Who was the greatest hero, and who was the greatest villain of the Cold War? To buy my books, including Thomas Paine: A Lifetime of Radicalism, check out my online bookstore: davidbenner.square.site
The greatest hero and the greatest vilian of the Cold War? Is this "comics-style" approach the right way to analyse the Cold War? How about focusing on the root causes, the security, economic, social, and cultural factors? I am not even sure what you mean by "heros" and "vilians" in the context of the Cold War.
One thing those leaders had compared to today was a memory of the devastation and brutality of World War II. Our so-called leaders continue the game but with a child's comprehension of the wars they are potentially unleashing. Where have all our grown ups gone? Who will pump the brakes on World War III?
yeah that's true,well said. That's probably the main reason why in the Republic of Rome before it became and empire you couldn't be a politician without serving in the army
Gorbachev also oversaw the aftermath of Chernobyl, a disaster caused by the Soviet system itself... he had to have known the system was untenable just on the domestic front.
I’ve run into a surprising number of Russians, who actually now say they like Yeltsin, because he represented the one and only true free election and free Russia ever. Of course, these people were all living in the west for decades, and were capital region elites. Or they were Putin defectors who worship Navalny, so the same just with a different figurehead. I’ve never run into an average Russia Russian who felt the same way.
What a pity most of us are so destracted by his haircut that we find ourselves commenting on it & not the topic. It's just so severe !! Listened to him again without looking at the screen, very interesting.
A two points 1) Gorbachov's characterization, he was Andropov's protege, and his first actions as the first secretary were not liberalization at all, but on the contrary, tightening the screws in the socio-economic state policies. Only when this did not bring results did the idea of reforms appear. And here we have the elephant in the room, the economy and oil prices. It is entirely possible that if Gorbachov had the same oil prices and revenues from it as Brezniev in the 70s, he would have pursued the same policy as he did. 2) Something should be added about Thatcher. When the processes of disintegration of the SU began to be visible (which almost no one predicted until it happened), Thatcher (in her last moments as PM), like most politicians of the West, panicked. In fact, they wanted to keep SU and maintain the bilateral division of the world because they were afraid of the potential chaos associated with the changes. This is understandable, the disintegration of the SU took place according to the best possible almost bloodless scenario, but no one could have assumed this in 1990. Yet this is in opposition to the popular opinion about her.
Hmmm ... Malice, in this video, references a book regarding this period of our history. [Is it his book or that of some other author?] Do you know whether, in this book, Malice references the two arguments you present? [Wish I knew the name of the book he is referencing.]
AFAIK she was most afraid of German reunification, thought that would result in a reemerging powerful Germany that would dominate Europe. Well, she was wrong. For a while it seemed so, but they were reined in. Especially since the migration crisis and the breakup of the Ukrainian war.
They/ Gorby forgot that the Soviet Union was held together by terror. When that terror was no longer possible, chaos was the natural result. Lenin's thug Netchiev's mantra was "The nature of mass terror must be encouraged."
a brilliant must read/listen to book - should be required Jr year high school course taught By Michael via video - thank you MM for your courage and White Pill Passion
I love when people now pretend like they knew the Soviet Union was gonna end. It’s always funny to hear someone rewrite the history in their mind and make themselves smarter than all the “sheep” lol
I did. I predicted it in an American Foreign Policy class in college in 1986. The whole class laughed at me. I was not some geopolitical savant - plenty of foreign policy observers had predicted the same - just willing to state unpopular beliefs out loud. It was just not socially acceptable to state such opinions in academic circles in the 80s.
@@michaelallen3304 LOL tell me you're under 40 etc. Lots of people in the 70s and 80s believed the Soviet Union was going to end. Ironically they were criticized as warmongers, when they weren't being publicly ridiculed as idiots. The reactionary behavior of political and media establishments was substantively different then from those groups' behavior now - it was just more decorous because decorum was not yet out of style.
I often thought of what it would have felt like its things were flipped for Reagan to watch the entire system he grew up in crash and disappear with even the prestigious position of President or Thatchers position of Prime minister they worked so hard to ascend to quietly popping out of existence over night never to be held again. Knowing historically your the one history will credit ending it carries a certain weight to anyone. Sure the soviet regimes past cruelty and deciding to stop that cruelty even if its topples the whole state made that decision go down much easier than if the US or UK fell without all that going on... but we all have a nostaligic and feeling of home in our present system even if we disagree with parts of it. Even an abusive household many seek to reproduce when making our own families without realizing it because its all we know. We know nothing else and nothing is usually scarier than going to completely unknown territory. I wish somehow after the USSR fell all the American cold warriors who saw everything as a competition for power for decades were all removed from government and fresh eyes and ears making all future policy. The cold warriors in the west felt they were entitled to the benefits and spoils of winning that war when in reality despite the USSRs violent and evil past, Gorbachev chose a better path when he didn't have too. Our leaders failed to match him on that and have put us and the entire world in danger because of it. Worse I think our leaders grew jealous of the general secretary's total power over the people making many government moves much easier for them to inact than in the US. I think our ruling class got jealous of that power and allowed the Bezmenov style demoralization to take place unopposed eventually because of it. I honestly think our leaders pervertedly want to win the war and rule the world with the power of the general secretary. Many who spent there whole lives fighting the cold war believing its sort of there right because they won. As the USSR pre Gorbachev certainly would have ruled the planet with an iron fist if possible. There is a weird thing that happens when you fight one enemy over a whole lifetime. Like many people today you become just like the people your trying to stop on some level without realizing it. The Antifascists become even more fascist than fascists eventually in order to stop "fascists" etc. We dont just influence those we oppose... but they influence us whether we consciously realize it or not. Opposition is a powerful character shaping device and one often difficult to stay self aware of your own behavioral changes throughout. As we all can be made to do and say things we never thought we would if the conflict gets long enough and frustrating enough. The allure of a possible total victory and everybody's unconscious wish/need for payback eventually plays a factor. Some people are much better at staying self aware of those very human and natural impulses than others. As we all seek fairness and equal punishment as we see it. Often only from the view of whats best for our group. I do think nationalist beliefs are also very healthy and good for society as growing centralized control always equals tyranny and unfair treatment of one group in favor of another without seemingly any legal recoarses for the group getting the short end of the stick. A situation like that is a recipe for unavoidable disaster. Nationalist and internationalist leanings are both equally as dangerous when taken to a radical degree. Rather a balance of the too is often the closest humanity has ever gotten to a fair and just system for the people living under it. But as a consequence its makes solving problems inevitably harder and a slower process for those with authority. A frustrating process than can eventually lead to short sighted decisions by leaders over time. Something thats completely an understandable response from those in charge but still extremely destructive long term. Plus one leader might be able weild extra power without abusing it. Maybe even two in a row if you win the political lottery so to speak...But those power grabs to make things run smoother and faster now inevitably set a precedent long term for some future leader to abuse terribly. Its even more dangerous in my opinion to have radical international policy as whatever nation/people get control of a one world government with todays technology would be horrifying. Also like I said the injustice of one group over another in an ultra large state is unavoidable and always will lead to a future conflict. One humanity very well may not survive. It can create the very situation where a nuclear war becomes logical and possibly even desirable for some tired of living under tyranny. It can make the very situation where "give me liberty or give me death" is our species last words prior to destroying itself. A situation where nuclear war would be seen as desirable and logical seems unthinkable to us but its very possible. We desperately need to watch out for situations occuring where such horrible things look reasonable. Things can change in a hurry and we can end up there much faster than people imagine
The nail in the coffin was Chernobyl. After an event like that, the lies and gaslighting was ineffective. Perestroika wasn’t significantly helping either.
@@pawelpap9 any arguments against or just mindless drivel? If you can’t read 1989, You can ask ChatGPT, “Yes, it's accurate to say that some leaders and officials in the Soviet Union recognized by the 1970s that the system had fundamental problems that could lead to its collapse. They saw signs of economic stagnation, systemic corruption, and a lack of political flexibility that could become existential threats if not addressed.” I win!
The fall of the Soviet Union was, and continues to be, the greatest catastrophe of modern times. 6 million people perished in the aftermath of its collapse, mainly over the course of the 90’s, although the numerous wars currently being fought in the former soviet republics (Ukraine, Armenia) can be said to be a continuation of this. In some respects it can be compared to the Holocaust, but because it happened to Slavs, and because it benefited the forces of international capitalism, nobody seems to care. It was a tragedy brought about by the USSR’s obsessive desire to protect its revolution from the west, which had at one point assembled the largest invasion force ever known to man, 3.2 million axis troops, in order to crush the union. Instead, it was destroyed by the same insidious nationalism that has continued to make most of Europe essentially a client state of the United States. It was a tragedy.
Wrong. The CREATION of the Soviet Union was the greatest catastrophe of modern times. It's implosion due to the inherent flaws of Marxism was a blessing to all of Eastern Europe.🫡
Blah blah blah. The Soviet Union dissolved for the same reason Japan, a country one fourth their size, kicked their rear in the 1905 Russo-Japanese War; alcoholism & Vodka. We need to tax alcohol, allow Sober Adults discounts on insurance premiums and reduce the blood alcohol content for Driving Under the Influence.
![[FULL EP.73] เปิดบ้าน 70 ล้าน "แป้ง Zbing" ยกมาทั้งญี่ปุ่น l เคหสถานบานปลาย l One Playground](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YBnJhTt07Pg/mqdefault.jpg)
Who was the greatest hero, and who was the greatest villain of the Cold War?
To buy my books, including Thomas Paine: A Lifetime of Radicalism, check out my online bookstore: davidbenner.square.site
The greatest hero and the greatest vilian of the Cold War? Is this "comics-style" approach the right way to analyse the Cold War? How about focusing on the root causes, the security, economic, social, and cultural factors? I am not even sure what you mean by "heros" and "vilians" in the context of the Cold War.
Who Were The Oligarchs Who Plundered Russia? th-cam.com/video/tkQ5TXzR0Kk/w-d-xo.html
No Soviet barber would've ever given that haircut.
NSDAP Germany would. That is a straight up Himmler cut.
Speaking of Chairman Mao, that haircut duuuude!
The bowl they used to cut Michael’s hair had a big chip in it.
I appreciate his cut 👍
If communism was a haircut.
Malice is going for one of Kim Jong-Un approved haircuts.
Did Micheal do anything bad to the barber who cut his hair?
I came to the comments for this 😂
No dont you get it maaan? Hes edddgggyyyyy. And contraaarrrrian. Intentionally looking like shit is just another kind of virtue signaling.
Nah. He just has a brilliant sense of humor.
One thing those leaders had compared to today was a memory of the devastation and brutality of World War II. Our so-called leaders continue the game but with a child's comprehension of the wars they are potentially unleashing. Where have all our grown ups gone? Who will pump the brakes on World War III?
yeah that's true,well said. That's probably the main reason why in the Republic of Rome before it became and empire you couldn't be a politician without serving in the army
Gorbachev also oversaw the aftermath of Chernobyl, a disaster caused by the Soviet system itself... he had to have known the system was untenable just on the domestic front.
“Only Nixon could go to China”. [Mr. Spock]
You have restored my father's faith.
It should be said that the vast majority of Russians despise Gorbachev, maybe even more than Yelstin.
I’ve run into a surprising number of Russians, who actually now say they like Yeltsin, because he represented the one and only true free election and free Russia ever.
Of course, these people were all living in the west for decades, and were capital region elites. Or they were Putin defectors who worship Navalny, so the same just with a different figurehead. I’ve never run into an average Russia Russian who felt the same way.
What a pity most of us are so destracted by his haircut that we find ourselves commenting on it & not the topic. It's just so severe !! Listened to him again without looking at the screen, very interesting.
Probably, you should know that Gorbachev is despised in Russia for not executing the power he had and let GULAG to be dismissed.
A two points
1) Gorbachov's characterization, he was Andropov's protege, and his first actions as the first secretary were not liberalization at all, but on the contrary, tightening the screws in the socio-economic state policies. Only when this did not bring results did the idea of reforms appear. And here we have the elephant in the room, the economy and oil prices. It is entirely possible that if Gorbachov had the same oil prices and revenues from it as Brezniev in the 70s, he would have pursued the same policy as he did.
2) Something should be added about Thatcher. When the processes of disintegration of the SU began to be visible (which almost no one predicted until it happened), Thatcher (in her last moments as PM), like most politicians of the West, panicked. In fact, they wanted to keep SU and maintain the bilateral division of the world because they were afraid of the potential chaos associated with the changes. This is understandable, the disintegration of the SU took place according to the best possible almost bloodless scenario, but no one could have assumed this in 1990. Yet this is in opposition to the popular opinion about her.
Hmmm ... Malice, in this video, references a book regarding this period of our history. [Is it his book or that of some other author?] Do you know whether, in this book, Malice references the two arguments you present? [Wish I knew the name of the book he is referencing.]
@@johnk2452 White Pill
AFAIK she was most afraid of German reunification, thought that would result in a reemerging powerful Germany that would dominate Europe. Well, she was wrong. For a while it seemed so, but they were reined in. Especially since the migration crisis and the breakup of the Ukrainian war.
Nonsense,
Who Were The Oligarchs Who Plundered Russia? th-cam.com/video/tkQ5TXzR0Kk/w-d-xo.html
They/ Gorby forgot that the Soviet Union was held together by terror. When that terror was no longer possible, chaos was the natural result.
Lenin's thug Netchiev's mantra was "The nature of mass terror must be encouraged."
a brilliant must read/listen to book - should be required Jr year high school course taught By Michael via video - thank you MM for your courage and White Pill Passion
Came for the hair.
Good to see Michael has gone full Peaky Blinder.
What a fantastic analysis. Who thought the Soviet Union would fold even two years before it happened.
I love when people now pretend like they knew the Soviet Union was gonna end. It’s always funny to hear someone rewrite the history in their mind and make themselves smarter than all the “sheep” lol
I did. I predicted it in an American Foreign Policy class in college in 1986. The whole class laughed at me. I was not some geopolitical savant - plenty of foreign policy observers had predicted the same - just willing to state unpopular beliefs out loud. It was just not socially acceptable to state such opinions in academic circles in the 80s.
@@michaelallen3304 LOL tell me you're under 40 etc. Lots of people in the 70s and 80s believed the Soviet Union was going to end. Ironically they were criticized as warmongers, when they weren't being publicly ridiculed as idiots. The reactionary behavior of political and media establishments was substantively different then from those groups' behavior now - it was just more decorous because decorum was not yet out of style.
Speaking of complete disasters...what is that on Michael's head?
Only clicked for the haircut
I'd have to suppose both these lads are young, Gobachov had good press in the UK back in the day; was his not taught afterwards?
the hand of God - ordaining that both of these men were our leaders at that time
saving the people of the world
I often thought of what it would have felt like its things were flipped for Reagan to watch the entire system he grew up in crash and disappear with even the prestigious position of President or Thatchers position of Prime minister they worked so hard to ascend to quietly popping out of existence over night never to be held again. Knowing historically your the one history will credit ending it carries a certain weight to anyone. Sure the soviet regimes past cruelty and deciding to stop that cruelty even if its topples the whole state made that decision go down much easier than if the US or UK fell without all that going on... but we all have a nostaligic and feeling of home in our present system even if we disagree with parts of it. Even an abusive household many seek to reproduce when making our own families without realizing it because its all we know. We know nothing else and nothing is usually scarier than going to completely unknown territory. I wish somehow after the USSR fell all the American cold warriors who saw everything as a competition for power for decades were all removed from government and fresh eyes and ears making all future policy. The cold warriors in the west felt they were entitled to the benefits and spoils of winning that war when in reality despite the USSRs violent and evil past, Gorbachev chose a better path when he didn't have too. Our leaders failed to match him on that and have put us and the entire world in danger because of it. Worse I think our leaders grew jealous of the general secretary's total power over the people making many government moves much easier for them to inact than in the US. I think our ruling class got jealous of that power and allowed the Bezmenov style demoralization to take place unopposed eventually because of it. I honestly think our leaders pervertedly want to win the war and rule the world with the power of the general secretary. Many who spent there whole lives fighting the cold war believing its sort of there right because they won. As the USSR pre Gorbachev certainly would have ruled the planet with an iron fist if possible. There is a weird thing that happens when you fight one enemy over a whole lifetime. Like many people today you become just like the people your trying to stop on some level without realizing it. The Antifascists become even more fascist than fascists eventually in order to stop "fascists" etc. We dont just influence those we oppose... but they influence us whether we consciously realize it or not. Opposition is a powerful character shaping device and one often difficult to stay self aware of your own behavioral changes throughout. As we all can be made to do and say things we never thought we would if the conflict gets long enough and frustrating enough. The allure of a possible total victory and everybody's unconscious wish/need for payback eventually plays a factor. Some people are much better at staying self aware of those very human and natural impulses than others. As we all seek fairness and equal punishment as we see it. Often only from the view of whats best for our group. I do think nationalist beliefs are also very healthy and good for society as growing centralized control always equals tyranny and unfair treatment of one group in favor of another without seemingly any legal recoarses for the group getting the short end of the stick. A situation like that is a recipe for unavoidable disaster. Nationalist and internationalist leanings are both equally as dangerous when taken to a radical degree. Rather a balance of the too is often the closest humanity has ever gotten to a fair and just system for the people living under it. But as a consequence its makes solving problems inevitably harder and a slower process for those with authority. A frustrating process than can eventually lead to short sighted decisions by leaders over time. Something thats completely an understandable response from those in charge but still extremely destructive long term. Plus one leader might be able weild extra power without abusing it. Maybe even two in a row if you win the political lottery so to speak...But those power grabs to make things run smoother and faster now inevitably set a precedent long term for some future leader to abuse terribly. Its even more dangerous in my opinion to have radical international policy as whatever nation/people get control of a one world government with todays technology would be horrifying. Also like I said the injustice of one group over another in an ultra large state is unavoidable and always will lead to a future conflict. One humanity very well may not survive. It can create the very situation where a nuclear war becomes logical and possibly even desirable for some tired of living under tyranny. It can make the very situation where "give me liberty or give me death" is our species last words prior to destroying itself. A situation where nuclear war would be seen as desirable and logical seems unthinkable to us but its very possible. We desperately need to watch out for situations occuring where such horrible things look reasonable. Things can change in a hurry and we can end up there much faster than people imagine
That haircut..."welcome to latvia."circa 1932
what's the book?
MMalice makes me want to read
Why tf does Malice constantly get bad haircuts? lol The dude can afford a real barber. If he can't, I'll spring for it dammit
The nail in the coffin was Chernobyl. After an event like that, the lies and gaslighting was ineffective. Perestroika wasn’t significantly helping either.
Michael Malice trying his darndest to emulate Kamerad Kim Jong-Un 😅
We forgot that we are orks, lots of thanks for reminding.
Bro needs a fade desperately
Many wrong points for instance demilitarized space! At the same time the star war idea popped out. ..
Friends don’t let friends cut their hair with a Bic.
What’s with the Kim Jong Un haircut Mike?🤣
Bro wtf is that hair cut? 😂
Checkers.
Its amazing how many people claim to follow Reagan but fail to understand how he did what he did...
It wasn’t just him.
@@pawelpap9 No... But they aren't talking about the otherz
Why the Soviet Union Collapsed? System didn't work...
They knew they were cooked in the 70’s, our intel must have also known, it was a waiting game. Read “1989”.
Nonsense. But dream on.
@@pawelpap9 any arguments against or just mindless drivel? If you can’t read 1989, You can ask ChatGPT, “Yes, it's accurate to say that some leaders and officials in the Soviet Union recognized by the 1970s that the system had fundamental problems that could lead to its collapse. They saw signs of economic stagnation, systemic corruption, and a lack of political flexibility that could become existential threats if not addressed.” I win!
The fall of the Soviet Union was, and continues to be, the greatest catastrophe of modern times. 6 million people perished in the aftermath of its collapse, mainly over the course of the 90’s, although the numerous wars currently being fought in the former soviet republics (Ukraine, Armenia) can be said to be a continuation of this. In some respects it can be compared to the Holocaust, but because it happened to Slavs, and because it benefited the forces of international capitalism, nobody seems to care. It was a tragedy brought about by the USSR’s obsessive desire to protect its revolution from the west, which had at one point assembled the largest invasion force ever known to man, 3.2 million axis troops, in order to crush the union. Instead, it was destroyed by the same insidious nationalism that has continued to make most of Europe essentially a client state of the United States. It was a tragedy.
My mistake, 3.8 million axis troops.
6 million vs 30+ million during the SU. STFU
That’s funny. Hundreds of millions that lived in subjugated counties rejoiced believing it was the second best thing after defeat of Nazi Germany.
Wrong. The CREATION of the Soviet Union was the greatest catastrophe of modern times. It's implosion due to the inherent flaws of Marxism was a blessing to all of Eastern Europe.🫡
I didn’t hear a word he said. #haircut
Blah blah blah. The Soviet Union dissolved for the same reason Japan, a country one fourth their size, kicked their rear in the 1905 Russo-Japanese War; alcoholism & Vodka. We need to tax alcohol, allow Sober Adults discounts on insurance premiums and reduce the blood alcohol content for Driving Under the Influence.
Why stop at that? We could reinstate prohibition. It either exceedingly well the first time we tried it.
Please say just kidding. Please. There’s no way you actually think vodka was the reason why the Soviet Union collapsed.
WTF IS THAT
He might have some good points, but I ain't listening to some bowl cut hair having nerd who dresses like my grandpa!
Off topic here, but I couldn't help but notice, Michael, your haircut is horrendous , sort it out lad 🙈.
THE FUCK IS HAPPENING ON YOUR HEAD????????
who is michael malice why does he have such a terrible haircut and why would i ever listen to him
Simple Jack