Welcome to Erin Mankie's Cabinet of Curiosity's, a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm

and Mild.

Our world is full of the unexplainable.

And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display,

just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosity's.

When the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1917, their main message was freedom.

Freedom from the Russian aristocracy, freedom from the hated wars, and freedom for workers.

As we know what actually followed was a harsh crackdown on many freedoms, including free

speech.

The censorship became a central tenet of the Bolshevik government, cracking down on

criticism of Stalin and the USSR.

The government claimed that censorship was devoted to protecting workers' interests.

Really, it was focused on eliminating Stalin's political opponents and keeping the regime

in power by any means necessary.

Books and novels, even those by Russian authors, were heavily censored.

Certain music was anathema, and modern art was considered an attack on the Soviet people's

sensibilities.

The states was very focused on ensuring that they had absolute control over every aspect

of life, both public and private.

During the Cold War, there was a battle of propagandists happening behind the scenes.

Both countries were trying to influence the culture and beliefs of the other citizens

...