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