Ivan the Terrible (Russia's First Tsar)

11/17/22 • 87 min

1 Listener

Today, the term "Terrible" can refer to anything from a very lousy dinner to a catastrophic calamity that kills millions. When it was conferred on Russian tsar Ivan IV in the 16th century, it explicitly meant 'awe-inspiring,' 'mighty,' and 'formidable.' However, if we look at the reign of one of the most paranoid, violent, and unpredictable individuals to control the country, then the current term of 'very awful' isn't that far off the mark after all. So, what was it that made Ivan so Terrible?
Notes: -
1- Ivan the Terrible by Isabel de Madariaga
https://www.amazon.com/Ivan-Terrible-Isabel-Madariaga/dp/0300119739
2- Fearful Majesty: The Life and Reign of Ivan the Terrible by Benson Bobrickhttps://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Majesty-Life-Reign-Terrible/dp/1880100843
3- Ivan the Terrible by Robert Payne
https://www.amazon.com/Ivan-Terrible-Robert-Payne/dp/0815412290

Insta: @convo_btwe
Twitter: convo_btwe
Facebook: A Conversation Before the World Ends
Tiktok: convo_btwe

Insta: @convo_btwe
Twitter: convo_btwe
Facebook: A Conversation Before the World Ends
Tiktok: convo_btwe

Previous Episode

Horror and Other Things We Were Afraid to Ask Hitchcock

It’s no secret that we are going through a new golden age of horror films. Horror movies have for the most part been critical and financial darlings. With some ending up on the top 10 lists across respectable publications covering a plethora of different concepts and topics from cult leaders to religious hysteria, aliens killing toddlers, demons killing toddles, toddlers killing parents. But What is horror? Is it fearing things that bump in the night? Is it the mourned howls of the dead that come with the wind. These have haunted the human consciousness as far back as we developed something called consciousness. The last two episode we tackled two topics that seem to predate written history: the unwelcome return of something beyond our senses. There is a theory that I have ascribed to. That everything we have achieved and have not achieved stems from the threat of death. The terror of death. From religion to sexual desire. The urge of facing death or cheating death seems to be as primal.

Does the fear of death drive us? The depiction of death in art has been around since the start of cave paintings to the movie screens. But did that constitute as horror?

Horror, as a term first appears in early 14th century, which means “feeling of disgust or sordid and vulgar”. And once Gothic Romanticism appeared in the late 18th century, the word horror showed up in prose. Where the term would get more of its modern meaning. In Robert Southey’s poem To Horror where he echoes his love to the eerie, Nathan Drake used the word interchangeably with disgust.

How did this word become associated with fear and how Horror movies for the most part have been shaped by our changes in society, culture, politics and technology but to understand the evolution of horror movies and monsters we are going to have to go back to the origins of the horror genre in films. on tonight’s episode we will be looking at horror films, how they highlighted and manifested our greatest fears.
Notes:-
How The Horror Genre Reflects Societal Fears Throughout Time
http://scribe.usc.edu/how-the-horror-genre-reflects-societal-fears-throughout-time/
HISTORICISM IN “THE SHINING” – BY FREDRIC JAMESON
https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/historicism-in-the-shining/
100 Years of Horror: Culture Shock: The Influence of History on Horror
https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/20853/100-years-of-horror-culture-shock-the-influence-of-history-on-horror/
Why the 1980s Is the Best Decade for Horror
https://www.thefilmagazine.com/why-1980s-horror-is-the-best/
How Horror Reflects Societal Fears
https://www.thereviewgeek.com/howhorrorreflectssocietalfears-article/

Insta: @convo_btwe
Twitter: convo_btwe
Facebook: A Conversation Before the World Ends
Tiktok: convo_btwe

Next Episode

Argentina '78 (Or, Remembering the Dirtiest World Cup of All Time)

To all those that disappeared and their families. We hope you'll eventually find solace and peace

The idea of sports and politics don’t mix isn’t always enforced, it’s hard to keep them apart. From ancient times, the idea of politics and sports have always been interlinked. From ancient Greeks would take apart in games in which city states would send their best athletes to compete against one another. The Mayans held a similar practice too and this is no more evident than football, where the world cup from its inception was riddled with agendas, deals and power plays. From a petty gestures such as Uruguay’s boycott of 1934 world cup in Italy over how it felt that most of the European teams never showed up when they hosted it 4 years prior to matters of principle as when the Soviet Union refused to play Chile away during a 1973 qualification play-off at the same stadium where Pinochet had left wing prisoners executed.

When the 2018 world cup was announced that it will take part in Russia, every one felt uneased by the fact it was taking place in an oppressive country that had just annexed parts of Ukraine and Georgia that also has links with putting down any criticisms and or political opponents with people harking back to when the Olympics were hosted in Berlin in 1936. If the boycotts against Russia felt half-hearted than the same cannot be said about 1978. The boycotts came in early and with convictions. It almost worked.

On June 1st 1978, at the el monumental stadium in Buenos Aries, A couple hundred children moved into their positions. The children spelled out Argentina ’78 before the words Mundial FIFA. A flock of what looked more like pigeons was released into the sky and the world cup was underway. General Jorge Rafael Videla, the leader of Argentina’s ruling military Junta stood and announced to 80,000 people would be played under the sign of peace. In an hearing distance of the stadiums drums, a mile away from the campus of Navy Petty Officers School Mechanics, the Military’s makeshift torture camp was operating where any and all dissidents were taken to. The Disappeared. A term used to describe the victims of State Sponsored terrorism and while this was happening the world cup continued. The sounds of steel drums and crowds roaring heard by tortured prisoners down the street.

Outro provided by Canal Encuentro
https://www.youtube.com/@encuentro/aboutMusic: Dark Crimes by Soundridemusic
Copyright: GOLOVACH, VOLODYMYR
Publisher: Songtrust Blvd IPI #615755145
P.R.O.: IPI# 00382646438
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/BEVg8Chp9OE
Notes:
Remembering Argentina 1978: The Dirtiest World Cup Of All Time
https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a21454856/argentina-1978-world-cup/
he dark story of the murderous dictatorship behind Argentina's 1978 World Cup win
https://www.goal.com/en-sa/news/the-dark-story-of-the-dictatorship-behind-argentinas-1978-world-cup-win/1k53qqcgt7r8q19xcawarwgsls
Argentina's 1978 World Cup win against Peru was fixed in a brutal political deal, former senator says
https://shortest.link/9kiu
Kissinger approved Argentinian 'dirty war'
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/dec/06/argentina.usa
Argentina’s bittersweet win
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-28-fg-mundial28-story.html
Henry Kissinger and football’s longest unsolved riddle
https://www.channel4.com/news/dr-henry-kissinger-and-footballs-longest-unsolved-riddle

Insta: @convo_btwe
Twitter: convo_btwe
Facebook: A Conversation Before the World Ends
Tiktok: convo_btwe

A Conversation Before The World Ends - Ivan the Terrible (Russia's First Tsar)

Transcript

Part 1:- Vasily the adequate

To talk about Ivan we need to first talk about his father, the grand prince Vasily III and the world they were born in. So, Ivan’s family were descended from the Rurik dynasty, who was a Viking leader from the Jutland who found what would become the Kievan Rus and what would become the monarchy of Russia. This is the bloodline in which Ivan IV and Vasily III would be born into. Russia by the time of their birth was somewhat a myste