Back in the Cold War, prudent Kremlinologists had to take the marked decline in the Politburo’s collective intelligence very seriously indeed (the old adage “never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity” is terrifying when the potentially malicious dumbasses have nuclear missiles).
There were two main reasons for the decline, both structural. The first, of course, is Communism itself. A totally ideologized society is a society totally committed to make-believe. You could fill a good-sized book listing the catastrophes make-believe caused the USSR. Just to take the most obvious: Hitler did everything but send the Goodyear Blimp over Moscow, towing a banner announcing his invasion plans. But since everyone who accurately reported the goings-on in Poland ended up in the Gulag, the Wehrmacht walked right on in.
The second has to do with the nature of totalitarian leadership. Obviously sharing power is out of the question, so every Boss who finally claws his way to the top ruthlessly purges everyone who could conceivably challenge him. The purged are replaced by yes-men and toadies, who immediately enact mini-purges of their own inside their new departments. It doesn’t take more than a few rounds of this for smarter functionaries to learn to dig themselves in very, very deep, disguising themselves in a kind of protective stupidity. A few more rounds, and “protective stupidity” drops the modifier, as anyone with anything on the ball has decamped for the safer — and, not coincidentally, very soon much more profitable — havens of technical management.
It doesn’t take long before your “leadership” is nothing but ideology-addled dimbulbs. Sound familiar?
Severian, “How Dumb Are Liberals?”, Rotten Chestnuts, 2020-07-31.
November 29, 2020
QotD: The succession problem of totalitarian leadership
November 25, 2020
The Coolest Gun You Will See All Day: China’s Type 64 Silenced Pistol
Forgotten Weapons
Published 14 Aug 2020http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
https://www.floatplane.com/channel/Fo…
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg…
The Type 64 is a dedicated suppressed pistol first introduced in 1965 and used in the Vietnam War. It uses a rimless version of the .32 ACP cartridge (7.65x17mm) in a 9-round Makarov-like magazine. Despite outward similarity to the Makarov (especially the grip), the design is wholly unique internally. It uses basically a miniaturized AK bolt to allow the shooter to select between blowback semiauto functioning and single shot manual operation. The bolt’s rotating locking lugs prevent it from cycling when locked, in a very clever alternative use of the rotating bolt system. The suppressor has two chambers, using a combination of baffles and wire mesh as suppressor elements. In addition to standard ammunition, a plastic-sabot frangible load was also developed for use in situations like airline hijackings, and this loading is why some sources reference a maximum effective range of 15 meters.
For all its technical cleverness, the Type 64 is a rather heavy pistol, at 1.8kg / 4 pounds. It was replaced in 1967 by the substantially lighter and simpler Type 67, which weighed only 1.05kg / 2.3 pounds. This particular Type 64 was originally owned by Mitch Werbell III, giving it an even more interesting history …
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85740
November 18, 2020
Tanks Chats #85 | M46 Patton | The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Published 11 Oct 2019David Fletcher takes a look at the M46 Patton tank designed by the United States, which saw action during the Korean War.
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November 9, 2020
Tank Chats #84 Leopard PRTL | The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Published 6 Sep 2019For TANKFEST 2019, The Tank Museum was extremely lucky to be able to display the Leopard PRTL courtesy of The Historic Collection of the Royal Netherlands Army, in cooperation with the National Military Museum of the Netherlands.
David Willey explores how the self-propelled anti-aircraft system, based on a Leopard 1 tank, works and operates, alongside some footage of the PRTL in action.
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November 8, 2020
Kim Philby: Soviet Spy in the West
The Cold War
Published 8 Aug 2020Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the famous Cambridge Five and Donald Maclean in particular – a real Cold War-era spy story
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November 2, 2020
L1A1 SLR good and bad points
Bloke on the Range
Published 19 Oct 2017Sometimes Enfield does things right. Normally when they’re just polishing up an existing design. Like the L1A1 SLR, the British version of the FN FAL.
November 1, 2020
QotD: Trumbo
And it was. Needless to say, the movie made villains of the conservatives who opposed the Marxist infiltration: people like John Wayne and Hedda Hopper in particular, Wayne because Wayne, and Hopper because she had a son serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Of course Wayne was made out to be a bully and Hopper a vindictive bitch — and the Senators and Congressmen who haled the Commies in front of the Senate and House Un-American Committee (HUAC) were depicted as ideological purists who saw Communists behind every bush — even though, in the case of Hollywood, there were Commies behind every bush at the time.
Of course, much was made of the fact that being a Communist wasn’t actually illegal (then, and now), and Trumbo made a great show of this being a First Amendment issue — which it was — and how these Commies all wanted to improve America, but of course there were evil right-wingers like Wayne, Joe McCarthy and HUAC harassing them at every turn.
The execution of the traitors Julius and Ethel Rosenberg got a little puff piece in the movie, which didn’t — couldn’t — actually say they weren’t guilty of
treasonespionage, so it was brushed over with the throwaway that it was the first execution for espionage in peacetime, as though peacetime should give espionage a pass. And if that wasn’t enough, the Rosenberg children were paraded around as sympathy magnets — as they still are — because Communists have no problem using children to serve their own purposes.Kim du Toit, “Blacklists Matter”, Splendid Isolation, 2020-07-28.
October 19, 2020
Tank Chats #82 Challenger 1 | The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Published 9 Aug 2019David Willey, The Tank Museum Curator, discusses the development and deployment of the UK’s Main Battle Tank from 1983 – 2001, the Challenger 1.
Challenger 1 was in service with the British Army and saw action during the First Gulf War. It remains in service with the Jordanian Army.
Support the work of The Tank Museum on Patreon: ► https://www.patreon.com/tankmuseum
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Tank 100 First World War Centenary Blog: ► http://tank100.com/
September 3, 2020
Britain and France vs. The World | The Suez Crisis | Part 2
TimeGhost History
Published 2 Sep 2020After much delay, Britain and France finally keep to their side of the bargain with Israel and begin their bombing campaign of Egypt. But the condemnation from America and the UN calls into question how long the invaders can keep this up.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Francis van Berkel and Joram Appel
Image research by: Shaun Harrison & Karolina Dołęga
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design by: Marek KamińskiColorizations by:
Mikołaj Uchman
Daniel Weiss
Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/Visual Sources:
Israeli Defense Forces
National Photo Collection of Israel
Universal Studios
Tony Clarke Collection – David Whitworth from Wikimedia Commons
Abubiju from Wikimedia Commons
Fortepan Donor
Government Press Office (Israel)
National Archives NARA
Icons from The Noun Project by: Gilberto, Komkrit Noenpoempisut, Alice Design, SmalllikeMusic:
“As the Rivers Collapse” – Deskant
“Moving to Disturbia” – Experia
“March Of The Brave 10” – Rannar Sillard – Test
“Weapon of Choice” – Fabien Tell
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“London” – Howard Harper-Barnes
“Maze Heist” – Max Anson
“Descending Mount Everest” – Trailer WorxArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago (edited)
This episode is pretty much the same as the last, only turned up to 11. Israel continues making gains in Sinai, but they are now aided by British and French air forces that have finally arrived.Meanwhile, Britain and France continue lying through their teeth about any collusion with Israel. The British Foreign Minister will lie to his own Parliament about military collaboration while French ships are supporting an Israeli offensive against the settlement of Rafah.
The economic costs of this also become very apparent in this episode. Nasser successfully closes the Canal, and with America in no mood to help, the whole of Europe faces oil shortages.
In short, the whole thing is a mess. Don’t worry though, Indy will guide you through it.
August 27, 2020
Israel Faces U.S. Sanctions – The Second Arab-Israeli War Begins | The Suez Crisis | Part 1
TimeGhost History
Published 26 Aug 2020Israel launches its invasion of Egypt, much to the surprise of America who reacts furiously to the act of aggression. It quickly becomes apparent to America that Israel is not acting alone when Britain and France deliver an ultimatum to Egypt. However, could Anglo-French war plans hit the buffers if the expected American backing does not materialize?
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Francis van Berkel and Joram Appel
Image Research: Shaun Harrison & Daniel Weiss
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Maps: Ryan WeatherbyColorizations:
– Mikolaj Uchman
– Daniel Weiss
– Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/Sources:
National Archives NARA
Library of Congress Geography and Maps Department
Photo From the IAF website, https://www.iaf.org.ilFrom the Noun Project:
– telegraph – Luke Anthony Firth, GB
– soldier – Wonmo KangSoundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
– “Devil’s Disgrace” – Deskant
– “Searching Through Sand” – Deskant
– “As the Rivers Collapse” – Deskant
– “Crying Winds” – Deskant
– “Where Kings Walk” – Jon Sumner
– “Dreamless Nights” – The New Fools
– “Call of Muezzin” – Sight of Wonders
– “Dunes of Despair” – DeskantArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago
Some of the military history buffs out there no doubt know about B.H. Liddell Hart and his contribution to interwar strategic theory. Well, he reportedly referred to the Israeli invasion here, code-named Operation Kadesh, as one of the finest applications of the strategy of the indirect approach he developed. This is reason enough to watch this episode, but the opening of hostilities in Sinai is interesting for reasons beyond purely theoretical concerns.From the get-go, military plans are inherently tied to political maneuvering. From the secrecy and deception of the IDF’s movements to the delaying of the Anglo-French bombing campaign; politics determine the course of this war. However, it’s easy in limited conflicts like this that are almost academic in their application, to forget that it’s destroying the lives of ordinary people. Not only the soldiers fighting, but also the civilians whose homes and lives are under threat.
Average Egyptian and Palestinians suffered disproportionately in this short campaign. You’ll learn in a later episode about at least one massacre in a Palestinian town, and there was a blatant disregard for civilian life on all sides. You probably all have different opinions on which side deserves to win here and who is at fault. But let’s not forget the real people who suffered as a result of international politics.
August 26, 2020
Sir Anthony Blunt, the “Fourth Man”
In The Critic, David Herman reviews a new book on the unmasking of Soviet spy … and close associate of the Royal family, Sir Anthony Blunt by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979:
Anthony Blunt (1907-1983), was the “Fourth Man” in the Cambridge spy ring that supplied the Soviets with secret documents from within Britain’s WW2 intelligence services.
In November 1979, the newly elected Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, named Professor Sir Anthony Blunt, one of the most distinguished art historians in post-war Britain, as the “Fourth Man”, one of the traitors known as the “Cambridge Spies”, a group of spies working for the Soviet Union from the 1930s to at least the early 1950s. Mrs. Thatcher did not pull her punches. She regarded Blunt’s behaviour as “contemptible and repugnant”, and she was appalled by the evidence of treason and treachery at the heart of the British establishment.
What set Blunt apart from the others – Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean and Kim Philby – was his distinguished academic career. Blunt was professor of art history at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art and Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. He was related to the Queen Mother. His students included such famous figures as Anita Brookner, Sir Nicholas Serota, Sir Neil Macgregor and Sir Alan Bowness. He also passed 1,771 documents to his Soviet spymasters during the war while working for MI5. For some of this time, the Soviet Union was a foreign enemy, allied to Nazi Germany.
The mix of homosexuality, 1930s Cambridge and treason, the scholar and the spy, made a compelling story and Blunt has been the subject of a famous essay in The New Yorker by George Steiner (“The Cleric of Treason”, 8 December, 1980), plays by Dennis Potter (Blade on the Feather, 1980), Alan Bennett (A Question of Attribution, 1988) and a novel by John Banville (The Untouchable, 1997). More recently, he has turned up in the third season of The Crown (2019), played by Samuel West. Had Alex Jennings not already played the Duke of Windsor in earlier series of The Crown, he would have been perfect casting.
After Mrs. Thatcher’s revelations in the House of Commons, Blunt was immediately stripped of his knighthood and he was subsequently forced to resign his Honorary Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. The University of London, however, did not take away his Emeritus Professorship and the French government did not strip him of his Legion of Honour. There could be no criminal proceedings against Blunt because in 1964 he had only admitted his guilt in exchange for guaranteed immunity for any subsequent prosecution for the rest of his life.
The question then arose how should the British Academy respond? Blunt had been a Fellow for almost twenty years. He had served as a Vice-President and was talked of as a possible future President.
Almost immediately lines were drawn and leading figures like the historians John H. Plumb and A.J.P. Taylor threatened to resign from the Academy. It was a spectacular bunfight and the press had a wonderful time.
August 20, 2020
Britain, France, and Israel’s War Collusion | The Suez Crisis | Prelude 2
TimeGhost History
Published 19 Aug 2020Britain and France are becoming increasingly worried about the growing threat of Egypt to the Middle East and Africa — they are not alone — Israel is also worried. Israel’s close proximity to Egypt makes them a valuable secret accomplice in finding justification for a war that will seek to remove Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Joram Appel and Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel
Image Research: Ian Irungu, Shaun Harrison & Daniel Weiss
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Maps: Ryan WeatherbyColorizations:
– Mikolaj Uchman
– Daniel Weiss
– Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/Sources:
National Archives NARA
Library of Congress Geography and Maps Department
Munich_conference – Mareček2000From the Noun Project:
– Paris – Vonn WeisenbergerSoundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
– “Devil’s Disgrace” – Deskant
– “Dreamless Nights” – The New Fools
– “Where Kings Walk” – Jon Sumner
– “Invocation” – Deskant
– “Call of Muezzin” – Sight of Wonders
– “Crying Winds” – Deskant
– “Divine Serpent” – Deskant
– “Pepper Seeds” – Rune Dale
– “Searching Through Sand” – Deskant
– “Scented Nectar” – Rune Dale
– “As the Rivers Collapse” – DeskantArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago
“And now for our second prologue episode on the Suez Crisis. This one is all about a conspiracy where three countries believe they can fool the US, USSR, and entire UN all at the same time. Hindsight is of course 20/20, but it really is astounding that Britain, France, and Israel thought they could start a war with another member of the UN with a completedly engineered casus belli. This isn’t the first or last time something like this has happened in the history of international relations. Still, the pure audacity of Britain and France in their plans here really does seem quite unique. Can you guys think of any other examples of this kind of thing?”Cheers,
Francis.
August 11, 2020
Egypt’s Colonial and Zionist Troubles | The Suez Crisis | Prelude 1
TimeGhost History
Published 10 Aug 2020Recently independent Egypt, under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, navigates the turbulent waters of the Cold War, seeking national autonomy, while negotiating its relations with the British Empire, United States, and the Soviet Union. The question is, how will Egypt realize its self-determination with these powers vying for dominance in the region?
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Joram Appel and Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel
Image Research: Ian Irungu, Shaun Harrison & Karolina Dołęga
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations:
Mikolaj UchmanVisual Sources:
National Archives NARA
Library of Congress Geography and Maps Department
Tropenmuseum
Wellcome Images
National Army Museum of New Zealand
Imperial War Museum: HU70788,
National Photo Collection of Israel
Fortepan – ID 32790
Bibliotheca AlexandrinaMusic:
“Descending Mount Everest” – Trailer Worx
“Dreamless Nights” – The New Fools
“March Of The Brave 10” – Rannar Sillard
“Break Free” – Fabien Tell
“The Unexplored” – Philip Ayers
“It’s Not a Game” – Philip Ayers
“Foreign Signs” – Philip AyersArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
1 hour ago (edited)
Welcome to the first episode of our series on the Suez Crisis! It’s a 7-episode wild ride through secretive international collusion, clashing nations, and imperial anxieties. It’s a watershed moment in a variety of entangled histories: decolonization, the Arab-Israel Conflict, the rise of America as a superpower, the growing power of the UN, and much much more. It’s a lot to take in, but we hope that we’ve made this series as digestible (and enjoyable!) as possible. Thanks to our TimeGhost Army members for choosing this series. Want to be part of the effort that makes stuff like this happen? Join us at patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv.Cheers,
Francis.
August 10, 2020
Donald MacLean: The First of the Cambridge Five
The Cold War
Published 22 Jun 2020Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the famous Cambridge Five and Donald Maclean in particular — a real Cold War-era spy story
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecoldwar or Paypal: http://paypal.me/TheColdWar
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August 8, 2020
The Cold War & Decolonization — History Summarized
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 7 Aug 2020Keep safe and stylish with a Red-And-Blue facemask from Volante Design, or DONATE to help students in public schools receive high-quality masks for free — https://bit.ly/2DwE9O7
August of 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. So I wanted to make a video about that. That was a bad idea…
What do you get when a Classically-Minded historian ventures about 2,000 years outside of their comfort zone? A mess. A well-intentioned mess is what you get. BUT a mess that we can learn from! So join me as we dig into the aftermath of the Second World War to analyze the origins of the Cold War and the decolonization of European Empires.
SOURCES & Further Reading: The Cold War by Gaddis, The Wars of French Decolonization by Clayton, British decolonization, 1946-1997 by McIntyre, The Cold War’s Killing Fields by Chamberlin, The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction by McMahon, and “Crash Course European History [Parts 42-47]” by Green.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.DISCORD: https://discord.gg/kguuvvq
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From the comments:
Overly Sarcastic Productions
1 hour ago (edited)
Some clarifications:
North Africa did of course see conflict, the Pacific did get occupied — even the places that didn’t (eg: India) still paid for the war. Damn double-negatives.That weird Romania-Hungary-Russia border is a holdover from WWII. The border lasted until 1946 and was changed in 1947. Later in the video you’ll see the more familiar borders.
Indonesia declared Independence in 1945 (Like Vietnam), but the Netherlands didn’t withdraw until 1949, hence my mention of ’49.
