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Using global, transnational, and cultural-historical perspectives, recent studies deconstruct the binarity of the Cold War. The studies show that certain frames of interpretation, such as interdependence, convergence of systems, globalisation or decolonisation, had already been combined with the narrative of the Cold War by contemporaries. This enriches the picture of domestic positions and foreign policy interests of the West vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. However, recent research also shows that there is a lack of studies in economic or media history that focus on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

"This study focuses on Soviet television audiences and examines their watching habits and the way they made use of television programs. Kirsten Bönker challenges the common misconception that viewers perceived Soviet television programming and entertainment culture as dull and formulaic. This study draws extensively on archival sources and oral history interviews to analyze how Soviet television involved audiences in political communication and how it addressed audiences' emotional commitments to Soviet values and the Soviet way of life. Bönker argues that the Brezhnev era influenced political stability and brought an unprecedented rise of the living standards, creating new meanings for consumerism, the idea of the "home," and private life among Soviet citizens. Exploring the concept of emotional bonding, this study engages broader discussions on the durability of the Soviet Union until perestroika."--

Inhalt -- Verzeichnis der Tabellen -- Einleitung -- 1. Fragestellung, Forschungsgegenstand und Begriffe -- 2. Forschungsstand -- 3. Zivilgesellschaft: Forschungskontext und Begriff -- 4. Vorgehensweise und Quellenlage -- I. Die Städte: Balašov, Caricyn und Vol'sk -- 1. Die Bevölkerung -- a. Wachstum -- b. Sozialstruktur -- c. Ethnizität und Religion -- 2. Stadtwahrnehmungen, soziale Geographie und Hygiene -- a. Zeitgenössische Wahrnehmungen -- b. Soziale Geographie und Hygiene

ZusammenfassungNeuere Studien dekonstruieren die Binarität des Kalten Krieges mit globalen, transnationalen und kulturgeschichtlichen Perspektiven. Sie zeigen, dass bestimmte Interpretationsrahmen wie Interdependenz, Konvergenz der Systeme, Globalisierung oder Dekolonisierung bereits von Zeitgenoss_innen mit dem Narrativ des Kalten Krieges verbunden wurden. Dies bereichert das Bild der innenpolitischen Positionen und außenpolitischen Interessen, die im Westen gegenüber der Sowjetunion vertreten worden sind. Neuere Forschungen zeigen aber auch, dass es an wirtschafts- oder mediengeschichtlichen Studien mangelt, die sich auf beide Seiten des Eisernen Vorhangs konzentrieren.

Using global, transnational, and cultural-historical perspectives, recent studies deconstruct the binarity of the Cold War. The studies show that certain frames of interpretation, such as interdependence, convergence of systems, globalisation or decolonisation, had already been combined with the narrative of the Cold War by contemporaries. This enriches the picture of domestic positions and foreign policy interests of the West vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. However, recent research also shows that there is a lack of studies in economic or media history that focus on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Perestroika and the Loss of Certainties: The Post-Soviet Revaluation of Soviet Money Practices and Social Equality Soviet propaganda painted a picture of an egalitarian, «humane» and «warm» socialist society, whereas the disdained stereotype of capitalism suggested social relations that were dominated by materialism, egoism and money. However, the perestroika reforms constituted a profound iconoclasm and brought about a harsh state of social disintegration for many people. In order to trace the contemporary perceptions of these changes, possible threats, crisis scenarios, as well as the opportunities that the perestroika entailed, this article explores the attitudes of former Soviet consumers towards money, and their consumer practices based on 42 oral history interviews. They strongly suggest that the late Soviet society was not characterised by disintegration. From a comparative perspective on Soviet and post-Soviet times, Soviet money practices offered reliability and predictability of living conditions in an environment with less consumer choice than today. Many people perceived the Soviet social, cultural and economic framework as having provided comparatively greater security in everyday life. The new privacy of the 1960s and the 1970s offered considerable sources for building people's trust in the regime as it became linked to notions of stability, security, and predictability. Therefore, we should consider these subjective dimensions of «normality» as providing grounds for current nostalgia about the alleged socio-economic stability and political security up until perestroika.