Born into a family of  Canadian Communists (208)

Born into a family of Canadian Communists (208)

Fred Weir was a third-generation red diaper baby from Toronto and a long-time member of the Communist Party. His uncle, trained at the Lenin School in Moscow in the 1920s as an agent of the Communist International, the Comintern and spent many years in the USSR. Fred had visited a few times, had studied Russian history up to the graduate level, but never wanted to live there until Gorbachev came to power in 1985. The new general secretary, the party’s first to be born after the revolution, talked, unlike any Communist leader since the original Bolsheviks. Suddenly, there was the electrifying prospect of socialism powered from below, a system focused on creative human potential rather than crop statistics. Now I know some of you skip this bit, but if you want to continue hearing these Cold War stories I’m asking listeners to pledge a monthly donation of at least $4, £3 or €3 per month to help keep the podcast on the air, although larger amounts are welcome too. If you donate monthly via Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee you will get the sought after CWC coaster and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. I am delighted to welcome Fred Weir to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode208/ If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations 0:00 Introduction 3:00 Introduction of guest Fred Weir and discussion on his early life 9:16 Recollection of the Prague Spring and its impact 15:24 Decision to stay in Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union 19:03 Socializing with local Communist Party members and life in Soviet Union 25:48 Covering the impact of Glasnost and Perestroika 35:41 The transition from Yeltson's to Putin's leadership 39:15 Fred Weir's experiences during the 1991 coup 52:09 Predicting and understanding the collapse of the Soviet Union 55:13 Life after the collapse of the Soviet Union 1:00:34 Acknowledging the support of patrons 1:01:20 Cold War Conversations discussion group on Facebook 1:02:28 Cold War Conversations store Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(447)

Doped, Abused and Abandoned: Growing Up in East Germany’s Sports System (400)

Doped, Abused and Abandoned: Growing Up in East Germany’s Sports System (400)

This episode covers themes of physical and emotional abuse as well as suicide. If you need support please follow the links below. UK https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ ...

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Whispers of Freedom: Portraying the Story of the last person shot at the Berlin Wall (399)

Whispers of Freedom: Portraying the Story of the last person shot at the Berlin Wall (399)

Chris Gueffroy, was the last person to be shot dead at the Berlin Wall and a new short film called “Whispers of Freedom” portrays his story. I speak with the film’s director Brandon Ashplant who sha...

22 Apr 202548min

 Submerged: Life on a Fast Attack Submarine in the Last Days of the Cold War (398)

Submerged: Life on a Fast Attack Submarine in the Last Days of the Cold War (398)

Former US Navy Commander Henry Rausch is the author of Submerged: Life on a Fast Attack Submarine in the Last Days of the Cold War. Henry shares his experiences from training to life aboard a submari...

18 Apr 20251h 3min

Deep Cover Cold War Spies: How Russia’s Illegal Agents Penetrated the West (397)

Deep Cover Cold War Spies: How Russia’s Illegal Agents Penetrated the West (397)

In 2010, two decades after the Cold War had ended, ten Russian spies were arrested in America, having hidden their true identities from their friends, neighbours and even their children. They were p...

11 Apr 20251h 9min

A Black US Basketball  Virtuoso in Cold War Poland (396)

A Black US Basketball Virtuoso in Cold War Poland (396)

The Communist Polish press called it "Kentomania!"—the excitement surrounding a 23 year old, called Kent Washington who made history as the first American—and the first Black American—to sign a profes...

4 Apr 20251h 23min

Agent Zo - From War Hero to Enemy:  When Cold War Poland  Turned on Its Own (395)

Agent Zo - From War Hero to Enemy: When Cold War Poland Turned on Its Own (395)

In a world where history often overlooks the contributions of women, ​the story of ​Agent ​Zo stands out as a beacon of bravery and resilience. ​I spoke with ​Claire ​Mulley about her book ​Agent ​Zo:...

29 Mar 20251h

In Conversation with Margot Honecker (394)

In Conversation with Margot Honecker (394)

I speak with Jon Benjamin who recounts his meetings with Margot Honecker, the unrepentant architect of East Germany’s education system and widow of GDR leader Erich Honecker then living in exile in Ch...

26 Mar 202530min

The Cuban Missile Crisis Suicide Missions (393)

The Cuban Missile Crisis Suicide Missions (393)

Richard F Kaufman is the author of A One-Way Trip to Death A Survivor’s View of Cruise Missiles in the Cuban Missile Crisis In the 1950s he served in the Korean War, where he was shot down and provid...

22 Mar 202555min

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