6 chapters across the catalog
Putin's Historical Perspective on Ukrainian Territory
Vladimir Putin delivered a lengthy historical address claiming that modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia on ancient Russian lands. He cited the territorial transfers made by Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev's 1954 decision to give Crimea to Ukraine as evidence of the region's historical ties to the Russian Empire.
Google Maps Literacy and Khrushchev's Crimea Transfer
A critique of the media trope that Americans cannot find Ukraine on a map suggests that digital tools like Google have made such claims obsolete. The discussion also revisits the 1960s transfer of Crimea to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev as a pivotal but often forgotten moment in recent history.
Media Comparisons of Trump to Joseph Stalin
NPR commentators compared Donald Trump's use of the phrase "enemy of the people" to the rhetoric of Joseph Stalin. The segment noted that even Nikita Khrushchev banned the term in the Soviet Union due to its dangerous implications. The hosts criticize the media for using extreme historical analogies to describe current American political discourse.
The Death of Stalin, Enemy of the People Origins
NPR's Jack Beatty noted that the phrase "enemy of the people" is a Stalinist term originally used to justify the physical annihilation of political dissidents. This historical context is used to criticize Donald Trump's rhetoric, with some commentators suggesting Trump should be added to a "rotation" of leaders compared to Joseph Stalin.
The Death of Stalin, Movie Recommendation and Historical Satire
The 2017 French-British satirical comedy "The Death of Stalin" is recommended for its historically grounded portrayal of the power struggle following Joseph Stalin's demise in 1953. Starring Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev and Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, the film depicts the paranoia and absurdity of the Soviet political elite. The movie is noted for its "No Agenda" style roadmap of how people behave under extreme political pressure and fear.
Russian Analyst Perspective, European Union Errors, Khrushchev's 1954 Decision
A former official from the Gorbachev administration analyzes the Crimea situation, attributing the crisis to "terrible errors" by the Ukrainian elite and the European Union. He argues that forcing Ukraine to choose between Europe and Russia was a path to breaking up the society. The segment also references Mikhail Gorbachev's view that the annexation was a redress of Nikita Khrushchev’s 1954 "historic injustice" of attaching Crimea to Ukraine.
