Please Vote on Rearrangement of Soviet Bloc section!

[Art]

Members,

We are currently considering rearranging the structure of the Soviet Bloc section for efficiency. We are hoping the below outline for the future arrangement of information within the Soviet Bloc section will help you find what you are looking for easier by categorizing it better. Your opinion is needed so please vote. Would a rearrangement be a help or a hindrance to you? Nothing will change unless the majority decides it would be best for the forum.

The proposal suggests splitting what is now "soviet bloc" into 4 sub-forums.

#1 Republics Of The Soviet Union
#2 Post Soviet Republics
#3 Non-Republic Soviet Bloc Countries
#4 Russian Empire

For the first subforum the following sections would be created

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Bukharan People's Soviet Republic
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Khorezm People's Soviet Republic
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

and for the second subforum the following sections;

Republic Of Abkhazia
Republic Of Armenia
Republic Of Azerbaijan
Republic Of Belarus
Republic Of Estonia
Republic Of Georgia
Republic Of Kazakhstan
Kyrgyz Republic
Republic Of Latvia
Republic Of Lithuania
Republic Of Moldova
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
Orders
Medals
Badges
Russian Federation
Federal Orders
Federal Medals
Ministerial Medals
"Umalatova" Awards
Unofficial Awards
Badges
Republic Of Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Orders
Medals
Republic Of Uzbekistan

The third and fourth would be structured similarly. So please vote, the voting period will be available for two weeks.

Thank You

[Christophe]

Hi Art,

Good idea !!

Just one remark : I don't like a lot the name of section #3 : "Non-Republic Soviet Bloc Countries".
Wouldn't "USSR-aligned Countries" or "Soviet Bloc Countries" be better ?
What do you think ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[CtahhR]

Communist Nations Of The World (without the Unite!)?

[medals73]

Thanks! This is a great idea and somewhat overdue. This section has grown quickly and somewhat haphazardly and it needs some attention.

I would, however, suggest:

-- Making the "Soviet Republics" a sub-set of the main Soviet forum (and not "Soviet Bloc"). They were, after all, the constituent "Unions" of the USSR.

-- Arranging the three remaining areas:
1- Russian Empire (Which I guess needs a place here? What about the pre-socialist awards of the "Soviet Bloc" countries. Frankly, I'm not sure they belong here, but I thought I'd ask.)
2- "Soviet Bloc" (Which should be, as it has been, defined with a great deal of flexibility, but we may need to ponder the rules for inclusion/exclusion. Warsaw Pact & COMECON & ??? The existing categories need a lot of editorial attention; some categories are well structured while others aren't.)
3- Post-Soviet administrations that used to be part of the USSR

And, again, thanks to all (especially the editor-in-chief) for this section!

[CtahhR]

I believe all four sections would be a subset of the main forum and what is now "Soviet Bloc Awards" being "reconfigured" into non-USSR country only awards. Rather than having all of these within a "bloc" subset.
I suppose the Russian Empire section could expand to cover other pre-USSR state awards such as the Baltic states but so far there has never been any interest in those nations but who knows what the future may bring?

[medals73]

While I see the appeal of having a free-standing non-Soviet (by any definition) section (and putting pre-Soviet, Soviet republics, and post-Soviet some place else), I could also make an argument against the divorce. On balance, the divorce may be the most logical solution.

We still have a matter of definition before us.

Warsaw Pact: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, DDR, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

Fine, easy.

COMECON would add: Afghanistan, Cuba, Ethiopia, Finland, Iraq, Lao Republic, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Vietnam, PDR Yemen, and Yugoslavia.

Some may have "issues" with this? But I think these belong (but maybe not Finland and Mexico?).

COMINFORM would add the communists of France, Italy, and Trieste. This may be "a bridge too far"? COMINTERN would go ever further afield.

And, yet, some places are still missing. China, Kampuchea, and North Korea spring immediately to mind. There may be others.

I think having categories (organized as some now are: titles, orders, medals, etc.) for all is a good idea. "Build it and they will come."

[CtahhR]

Here's one that never gets a mention - Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic...

I think leaving the label "Bloc" behind is also a good idea. Like I previously posted "Communist Nations Of The World" and I suppose it being third on the list and after the Soviet Union and Soviet Republics we can take it as read that they aren't included there...

If I'm not mistaken the "Soviet Bloc" sub-forum is now 8 years old?
Still MANY awards to cover and awards already covered vary in depth of their coverage so keep adding people! The more the merrier!

[medals73]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

I suppose the Russian Empire section could expand to cover other pre-USSR state awards such as the Baltic states but so far there has never been any interest in those nations but who knows what the future may bring?

Well, I could post on pre- and non-Soviet (there's already some "post-") Mongolian awards . . . .

[Art]

Great points so far. Credit where credit is due, CtahhR PMd me this proposal this morning and I was skeptical that the members would accept it. I certainly didn't want to move forward with it and the result being..



I'm glad to see so far many of the heavy hitter members are in agreement. Now all we have to do is make everyone happy

Also credit where credit is due, the suggestion for the group name for #3 was mine, not CtahhR's. So my bad

Since this was CtahhR's idea, I'll let him distill down the members thoughts into a list we can all agree with. I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about the restructuring of a forum section before..I'll bet he has a super-organized closet or socks with his name embroidered in them or something If a list can be compiled in two weeks time, I will start creating the groups. Why a two-week deadline? because if we can't agree on something in two-weeks, I doubt we'll ever be able to agree on a reorganization.

Marc had a good suggestion regarding structure. Keep it simple. Keep group names brief and to the point. Keep structure logical like the outline for a term paper.

[CtahhR]

Don't blame me... until this December I only had 3 socks to my name... and at least one of those could be contended.....