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[+]Naught4050 points1 point1 point
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[–]Naught4050 points
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Anything that happened since 1950 is too recent to have a single source that tells the whole story. And the more modern you get the less certainty and more information and evidence you will have. Also it is important to work on the context, how did Czarist Russia and isolationist America of 1900 become bitter enemies? Where did all those countries that we know and love today come from (most of them are less than 100 years old)? I would just say try to find information from both sides, and try to look at as much as you can including contemporary news reports and stuff. A lot of soviet material was released publicly by the US after the fall of the soviet union. Don't forget to also take into account other contemporary events (like the Arab-Israeli wars from 1948-1974). Look for authors who focus on different aspects and put together a complete picture (the military guys will have a lot to say about the proxy wars and strategy, and not a whole lot to say about Russian Soviet culture or American McCarthyism).
Personally I would start with the underlying principles of communism and free market capitalism and the essential dichotomy of collectivism (the state is the embodiment of the collective and the collective is above the individual) vs individualism (the state guarantees the rights of the individual, in service to him). Look also at Mao and Pol Pot and how they implemented the same doctrine on their people.
[–]Naught4050 points
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No problem! Always nice to hear of others interested in history, especially modern relevant history. I'll pm you a good book on Russia later but I have to go to the shelf to remember the title haha.
This essay is really worth reading, but it requires some of the exact context you are investigating. (ignore the title, it's mostly about the strategy of developing a functional military hierarchy comparing Soviet and US methods and results, with focus on middle east/proxies)
This BBC series is a bit off topic but it covers the specifics of modern conflicts from the Korean War to the First Gulf War, it's well done, fairly impartial, and a lot of fun to watch. The Britishness comes through hard in the Falklands episodes though.
Most of what I can offer besides general advice is focused on military tactics and strategy as that is my primary interest. Have fun! When you have a list of specific topics and events bring them to a research/reference librarian, they can be amazingly helpful.
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[–] Uncle_Slob 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Library.
[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[–] Aaronkin 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
You might find some of this interesting.
[–] Naught405 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
Anything that happened since 1950 is too recent to have a single source that tells the whole story. And the more modern you get the less certainty and more information and evidence you will have. Also it is important to work on the context, how did Czarist Russia and isolationist America of 1900 become bitter enemies? Where did all those countries that we know and love today come from (most of them are less than 100 years old)? I would just say try to find information from both sides, and try to look at as much as you can including contemporary news reports and stuff. A lot of soviet material was released publicly by the US after the fall of the soviet union. Don't forget to also take into account other contemporary events (like the Arab-Israeli wars from 1948-1974). Look for authors who focus on different aspects and put together a complete picture (the military guys will have a lot to say about the proxy wars and strategy, and not a whole lot to say about Russian Soviet culture or American McCarthyism).
Personally I would start with the underlying principles of communism and free market capitalism and the essential dichotomy of collectivism (the state is the embodiment of the collective and the collective is above the individual) vs individualism (the state guarantees the rights of the individual, in service to him). Look also at Mao and Pol Pot and how they implemented the same doctrine on their people.
[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[–] Naught405 ago
No problem! Always nice to hear of others interested in history, especially modern relevant history. I'll pm you a good book on Russia later but I have to go to the shelf to remember the title haha.
This essay is really worth reading, but it requires some of the exact context you are investigating. (ignore the title, it's mostly about the strategy of developing a functional military hierarchy comparing Soviet and US methods and results, with focus on middle east/proxies)
This BBC series is a bit off topic but it covers the specifics of modern conflicts from the Korean War to the First Gulf War, it's well done, fairly impartial, and a lot of fun to watch. The Britishness comes through hard in the Falklands episodes though.
Most of what I can offer besides general advice is focused on military tactics and strategy as that is my primary interest. Have fun! When you have a list of specific topics and events bring them to a research/reference librarian, they can be amazingly helpful.