Stuff You Should Know

The Fall of the USSR, Pt I

August 25, 2026·41 min·6-min readconversationalhistory
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s was one of the most significant geopolitical events since World War II, driven not by war or mass uprising but by internal reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev. His policies of perestroika (restructuring) and *glasnost

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Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Mikhail GorbachevNicolae CeaușescuVladimir PutinBilly JoelChuck Norris

Books

The Lean Startupby Eric Ries

Companies

iHeartRadio

Research & Papers

The Cost of Chernobyl

Topics

Ancient HistoryCold WarForeign PolicyGeopoliticsHistorical FiguresMilitary HistoryPolitical NewsWorld War 2

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