The Soviet Union, despite its initial strides in attempting to bring various nationalities under a single Union framework, descended into a cycle of repression that held its various republics only through bonds of fear.

The Ukrainian, Georgian, and Lithuanian SSRs in particular provide striking evidence that the administration of the USSR was unwilling to meet the diverse needs of nationalities throughout its borders.

Soviet repression covered all aspects of national culture such as religion and celebrations of ethnicity or national heritage.

The collapse of the USSR was hastened by national movements attempting to break free from the repressive Union at large

The USSR failed to learn the lessons of previous multinational empires- subscription to a larger, multinational government must be voluntary and serve the needs of everyone within its jurisdiction.

Factors such as religion, heritage, and shared customs hold great importance for national groups, which the USSR failed to accommodate.

I learned that the collapse of the USSR and the grievances of various national groups therein were far more nuanced than I had previously anticipated.

I learned that samizdat were far more prolific, especially within a religious context, than I had previously imagined.

I learned that physical archives are of immeasurable value for proper, in-depth research, even within the modern digital landscape, as many materials are not yet digitized.