The Soviet Union ceased to exist on New Year’s Eve, 1991. The new country, called the Russian Federation, was set to embrace democracy and a market economy. The problem was that no one had any idea how to transform the world’s largest country into a free market state. And, what’s more, there was no historical precedent for this. What ensued was severe economic chaos. Essential items for everyday life were unavailable in traditional retail stores. The entire system of distributing goods around the country had disintegrated. Russia’s GDP fell by 50% between 1992 and 1998. This was worse than what Americans went through during the Great Depression.
Julia steps into this world like a babe in the woods. She meets the family she’ll be staying with: Nina, Nina’s mother Anna, and Nina’s 4 children.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.