I have time to read and I would like to learn about recent and current political and social events in Russia. So where is a good place to start learning about recent Russian history? Books, films, anything. (Influenced by this Meta post).
Defense Against Enemy Propaganda, a 1956 film intended for US troops, contains a couple of clips of Soviet propaganda with voiceovers in English. Are they genuine Soviet films? Where did they come from? [more inside]
Why did the Soviet military retain the traditional Officer/Enlisted class binary rather than instituting some other hierarchichal structure?
Russian History: Why did the Soviet military retain the traditional (western) Officer/Enlisted class binary rather than instituting some other hierarchichal structure? How did they ideologically justify maintaining two distinct and separate classes, one subordinate to the other, in an army putatively fighting for a classless society? [more inside]
Can somebody help me track down the source claiming Leonid Kantorovich was responsible for safety on the Road of Life during the Siege of Leningrad?
Can somebody help me track down the source claiming Leonid Kantorovich was responsible for the safety of evacuees on the Road of Life during the Siege of Leningrad? [more inside]
LateImperialRussianHistoryFilter: What penalties under the law might a Russian man or woman in 1890 face for adultery? [more inside]
I'm looking for reporting/stories dealing with Russia right when the Soviet Union collapsed. [more inside]
Help me feed my obsession with all things Russia. [more inside]
Looking for non-depressing fiction about Russia (any time period). Is there an equivalent to Connie Willis's wonderful Blackout/All Clear? [more inside]
Bookfilter: I want to read books that are similar to "Saturn is almost invisible" by Vasily Ardamatsky. [more inside]
Where can I find historical GDP data for the old Soviet Union? [more inside]
History filter: can you point me to sources on the treatment of British POWs during the Crimean War? [more inside]
Are there any good books about the Chechen war that also give some historical background on Russian relations with the Caucasus? [more inside]
I'm preparing for a massive personal archiving/interviewing trip with my grandparents and need advice regarding many aspects of the project. [more inside]
Did they really get the bright idea to host a college football game in Soviet Russia, and then have to cancel it because they couldn't sell enough vacation packages? The Wikipedia entry about the Glasnost Bowl has a bunch of outdated angelfire pages as its sources. The 1989 New York Times article that mentions it doesn't treat it as very interesting. I think it would make a publishable journal article if it's real and am looking for more info.
What are some good examples of failing to learn from history? [more inside]
Wanted: Your favorite books and articles on the Soviet army's time in Afghanistan. [more inside]
Looking for recommendations on films (documentary or dramatic) or books (nonficiton or novel) about Agitprop or Agitprop Theater, specifically as it was practiced in Boshevist Russia/USSR. [more inside]
Help me teach myself about the current political and social climate in Russia. [more inside]
I'm looking for some books on European history during the 1800s. I'm specifically interested in Russia from the Decemberists to the 1917 revolution, and the French student revolution of 1848. [more inside]
Can you help me find a book which traverses Russian history from, well, as far back as possible up to the Russian Revolution of 1917? [more inside]
What was life like in Siberia circa the mid-1820s? Specifically, what was life like for Decemberists who were exiled there? I have heard that it was like the Wild West, only much colder. Are there any good books on this? I've found a couple of websites referenced, but, well, I don't speak Russian. Academic history papers are also appreciated. Any good authors, novels, histories, authorities would be a help. (As a corrolary— was there a concerted exploration and surveying movement in that area at the same time? What would it have been like to be on the frontier? How would it have been different from the American frontier of a similar time [which would have been around Ohio and Michigan]?)
I want to know more about the history of Russian biology--especially in the period from Darwin to Lysenko (roughly 75 years). I don't know any Russian, so the source has to be in English. Anyone know anything that would fit this description?