Soviet Union

You’re probably familiar with how a market economy works through the forces of supply and demand, but if you’ve ever wondered how communist economics functioned, Investopedia has a good primer. It covers which countries historically employed such a model and why; how those states made economic decisions; and how even free-market societies like the US sometimes borrowed elements from command economies, such as price controls and rationing, in times of war or national emergency.

After World War II, Germany and its capital of Berlin were split between four Allied powers and ultimately formed into two new countries: the Communist East Germany and the Democratic West Germany. This nine-minute video details the reunification of Germany, starting with the accidental fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Take a look at the 'Miracle on Ice' from the point of view of one of the losers in that famous 1980 Olympic hockey match in Lake Placid, New York. In this four-minute video, Slava Fetisov discusses his participation on the USSR's powerhouse hockey teams during the 1980s, and his eventual shift to the NHL, where he and many other Russians came to dominate later in the century.

The 73-year-old dictator of the Soviet Union died March 5, 1953, officially from a stroke, on top of nearly a decade of significant medical issues. But evidence suggests the longtime leader might have been poisoned less than a week before at an intimate gathering of Stalin's closest confidantes and advisors. Explore the current evidence for Stalin's alleged murder here.

The "SNAFU" podcast, hosted by actor and comedian Ed Helms, explores some of the biggest blunders in history. Season one focuses on the 1983 NATO Able Archer military exercise, a war game that simulated nuclear attacks on the Soviet Union. The USSR mistook the exercise for a genuine threat and prepared its forces for war. Helms recounts this almost catastrophic event in world history with his signature humor.

For three centuries, one family ruled the Russian Empire: the Romanovs. From 1613 to 1917, 18 Romanovs led the massive Eurasian country, including both Peter and Catherine the Great. The longstanding dynasty came to a sudden end under Nicholas II during the Russian Revolution, when the tsar was forced to abdicate amid food shortages and revolutionary fervor. Learn the basics of the dynasty with this quick overview.

In light of the failed attempt of a CIA-sponsored takeover of Cuba by a group of Cuban exiles, the newfound communist regime under Fidel Castro sought help from the like-minded Soviet Union. The Soviets built nuclear missiles on the island 90 miles to the south of the US to defend Cuba from attack, a move which brought the world the closest ever to nuclear catastrophe. Learn the tense history with this short video.

From a western perspective, Communism was the most dangerous idea of the 20th century, drawing the US into hot and cold wars in Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, and beyond. This multimedia timeline from the Washington Post explores the rise and fall of communist movements worldwide during the “Red Century.” Published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, it features photographs of historical figures and milestone events, from the Tiananmen Square protests to Kim Jong Un.

Flying obsolete Polikarpov Po‑2 biplanes, the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment—dubbed “Night Witches” by terrified German troops—flew over 30,000 night missions, dropping 3,000 tons of bombs under near silence.

The Soviet space program is best known for being the first to launch a satellite—and then a man—into space. But the Soviets have an even more impressive claim to fame: their Venera program, a series of probes sent to Venus to record data, images, and audio of the extremely harsh planet. No other country has accomplished the task since. Watch a fascinating recap of Venera here.