, who were forced to try and keep up with the back-breaking tempo, but minus the consumer goodies. Anyway, like practically everything organised by the Party the achievements of the Stakhanovites were rigged, with everything set up to ensure the attainment of the unrealistic production targets. The movement fizzled out, just like the Soviet Union at a later date. Excellent lecture. (UK)

[@garbonomics]

This is in very bleak contrast to most of the other in depth research on the Soviet Union at this time. I’d have to say that this is in fact a snap shot not just of the few but the very very few. Not a single one of us in the west then and now would have wanted to switch places with these people.

[@kabalofthebloodyspoon]

that's why she said so in the first 10 minutes

[@psivil.disobedience]

I’m disabled & live in a tent… I’d love it

[@syourke3]

Socialism does not mean state ownership of the means of production. It means worker control over the means of production. There is a huge difference!

[@AWOL401]

Not in the real world there’s not

[@syourke3]

@@AWOL401 Neither socialism nor democracy exist in the “real world”. They are aspirations, not realities. The real world has always been owned and controlled by a tiny elite of useless parasites who enslave everybody else and use them as cannon fodder in their endless wars of aggression.

[@SocialismForAll]

Interesting, but the information is presented in such a way as to lead the viewer to believe that many of these things were unique to the USSR, like media censorship to name one example. There is also no real treatment of the strengths of Soviet life for working people in comparison to contemporary experiences in capitalist countries.

[@benjaminphillips7963]

I hate the smacking noise she makes with her lips whenever she starts a new sentence.

[@northernbohemianrealist]

Professor Polly - yummy, yummy, yummy!

[@OuterHeaven210]

Indeed

[@DekuNutss]

cringe

[@SocialismForAll]

Northern Bohemian Realist - creepy, creepy, creepy!

[@Nounismisation]

Great content and well presented but please Polly forgive me when I say that you are an inch away from becoming screechy. It would be best to deal with that now in order to avoid a lifetime of letting yourself and audiences down by becoming hard to listen to. It would be a great shame to allow all your hard work to go wasted because your spoken delivery had become insufferably screechy. With the best of intentions and hope, Nounismisation.

[@roobalut]

Perhaps she should smile more, too, you cretin.

[@SocialismForAll]

Just say you hate women

[@thomasboyd3889]

Russia is on the map. President Putin cares about Russian people and Russia is a great nation. Also gas and oil are in public ownership. I support Russia Today. Also support Scottish Independence from Britain. Russian people are great. Russia is powerful country.

[@tobyblack9535]

Thomas Boyd Russia also has the GDP of Italy, incredibly low economic growth, widespread corruption and poverty, a non independent judiciary and also lacks proper democracy. In putins attempt to increase his influence internationally he's ignored the plight of the Russian people and enriched himself in the process.

[@thomasboyd3889]

I would prefer to live in Russia under President putin or live as an Italian in Italy. Than live in Tory Britain. Students in England pay £9000 tuition fees under your Tory government you voted for it 2017 UK general election. Italy is part of the eu and has better democracy than England run by the conservative party.

[@deanunio]

Hey Thomas. Are you Scottish? The reason I ask is the poor English used at the start of your comment. I wondered if you might actually be Tomasz Boydovosk and herald from Yekaterinburg. Having said that maybe you would like to explain how Scotland would pay for it’s free tuition fees without the subsidy it currently receives from the English taxpayer? Also could you give a couple of examples of how Italy ‘has better democracy’ than the UK?

[@16252]

Morons delight in Putin, I'm not sure it works the other way round.

[@16252]

@@thomasboyd3889 So you can't see the difference between Putin's Russia and Meloni's Italy, a lot of Russians and Italians would be offended...