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In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev did not yet have the political capital or the right people in place to enact his bold domestic reforms. However, in the realm of foreign policy, he was able to make a splash more quickly. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The period between the death of Leonid Brezhnev in 1982 and the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 is often glossed over in histories of the Soviet Union. Yet, much of what happened in this time period provides vital context for the turmoil that would rock the USSR in the coming decade. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The war in Afghanistan was a bridge between the old Soviet Union and the new Russia. The soldiers of the Red Army who fought in it came from every republic and region of the USSR, and the war left an indelible mark on those who survived. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

Between 1973 and 1979, there were three violent coups in Afghanistan, generating a crisis that culminated in the full-scale Soviet invasion of the country. It would be a war with few, if any, redeeming qualities. There were no good guys and everybody lost. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

Afghanistan is a country at the crossroads of the world. Just about every major Eurasian Empire has been entangled in Afghan affairs at some point. The history of Afghanistan brings clarity not just to our understanding of the decline of the Soviet Union, but the entire modern world. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The Soviet Union was an officially and aggressively atheist state. However, religious traditions were strongly rooted among the peoples of the USSR. Even amidst an atmosphere of persecution, various Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities persevered and even thrived. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

As Brezhnev pushed back against the reforms of his predecessor, members of the Soviet intelligentsia who had been inspired by the Khrushchev thaw, refused to be silenced. By the 1970's, underground human rights organizations were springing up all over the USSR. While the KGB could destroy individual groups, they had greater difficulty containing the ideas that inspired them. Support this podcas...

When the Soviet Union and several Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, it put an end to the reforms of the Prague Spring. However, it also fractured the Communist World, leading Albania to defect from the Warsaw Pact and deepening the Soviet rift with China. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The Brezhnev era was, socially and politically, the most stable in the history of the USSR. However, it is also the period in which its economic decline accelerated. The complete collapse of the 80's and 90's had its roots in the mismanagement of the 60's and 70's. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

In October 1964, a plot was executed to force Nikita Khrushchev from power. Khrushchev's fall, not so coincidentally, was concurrent with the rise of his protege - Leonid Brezhnev. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

In October 1962, the presence of nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. The ensuing Cuban Missile Crisis was also a pivotal moment in the decline of the USSR. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The historic Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Bridgetown, Barbados is one of the oldest in the Americas. Built in 1654 by Sephardic Jews fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition in Brazil, it was abandoned by that community when virtually all of them left the island during the economic crisis that followed the abolition of slavery. It was rebuilt by a new, mostly Ashkenazi community that fled to the Caribbe...

The islands of the Caribbean, which are today popular tourist destinations, were once home to some of the most concentrated suffering in human history. Above all, it was the Caribbean sugar industry that fueled the inhumanity of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The unlikely success of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement in the late 1950's is one of the most fascinating underdog stories in world history, and it set the stage for the most dramatic moment of the Cold War. Support this podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyspherepodcast/support

The End of History Part 17: Cuba Libre

The End of History Part 16: Let's Go!

The End of History Part 15: Uprising

The End of History Part 14: The Commissar

The End of History Part 13: The Death of Stalin

The End of History Part 12: Return to Peace

The End of History Part 11: The Bomb

The End of History Part 10: The Big Three

The End of History Part 9: Victory

The End of History Part 8: The Cauldron

The End of History Part 7: The Great Patriotic War

The End of History Part 6: The Gathering Storm

The End of History Part 5: The Great Terror

The End of History Part 4: The Georgian

The End of History Part 3: All Power to the Soviets