Cold War Computing

Watch the program live on YouTube here!

Behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War lies a high-stakes tale of secret espionage networks, utopian visions of a cybernetic future, and remarkable technocratic reform.

Balkan Cyberia, by CHM Book Prize winner Victor Petrov, explores how Soviet-era Bulgaria was a center of innovation in electronics and computing. In an age defined by Silicon Valley and Western narratives of progress, Petrov upends Western assumptions about computing in the Eastern bloc.

What You’ll Experience: 

• A presentation and book talk by historian and professor Victor Petrov, who crafts a narrative of coded ambition, hidden trade tunnels, and a cyber-elite that reshaped Cold War geopolitics.
• Revelations about how Bulgaria became an electronics powerhouse, capturing a staggering 45% market share of electronics exports within the Eastern Bloc.
• Contemporary parallels between socialist-era tech diplomacy and today's geopolitical and global supply chain tensions.

For curious minds and history enthusiasts alike, this event is not to be missed.

Agenda 

5:30 p.m.
Member Reception Check-in Opens

6 p.m.
Member Reception

7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Program