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The World

• Russian Elections 2012

Part I: The Soviet Coup – 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago, residents of Moscow awoke to the sound of tanks in the streets. There was a coup in the USSR. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was on vacation in the Crimea, had been put under house arrest by members of his own government. Just about everyone in the former Soviet Union remembers where they were on August 19, l991. More>>>

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Part II: Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the Demise of the USSR

There are many Russians who say a critical factor in the demise of the USSR was the power struggle that broke out between Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. More>>>

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Part III: Stalinism Survivor Runs Gulag Museum In Moscow

Sunday, October 31, is remembrance day in Russia. But one thing people there don’t really like to remember is the Gulag, the Soviet work camps where tens of millions died during Stalin’s reign. 91-year-old Gulag survivor Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko keeps in trying to remind them. He runs the Gulag Museum in Moscow. More>>>

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Part IV: Why Some Russians Miss the Soviet Kommunalka

The Kommunalka was a Soviet experiment in communal living. Entire families were forced to live in a single room, nevertheless some have surprisingly fond memories of the experience. More>>>

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Part V: The End of the USSR

Twenty years ago on Christmas Day, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Brigid McCarthy takes a look back at why the USSR came crashing down. More>>>

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Part VI: Nostalgia for the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union dissolved 20 years ago on Dec. 25. More than half of all Russians now regret that demise, according to a recent poll. Brigid McCarthy visited a restaurant in Moscow that lets nostalgic customers pretend they’re back in the USSR. More>>>

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Part VII: Dealing With Money in Post-Soviet Life

After the collapse of the USSR, Russians and other ex-Soviets had to learn to face a new culture – a money culture. For many, that was a huge shock. More>>>

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Grappling With a Post-Soviet Identity

Host of a Russian history program says his series, titled Kto my? (Who Are We?), is about Russians understanding themselves. More>>>