Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev

If the space race was about being the first country to put a gleaming satellite into orbit high above the Earth, the Soviets won that race in October 1957. Discover why historians call Sputnik's success the high-water mark of the prestige and confidence of international communism. What made the communists so sure they alone had the keys to the future of human destiny?

In the 1950s and '60s, in a clear turn from Stalin's methods, the Soviets planned to win developing countries over to communism by the shining example of the Soviet Union and by its direct help. But reality turned out to be a bit more complicated. Explore the complex relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba-as well as its burgeoning rivalry with China.

Beginning with its invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Soviets became deeply embroiled in one country after the next, with each gain bringing increasing problems. Explore whether it's possible to identify a singular decision that tipped the Soviets over the edge from expansion into decline-or were there many? And how did these Soviet decisions affect their long-term rivalry with China?

The communist cultural model is about overcoming the past to make way for the building of a new civilization. Culture was never to be an end in itself, but it would exist solely to serve the communist agenda. Explore the many conflicts this ideology presented in places with a long history of myriad arts. Follow the fascinating trajectories of several artists and writers.

Communism proposed to bring about a superlative society which the Soviets would model for other countries. But what was the reality of day-to-day life in this "ideal" society? Explore the many contradictions Soviets experienced between their daily hardships and the propaganda they heard all around them. Learn about the many coping mechanisms they developed to deal with this cognitive dissonance.

Learn about the societal roles played by the "secret police" in various communist countries, from the KGB in the Soviet Union to the East German Stasi to the Securitate in Romania under Ceausescu. What were the goals of these opaque-but, definitely not secret-security forces, and how did they shape their societies? And what happens when the countries they police cease to exist?

Learn about the Blues Masses in East Berlin churches, masses that included everything from Bible verses to punk music to discussions of societal ills. Discover how they fit into a long history of protest and dissent within the communist bloc. Explore the role of books and samizdat in continuing the free flow of outlawed, non-communist ideas.

When Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he launched a wave of transformations to breathe life into the stagnating communist system. Explore the significance of this leader who was so well-liked internationally-with perestroika, glasnost, and his desire to end the cold war-but whose popularity sank at home as people suffered from a worsening economy.

In 1989, thousands of young East Germans fled into the West, frustrated by the slow pace of reform in their country. This desire to escape from the legacies of totalitarianism and to live like "a normal country" spread through the Soviet sphere, and then into the Soviet Union itself. Explore the chain reaction that occurred, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day, 1991.

In 1989, demonstrations began in cities all around China, with participants demanding real political reform, not just the economic reforms Deng had promoted. Explore the differences between the party's response to demonstrations against totalitarianism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and China-and how China continues to transform itself today.

Totalitarianism provided an us-versus-them clarity that was lost with the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Even those countries that retained communism found themselves engaging with a changed world. Explore the broad spectrum of governments that replaced communism in the old Soviet bloc and what they offered their people.

China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba are officially communist countries today, even as their communism has evolved and adapted from that proposed by Marx and Engels. Communism has a layered and complex history and is remembered and memorialized very differently in different parts of the world. Explore how these differences might impact the communism of the future.