Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone

Series 1

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What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.

Where to Watch Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone • Series 1

7 Episodes

  • Part One - 1985 to 1989
    E1
    Part One - 1985 to 1989Perestroika. The dream of saving communism. But no-one believes in anything any longer. The managers loot the system. Soldiers return defeated in the war to liberate Afghanistan.
  • Part Two - 1989 to 1991
    E2
    Part Two - 1989 to 1991There are no potatoes in Moscow. Things get worse. Then they get much worse as the rational Communist plan runs out of control everywhere. But McDonald’s opens in Moscow.
  • Part Three - 1991
    E3
    Part Three - 1991The empire strikes back. Hardliners attempt a coup. Power slips through their shaking hands. Oligarchs publish a manifesto. Money will replace all ideology. Yeltsin seizes power.
  • Part Four - 1992 to 1994
    E4
    Part Four - 1992 to 1994Russia goes through the mirror into a chaotic dream world where nothing is stable any more. Dream visions of Russia's imperial past start to rise up. People cannot afford food.
  • Part Five - 1993 to 1996
    E5
    Part Five - 1993 to 1996Russian society implodes. Millions of people fall into the abyss. Many live underground or in forests. The president attacks parliament with tanks saying he is saving democracy.
  • Part Six - 1994 to 1998
    E6
    Part Six - 1994 to 1998The group around the president believe a war in Chechnya will save him. Others want the war to restore the glory of the Russian empire. The Oligarchs seize control of practically everything. In the upside down world gangsters become heroes for defending democracy.
  • Part Seven - 1995 to 1999
    E7
    Part Seven - 1995 to 1999Suddenly the western bankers leave. Oligarchs take control and search for a new president to be their puppet. They choose Putin. Russians turn against “the curse of democracy".

Cast of Series 1

  • Mikhail GorbachevSelf (archive footage)
  • Boris YeltsinSelf (archive footage)
  • Vladimir PutinSelf (archive footage)
  • Adam CurtisDirector / Writer / Editor
  • Rose GarnettExecutive Producer
  • Sandra GorelProducer

 

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