About This Lesson
By 1981, the Soviet Union's economy was stagnant for years, yet it remained a global superpower because of its military might. This seemingly unsustainable combination led Russian-born writers Vladimir Solovyov and Elena Klepikova to ask "What if, today [1981], the last great empire on earth were nothing more than a fiction trying its best to convince both itself and others of its reality? Most important of all, which factor predominates in the Russian empire today—its strength or its weakness?"
To answer these questions, the authors turn to Russian history and culture, which emphasize the importance of empire and military—both as a sense of pride as well as a practical defense phenomenon.
The excerpt and accompanying discussion questions, which can be found here, serve as a valuable resource for students to understand continuing themes that dictate Russian politics: pride of empire, fear of invasion, and an allergy to the alien. The full article can be found here.
This worksheet is great for a global history, world history, European history, or comparative government course.
Photo: U.S.S.R. summary map, 1968. CREDIT: Library of Congress
