The Soviet Union lasted from 1922 until 1991. The socialist state had aspirations to become a communist utopia, but the reality was unsurprisingly very different. Throughout its almost seventy-year existence, numerous events rocked the foundation of the union, sometimes having profound effects on the rest of the world. HBO’s recent miniseries, Chernobyl, explored the 1986 disaster in depth. However, many other historical events from the region also deserve a closer look.

For this list, we’ll be looking at ten periods from the Soviet Union’s history interesting enough to warrant their own miniseries. Given the nature of events that audiences may find intriguing, most of these entries will reference extremely dour incidents, so those especially sensitive to the saddest bits of history have been warned.

Russian Revolution

Seeing how it all got started is integral to understanding what went wrong. What were the situations in Russia that caused the uprising? How did the revolution affect the rest of the world? Was it really necessary to kill the entire royal family after they were already captured?

All of these ideas could be discussed with a dramatized version of the events. It would usher in a whole generation of hot Stalin memes, as people realize how dashingly good looking he was in his youth. It wouldn’t be the first time the internet sensationalized a monster, as seen with Ted Bundy.

Construction of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was more than just a piece of architecture, it symbolically split the world in two. Suddenly, a slight difference in geographical location upon birth dictated the nature of one’s life.

In a world where people still treat such matters with importance, it would remind those of the dangers of borders. Even before the wall was set up, attempting to cross the no man’s land separating East and West Berlin could result in execution. Why should one face such a cruel fate for simply trying to cross a line?

Hungarian Revolution Of 1956

From the end of October to the beginning of November 1956, people took to the streets in Hungary in armed resistance against the government. They succeeded in freeing many political prisoners and were even on their way to forming a new government in just a few short weeks.

Unfortunately, Soviet troops quickly descended upon the city and swiftly crushed the revolution. Thousands died during the fighting, and thousands more were imprisoned afterward. Only since the dissolution of the Soviet Union has study and discussion on the failed uprising taken place.

Soviet-Afghan War

This almost decade long conflict is far too complex to summarize in one entry. Those who fought in it weren’t focused on politics, however, and were simply worried about surviving and coming home. The deployment of Soviet troops is now considered a mistake, and the United States didn’t help matters by supporting the opposing mujahideen, something that would later come back to haunt them.

Along with soldiers were civilian personnel unprepared for the horrors they would witness. War never changes, making this dark chapter endlessly relevant.

Ukrainian-Soviet War

Ukraine enjoyed short-lived independence but fighting within the country quickly ensued before it came under the Soviet Union’s control. There was counter-revolutionaries, the Bolsheviks, Ukrainian Nationalists, Polish in the west, and even an anarchist army.

It all took place over just a few years, but it wasn’t that long ago when an honest to goodness anarchist force stood a real chance of attaining power over a significant piece of land in Europe.

Dissolution Of The USSR

They say all good things must pass, but the same rings true for governments with extremely complicated histories that have since been the topic of polarizing debate. By the end of the ’80s, the writing was on the wall for the Soviet Union.

History remembers the USSR’s dissolution as the rest of the world achieving victory over communism, but the real story is more complicated. A series would chronicle the economic crisis these nations were beginning to experience. Furthermore, many former Soviet countries fell into disarray afterward, leading to wars and revolutions.

The Great Purge

Joseph Stalin is one of modern history’s most reviled figures, and nothing encompasses this more than the Great Purge from 1936 to 1938. Any enemy of the state was either put into a work camp or to death, and it wasn’t hard to be considered one back then.

Intense surveillance and secret police ensured no one was safe. What makes this period standout is Stalin’s paranoia, which led to the imprisonment and death of his own comrades.

Babi Yar

Babi Yar is a ravine in Kyiv, Ukraine where over one hundred thousand people were executed during the Nazi’s occupation of the city. On a single day, more than 30,000 people were put to death.

Less than thirty people are known to have survived the massacre, leaving only a few firsthand accounts. A series based on the site wouldn’t just focus on these specific events, but life under occupation and the events leading up to the Battle of Kyiv and the city’s eventual liberation.

Battle Of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad is the single biggest battle in humanity’s history. Nearly two million people participated and well over a million of them perished in the fighting that took place from August of 1942 to February of 1943.

Participating in such a large scale conflict is something only those who were there could fully understand, but a series detailing the operation and human toll would go a long way to preserving its history. One obstacle to a project like this would be the immense budget required to convincingly recreate this massive war zone.

Holodomor

The word Holodomor roughly translates to death by hunger in Ukrainian. It refers to a year-long famine that killed anywhere between three and seven million people. Largely accepted as a manufactured famine due to the Soviet Union’s policy of collectivization, the Soviet government long denied its existence and their contribution to it.

Not only that, but foreign aid was refused. Despite the government’s best attempts to hide them, photographic documentation exists of the tragedy, and several survivors still live today to recount their stories. A miniseries would help shed light on this act of genocide that too few are aware of.

Next: 10 Video Games To Play If You Liked HBO’s Chernobyl